Examples & writing guide
Commis Chef CV Example for 2026
Updated 30 July 2026
A convincing commis chef CV shows what you contributed during preparation and service, rather than simply listing where you worked. This guide explains how to describe kitchen experience, training and results honestly, with practical wording you can adapt for your own application.
Examples by experience level
Junior Commis Chef
TemplateBlue Horizon3 / 5
Why this works
This example uses believable service figures to show practical kitchen experience, steady progress across stations and reliable support for senior chefs.
Continue writing your CVSenior Commis Chef
TemplateNavy Atlas4 / 5
Why this works
Shows broad station experience, dependable service under pressure and measurable improvements in preparation, stock control and kitchen standards.
Continue writing your CVJunior vs senior: what changes
| Aspect | Junior | Senior |
|---|---|---|
| Personal statement | Lead with training, transferable experience and readiness to learn under senior chefs. State any relevant kitchen exposure plainly and avoid inflated claims. | Lead with breadth across kitchen sections, dependable service delivery and evidence of supporting the brigade at greater scale. |
| Experience evidence | Use placements, training, casual work or transferable hospitality roles. Quantify preparation volume, covers supported or shifts completed when records allow. | Show sustained responsibility for preparation, cooking, plating, stock handling and service across several sections, backed by figures you can defend. |
| Kitchen scope | Name the stations observed or supported and explain the basic tasks completed under supervision. | Show confident rotation between sections and explain how that flexibility supported service, food quality or team coverage. |
| Food safety and hygiene | Give practical examples of cleaning routines, safe food handling and personal hygiene standards. | Show consistent use of food safety procedures, accurate records where required, stock rotation and dependable section cleanliness. |
| Team contribution | Demonstrate careful instruction following, clear communication, punctuality and willingness to help. | Explain how you worked with senior chefs and other colleagues, stayed calm under pressure and supported less experienced team members during service. |
| Achievement metrics | Use modest measures such as ingredients prepared, covers supported, shifts worked or delivery checks completed. | Use broader measures such as service volume, waste reduction, stock discrepancies resolved or preparation time saved, provided each figure is verifiable. |
How to write a commis chef CV
Use a clean, reverse-chronological format, beginning with your most recent relevant position and working backwards. A one-page CV often gives a new entrant enough room; two pages can work when you have several relevant roles or substantial training. Use plain headings, readable type, consistent spacing and short paragraphs. Leave out your photo and date of birth.
| Section | What earns its place |
|---|---|
| Contact details | Name, UK location, mobile number, professional email and optional profile link |
| Personal statement | Experience level, kitchen setting, strongest evidence and target role |
| Skills | A selective set of abilities matched to the vacancy and supported elsewhere |
| Employment | Employer, location, dates, title and focused evidence bullets |
| Education and training | Exact programme details, dates, status and relevant practical content |
| Additional details | Languages, volunteering or interests that add useful evidence |
Build a clear opening
Write the personal statement after drafting the rest of your commis chef CV. In two or three sentences, identify your level, the kitchens or food-service settings you know and the contribution you can make. Replace phrases such as "hardworking food lover" with evidence about preparation, cooking, station support or service.
Give experience the most room
Hands-on experience deserves a central place. For each relevant role, briefly identify the type of operation so the reader understands the setting. Then use concise bullets for your strongest responsibilities and results. Useful evidence may cover assisting senior chefs with preparation, cooking or serving; plating simple dishes; keeping a section clean; checking deliveries; or rotating stock. State only what you personally did.
If you are new to professional kitchens, draw on supervised placements, apprenticeship learning, events or relevant food-service work. Transferable evidence still needs context: explain the task, workload and result instead of calling yourself experienced without proof. Applicants moving into a commis chef role from support work can use a kitchen assistant CV example to frame relevant experience.
Keep the skills section selective. Match its language to the advertisement, then support those terms in your employment or training entries. Basic cooking, knife skills, safe food handling, teamwork, organisation and careful instruction-following carry more weight when the CV shows where you used them.
List education and training with the newest entry first. Record exact titles, providers, dates and whether each programme is completed or in progress. Keep additional details brief and relevant.
Personal statement examples
Reliable junior commis chef with practical experience supporting food preparation and basic cooking across larder and pastry stations in a busy hotel kitchen. Confident following senior chefs' instructions, organising mise en place and keeping work areas clean throughout service. Now seeking a brigade where I can broaden my station experience while providing calm, consistent support.
I am a passionate, hardworking person who loves food and wants a chef job. I learn quickly, work well alone or with others and can do lots of kitchen tasks. I would be a great addition to any restaurant and can start immediately.
Writing your experience
A strong experience bullet tells the reader what you did, the scale or setting and the result. Start with a direct verb, add enough kitchen context to make the task clear, then finish with a number or outcome you can defend. Useful measures include covers served, preparation volume, delivery discrepancies, checks completed or time saved. Never invent a figure simply because a measured bullet sounds stronger.
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| Helped with food preparation | Prepared vegetables, garnishes and sauces for services of up to 90 covers, completing assigned mise en place before briefing |
| Kept the kitchen clean | Maintained a clean preparation area across five weekly shifts and completed every assigned closing check during a three-month placement |
| Helped with stock | Checked and stored four weekly deliveries, recording temperatures and reporting two damaged items before acceptance |
The revised versions explain both the task and its setting. They also keep ownership honest. If you worked under a chef de partie, "supported" or "assisted" may be more accurate than a leadership verb. Prepared, portioned, plated, checked, stored, rotated, labelled, recorded, cleaned, organised and reported all suit practical kitchen evidence.
