How to become a senior cook

Official title: Senior cook

Also called: Chef de partie, Chief cook, Commis cook 1, Demi chef, Line cook, Station chef, Station cook, Senior Cook (Commis Cook 1/ Station Cook/ Line Cook/ Demi Chef), Station Chef (Chef de Partie/ Lead Chef), Ÿ Chef de partie, Ÿ Commis cook 1, Ÿ Demi chef

Senior cook directly supervises and coordinates activities of workers engaged in preparing and serving food. He/she oversees one or more sections/stations of the kitchen, such as pastry, butchery, fish, sauces, and vegetables. This includes preparing, cooking, plating and presenting dishes within his/her speciality. He/she manages and trains demi-chef de parties or commis working with him/her and helps the sous chef and head chef to develop new dishes and menus. He/she also monitors portion and waste control to maintain profit margins.

Main tasks

• Planning meals, preparing and cooking foodstuffs
• Planning, supervising and coordinating the work of kitchen helpers
• Checking the quality of food and ensuring appropriate portioning and serving size for waste control
• Assembling ingredients and/or kitchen equipment prior to preparation of menu dishes
• Weighing, measuring and mixing ingredients according to recipes and personal judgement
• Regulating the temperature of ovens, grills, roasters and other cooking equipment
• Inspecting and cleaning the kitchen, kitchen equipment and serving areas to ensure safe and sanitary food handling practices
• Operating large–volume cooking equipment such as grills, deep-fat fryers, or griddles

Ways in

• Apprenticeship: Work-study diploma. Related ITE work-study diplomas: Work-Study Diploma in Culinary Arts & Management. You are employed by a company and study at ITE at the same time. Peernovo matched these from course names.
• Polytechnic or ITE: ITE course (Nitec or Higher Nitec). Related ITE courses: Higher Nitec in Culinary Arts. Peernovo matched these from course names; ITE does not publish which jobs each course leads to.; Polytechnic diploma. Related diplomas: Diploma in Culinary & Catering Management (Temasek Polytechnic); Diploma in Restaurant & Culinary Management (Republic Polytechnic). Peernovo matched these from course names; polytechnics do not publish which jobs each course leads to.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $41,100 a year. The middle half earn $32,136 to $51,564 a year.
• Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Related jobs

• Cook

Not sure this is for you? Take the 2-minute career quiz

Questions people ask

How do I become a senior cook?

Ways in include: ITE course (Nitec or Higher Nitec); Polytechnic diploma; Work-study diploma.

How much does a senior cook earn in Singapore?

Median full-time pay is $41,100 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $32,136 to $51,564.

Will AI change the work of a senior cook?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

• Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
• International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026