Chef Cover Letter Writing Guide (+Examples)

chef cover letter example
Chef Cover Letter Sample

Do you love good food? Do you love to cook?

If you want to be a chef, it is important to know the responsibilities. A chef not only cooks for the customers, but also manages the food inventory and purchases, develops and maintains the menu, and manages the kitchen.

There are countless restaurants and also countless chefs out there hoping to get the position. A good application letter for the chef position may grant you the opportunity to have an interview with the employer or the opportunity to show your talent in person.

Chef Cover Letter Examples

Let’s go through this guide by starting with two chef cover letter examples:

Chef cover letter sample

When writing a chef cover letter, you should mention your diversified skills and experience in a kitchen. Showcasing your skills can be very helpful because a chef’s job is a hands-on job.

Anna Heather
9430 Adams Rd.
Lake Zurich, IL 60047
202-555-0106
[email protected]

July 14th, 2023

Astrid
Red Lobster
904 N. Bishop Dr.
Georgetown, SC 29440

Dear Ms. Astrid,

With 3+ years of experience as a private chef for various events, I am eager to apply for the chef position at Red Lobster after learning that there’s an opening posted on jobhunt.com. When reading the job listing, I found the line looking for a creative chef interesting and I believe my experience creating different menus for customers would make me a great fit for the position.

During my time as a private chef, I spent time designing menus specifically according to the customer's needs, picking ingredients for the cook, cooking, plating, and serving. Hence, I am capable of being an inspirational chef who has many ideas for the dish of the week at Red Lobster.

I am also a team player because I worked with a sous-chef. We worked well together bringing delicious meals to the customers from time to time. Moreover, I am a fast learner and a very adaptive chef. Hence, I truly believe that I will be able to cooperate well with your team. 

It would be great to have an interview with you to provide more information while also giving me a chance to demonstrate my skills. I am looking forward to hearing good news from you. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Anna Heather

Cook cover letter no experience

It may be a little hard to write a chef cover letter when having no work experience but you can emphasize the skills that you have to show the employer that you are a valuable asset to employ.

Patrick Gale
9430 Adams Rd.
Lake Zurich, IL 60047
202-555-0195
[email protected]

July 14th, 2022

Jackson Tylor
Verona’s
904 N. Bishop Dr.
Georgetown, SC 29440

Dear Mr. Tylor,

My name is Patrick Gale and I am writing for the position as a chef at Verona’s after finding the listing on joblist.com. I am a graduate student at The Culinary Institute of America in 2021 and I have a great interest in working with your team.

I was inspired to cook due to my father’s amazing skills in bringing different cuisines to the dinner table. Hence, I started learning to cook from my father when I was 10 years old. It also gave me a huge inspiration to continue studying at a culinary school and use it as a stepping stone to be a professional chef.

After spending years learning, I am confident to say that I am familiar with roasting, sauteing, steaming, grilling, and braising the food to bring out its flavor. I love the concept of a chef’s job is to enhance the ingredients’ flavor to their best results. Therefore, I am eager to learn more by joining your team at Verona’s.

Other than the points mentioned above, I am a fast learner, an adaptive person, and someone who works fast yet precise. I can fit into positions within a short amount of time and provide help to everybody. I believe I would be a great asset to your restaurant.

Please contact me if there is any information that you would like to know or discuss. Thank you for your time and I hope to hear from you soon. 

Sincerely,

Patrick Gale

How to Write a Chef Cover Letter

After reading the chef cover letter examples, it is time to know the steps to write a chef cover letter.

Create a tailored chef cover letter header.

The first step to writing a great chef cover letter is to use the correct format. Information like your name, your contact information, date of writing, and the receiver’s information and address is needed in the chef cover letter header. It is a short information list for employers to know about you and get in touch with you if they need to.

Chef cover letter’s header sample:

Sophia Mains
488 Buttonwood Drive
Palm City, FL 34990
[email protected]
202-555-0181

June 12, 2023

Chris Hemson
Tronsmart
309 NE. Cross Street
Christiansburg, VA 24073

Start by introducing yourself and your purpose for writing.

The first paragraph is a place where you introduce yourself to the employer/reader. You should give an intro to who you are and why you are writing the letter. Usually, 2 to 3 sentences are more than enough for a brief introduction.

Example paragraph for sous chef cover letter:

With 3.5 years of experience as a chef at Jamie’s Steak House, I helped raise the net profit margin from 3% to 7% and I am here to offer my skills and experience to Pepper House as a sous chef after I found the opening on joblist.com. I believe my professional experience and adaptive skills would be a great asset to your team.

Explain your qualifications for the position.

Although you may have listed your qualifications in the resume, restating them in the chef cover letter can help strengthen the hiring manager’s memory of your capabilities. You should also explain those qualifications to make them relevant and believable.

Example paragraph for pastry chef cover letter:

During my college years at Kendall College, I specialize in pastry creation and I know the importance of following the recipe. After graduating, I spent a year with Pastry Chef Romeo as an intern. I learned a lot about pastry making and I truly believe I am a great fit for the opening position.

Elaborate your previous experiences.

