Resident Chef

Resident Chef at Sur La Table – JobGuppy

Resident Chef, Nick Rogers & Culinary Student, Arcadia

There’s more to being a chef than what you see on TV. Despite the excitement of cooking competitions and baking shows, a chef’s job goes beyond the kitchen.

Resident Chef, Nick Rogers, talks about what being a chef is really like. From his own personal career ladder to the career opportunities available, to what a day in his life looks like, you’ll walk away from this interview with a new appreciation for your local chefs.

Chef Nick shares how he worked his way to the top and gives his best (and honest) advice to those looking to work in the food industry.

Resident Chef Nick’s Career Advice Section

  • Chef Nick’s career advice:
  • Ask what more you can do all the time.
  • Look for places to work where they are willing to teach you.
  • Pay it forward.  Do something for the person showing up after you.

Resident Chef Nick’s Bio

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from the University of Houston in Houston, TX
  • 16 years career experience
  • Worked in restaurants in the hotel industry
  • Worked in restaurants for fine dining.
  • Currently the Resident Chef at Sur Le Table in Austin, TX

Arcadia’s Bio

Example Career Ladder

  • Steward (fancy French word for dishwasher)
  • Prep cook & kitchen assistant working with food
  • Line cook getting the food ready to plate and serve
  • Multiple paths may present themselves starting at this level
  • Purchaser
  • Receiver
  • Kitchen Supervisor or Lead
  • Entry level chef
  • Sous chef or Executive sous chef
  • Executive or Resident chef

Potential Job Environments

  • Dishwasher, barback, food prepper
  • Fine dining
  • Catering
  • Bakeries
  • Convention centers and entertainment venues
  • Hotel restaurants
  • Popup locations like food trucks or temporary rental locations
  • Ownership

Education level required:

  • This is a career field you can enter without a college degree.
  • However, culinary certifications and degrees can be of additional benefit.
  • Degrees in Hospitality are also relatable.

Specific college programs referenced in the conversation:

Job Search terms and ideas:

Income and Salary:

There is a large range of salaries associated with the culinary field. However, at the Resident Chef level one can expect to afford a good quality of life.
A search on Glassdoor at the time of this interview is showing $63k-$98k.