Index
Intro
Cooks prepare and cook a wide variety of foods. They are employed in restaurants, hotels, hospitals and other health care institutions, central food commissaries, educational institutions and other establishments. Cooks are also employed aboard ships and at construction and logging campsites. Apprentice cooks are included in this unit group.
The Red Seal endorsement allows for interprovincial mobility.
There is mobility among the various types of cooks in this group.
Progression to supervisory or more senior positions, such as chef, is possible with experience and training.
Main Duties
Cooks perform some or all of the following duties:
- Prepare and cook complete meals or individual dishes and foods
- Prepare and cook special meals for patients as instructed by dietitian or chef
- Schedule and supervise kitchen helpers
- Oversee kitchen operations
- Maintain inventory and records of food, supplies and equipment
- May set up and oversee buffets
- May clean kitchen and work area
- May plan menus, determine size of food portions, estimate food requirements and costs, and monitor and order supplies
- May hire and train kitchen staff.
Cooks may specialize in preparing and cooking ethnic cuisine or special dishes.
Employment Requirements
- Completion of secondary school is usually required.
- Completion of a three-year apprenticeship program for cooks
or
Completion of college or other program in cooking
or
Several years of commercial cooking experience are required. - Trade certification is available, but voluntary, in all provinces and territories.
- Red Seal endorsement is also available to qualified cooks upon successful completion of the interprovincial Red Seal examination.
All Titles
- apprentice cook
- assistant cook
- banquet cook
- breakfast cook
- broiler cook
- cafeteria cook
- camp cook
- caterer cook
- construction camp cook
- cook
- cook, apprentice
- cook, camp
- cook, domestic
- cook, ethnic foods
- cook, first
- cook, fishing and merchant vessel
- cook, institution
- cook, kosher foods
- cook, second
- cook, small establishment
- cook, third
- diet kitchen cook
- dietary cook
- domestic cook
- ethnic food cook
- first cook
- grill cook
- hospital cook
- institutional cook
- journeyman/woman cookjourneyman cook, journeywoman cook
- kosher foods cook
- licensed cook
- line cook
- logging camp cook
- mess cook
- pastry cook
- pizza cook
- railway cook
- restaurant cook
- second cook
- ship’s cook
- short order cook
- special diet cook
- special orders cook, hospital
- therapeutic diet cook
- third cook
Exclusions
- Chefs (6321)
- Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations (6711)