Being a chef is a long way to go and you might have some important experiences that improved your skills or inspired you to continue creating. Therefore, you should elaborate on your experiences to help employers understand you while convincing them that you are the right person.

Example paragraph for cover letter for chef de partie:

Being a chef de Partie requires a lot of skills in management and during my time as a line chef at Soft Rock Cuisine, I was in charge of keeping an eye on the kitchen’s hygiene, monitoring the portion and waste control, and maintaining the food safety standards. A position as Chef de Partie may not be easy but I believe I will always work beyond expectations.

Close your chef cover letter by thanking the recruiter and mentioning your attachments.

In the last paragraph, you don’t need to mention more information regarding your qualifications and experiences. However, you should thank the recruiter and mention your attached resume. It works like a reminder.

Example paragraph for an application letter as a cook in a hotel:

I am excited to bring my talents as a cook to Craft Hotel and I would like to thank you for the opportunity given in advance. Please take a look at my resume attached in the same email and I hope to hear some good news from you soon. 

📚 Further reading: Chef Resume

Sign off your chef cover letter professionally.

After thanking the employer, you should sign off the chef cover letter with your full name. You can also include your email address below if you had not included it at the beginning of the letter.

Example of a sign-off:

Sincerely,

Simon Lawson

Chef Cover Letter Template

Here’s a simple template for you to start your chef cover letter:

[Your full name]

[Your mailing address]

[Your phone number]

[Your email address]


[The date of writing the cover letter]


[Employer’s name]

[The corporate/business name]

[The mailing address of the corporate/business]


Dear [Mr./Ms./Mx.] [Name of employer],


My name is [Your name] and I am writing for the position as [the position that you are applying to] at [the corporate/business name] after finding the job opening on [the place where you found the job listing]. I am [positive adjectives that describe you] and it would be an honor to get the opportunity to work at [the corporate/business name].

I was inspired to be a cook by [the inspiration] and I took my culinary bachelor’s degree at [the university name] in [year of enrollment]. During my time in university, I specialize in [culinary specialization] because I wanted to be a [your goal] in the future. Now, I am confident to say that I have excelled in a fair amount of skill sets and I am eager to create different dishes with my creativity and skills.

After spending years learning, I am confident to say that I am familiar with roasting, sauteing, steaming, grilling, and braising the food to bring out its flavor. I love the concept of a chef’s job is to enhance the ingredients’ flavor to their best results. Therefore, I am eager to learn more by joining your team at Verona’s.

Other than the points mentioned above, I am a fast learner, an adaptive person, and someone who works fast yet precise. I can fit into positions within a short amount of time and provide help to everybody. I believe I would be a great asset to your restaurant.

Please review the resume attached to the email and contact me if there is any information that you would like to know or discuss. Thank you for your time and I hope to hear from you soon. 

Sincerely,

[Your full name]

Chef Cover Letter Tips

Writing a cover letter for a chef job is not easy when you know how to write it. Take a look at these tips that will help you when writing:

💡 Emphasize your chef skills.

Since a chef’s responsibilities are mostly hands-on work, you should emphasize your chef skills in the cook cover letter to help employers evaluate if you are the perfect fit for the position.

Hard & soft skills to put in an application letter for a chef position:

  • Pastry & baking
  • Sauteing
  • Grilling & Roasting
  • Marination
  • Knife-handling 
  • Decision-making
  • Time management
  • Problem-solving
  • Active listening
  • Teamwork
  • Multitasking
  • Creativity
  • Flexibility
  • Prioritization
  • Menu planning
  • Budget control
  • Inventory management
  • Kitchen management
  • People skills
  • Hygiene control

💡 Research information about the company/business.

Researching the business before you start writing the chef cover letter is very helpful to your writing. This is because you might find out their goals and specific information that you can use as a great element in the letter to show that you tailored the letter to the business. 

💡 Avoid grammar & spelling mistakes.

Make sure your cook cover letter has zero grammatical errors and spelling mistakes by double-checking the letter. An employer takes these little mistakes seriously when reading the letter and you would not want it to ruin your impression.

💡 Show your passion for the role.

A cover letter is where you can write using your tone. It is not like a resume that has a format where you only fill in the important information. Hence, you should show your passion for the role to the employer to let him/her know that you want the position.

💡 Mention your specialties.

When writing for a chef position, you may mention your specialties in the middle paragraph to showcase many culinary skills to the employer. It is an easier approach instead of listing the skills in bullet points.

🔑 Key Takeaways

Here’s a recap of how to write a great chef cover letter:

  • Research the business/corporate for writing elements before you start writing the chef cover letter.
  • Use the correct cover letter format when writing the chef cover letter and avoid grammatical and spelling mistakes.
  • Not only should you emphasize your culinary skills but also your other interpersonal skills.
  • Show passion in writing the cook cover letter by tailoring it to your version.

Elaborate when writing your experiences and qualifications to make the chef cover letter credible and convincing.

With Cake, you can easily create a free resume online, download your resume’s PDF formats, and utilize ATS-compliant templates to create a resume. Land your dream job, create your resume online (free download) now!

— Originally written by Ryan Goh —

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