Choose three to six bullets for each relevant job. Put the evidence that best matches the vacancy first instead of recording every routine duty. A commis chef may assist senior chefs with preparation, cooking and serving at kitchen stations, rotate through sections, prepare or finish food items, plate simple dishes and keep the kitchen area clean. Stock work can cover receiving and storing deliveries, checking levels, rotating supplies and reporting expired items. Where the workplace calls for it, a bullet can also identify the food-safety documentation or hygiene records you completed.
Context matters. Describe the operation in simple terms, such as a hotel kitchen, catering unit or neighbourhood restaurant. Add service volumes you know and the stations where you worked. Name the ingredients, food items or dish elements you personally prepared, cooked or finished when that detail strengthens the application.
Adjust the order for each vacancy. If the advertisement concentrates on preparation, lead with your best preparation result. If station support is prominent, show that you followed instructions, organised your workload and remained calm during a busy service. Do not claim a brigade-wide outcome when your contribution covered one station. Likewise, avoid presenting supervised work as if you planned the menu or led the section.
Numbers need context. "Prepared 60 portions" is more useful when the reader also knows whether this was for breakfast service, banqueting or a restaurant sitting. If no sensible figure exists, use a precise outcome instead: completed the section's preparation list before briefing, identified damaged goods during a delivery check, or left the station ready for handover. Accuracy beats forced measurement.
Key skills & ATS keywords
Hard skills
Soft skills
ATS keywords
Education & certifications
Make education and training easy to verify. Give the exact programme title, provider, location, dates and status. One or two notes can explain relevant practical learning, but include only content you genuinely completed. Put the newest entry first. If you already have substantial kitchen experience, shorten older general education so recent, practical evidence retains more space.
The Commis chef (level 2) apprenticeship is a route through which apprenticeship learners can gain hands-on culinary experience and an industry-recognised qualification. Training for these learners covers food preparation, basic cooking techniques, knife skills, food safety, nutrition and kitchen operations. It also covers food hygiene, allergen awareness, COSHH and HACCP. People who complete the course earn a Level 2 qualification and are prepared for roles including commis chef.
Present this route only when it reflects your own training. Copy the programme name exactly from your documents. If you are still studying, state "in progress" and give an expected completion date when you know it. Until the course is complete, describe the practical learning you have undertaken rather than presenting the final qualification as completed.
For learners following the Commis Chef Apprenticeship end-point assessment route, Level 1 English and maths are an assessment condition when they have not already been passed. Keep that detail attached to the specific route and record your own status accurately, without turning it into general advice for every commis chef application.
| Detail | Clear CV format |
|---|---|
| Programme | Exact title shown on your documentation |
| Provider | Training provider's full name |
| Dates | Start date and completed or expected completion date |
| Learning | A few practical areas you genuinely covered |
| Status | Completed, in progress or awaiting assessment |
Avoid vague entries such as "chef course" or "food certificate", which do not tell the reader what you studied. Copy names from your records and name an issuer only when the document identifies one. Do not turn workplace induction, informal learning or a short internal session into a named credential.
If you have no role-specific qualification, keep the section factual and concise. Give more room to supervised kitchen work, placements and relevant food-service experience. You can describe practical learning by setting and date without inventing a course title. A short note might identify preparation work, basic cooking, knife practice or kitchen operations, provided those were genuinely covered. Education can support the application, but it should not crowd out clearer evidence of what you have done in a working kitchen.
Common mistakes to avoid
AvoidListing kitchen duties without showing their scale or result, such as writing only "helped with food preparation".
InsteadAdd honest context: name the station, the number of covers supported, the frequency of service or a measured improvement. Use only figures you can defend.
AvoidLeaving out the type of kitchen, service or stations previously supported.
InsteadBriefly describe the setting and name relevant stations. This gives the reader useful context for your preparation, basic cooking and plating experience.
AvoidSending the same commis chef CV to every vacancy.
InsteadMatch the CV to the job advertisement and give evidence for the skills it stresses, such as food preparation, plating or work across kitchen stations.
AvoidGiving hygiene and stock control only a passing mention.
InsteadState what you did, such as keeping the section clean, handling food safely, checking deliveries, rotating stock or completing food safety records where required.
AvoidPutting older or unrelated work before recent kitchen experience.
InsteadUse reverse-chronological order and give the most space to recent, relevant kitchen work. Keep transferable roles shorter while retaining useful evidence.
AvoidUsing vague claims such as "hard-working team player" without evidence.
InsteadReplace labels with examples, such as following a senior chef's instructions during a busy service or moving between sections when the brigade needed support.
Frequently asked questions
One or two pages is usually enough. Keep the strongest detail for recent kitchen work, training and relevant transferable experience, and remove repeated information.
Use cookery training, placements, volunteering and transferable hospitality work. Give specific examples of safe food handling, preparation, teamwork, time management and following instructions without claiming experience you do not have.
No. A British CV normally includes neither a photo nor a date of birth. Use the space for evidence that relates to the vacancy.
Choose skills you can support with examples, such as food preparation, basic cooking, knife skills, plating, kitchen hygiene, stock rotation, teamwork and staying calm under pressure. Reflect relevant wording from the job advertisement without copying claims you cannot prove.
Yes, when those jobs show useful evidence such as working quickly, following procedures, communicating with colleagues or serving customers. Keep unrelated duties brief and connect each example to the kitchen vacancy.
Read the advertisement, identify the preparation tasks, kitchen context and working style it stresses, then place your closest evidence near the top. Describe previous restaurant or service settings so the hiring manager can judge how your experience transfers.
From example to application
Turn this commis chef example into a CV that sounds like you.
Keep the structure that works. Tailor the details around your experience, strengths, and the role you want.