Cook
Cooks work in an even wider variety of settings that most skilled trade workers do: restaurants, hotels, catering companies, health care and educational institutions, and film and TV worksites are just some of the possibilities. Cook is a nationally designated trade under the Inter-provincial Red Seal program. (Find out about Red Seal in the Trades Lingo section.).
What do these workers do?
(Source: BC Work Futures)
The specific responsibilities of most cooks are determined by a number of factors, including the type of kitchen they work in. Possible duties are:
Prepare a large quantity of food. As an institutional or cafeteria cook, you prepare a large quantity of a limited number of entrees, vegetables and desserts for each meal.
Prepare individual meal orders. As a restaurant cook, you may be supervised by a chef or sous-chef. You usually prepare a wide selection of dishes and cook most orders individually. In a small, full-service restaurant you prepare all the food, usually with the help of a short-order cook and one or two other kitchen workers.
Cook fast food. In restaurants and coffee shops that emphasize fast service and quick food preparation, your role as short order cook involves grilling and garnishing hamburgers, preparing sandwiches, frying eggs, and cooking french fries. You often work on several orders at a time. Fast-food cooks prepare a limited selection of menu items in fast-food restaurants. They cook and package batches of food, such as hamburgers and fried chicken, to be kept warm until served.
Manage household meals. As a private household cook, you plan and prepare meals in private homes, according to the client's tastes and dietary needs. You order groceries and supplies, clean the kitchen and wash dishes and utensils, and you may also serve meals.
Supervise staff. You supervise kitchen helpers and oversee subordinate personnel in the preparation, cooking and handling of food.
Plan menus. You may plan menus, determine the size of food portions, estimate food requirements and costs, and monitor and order supplies.
Read the full Cook Profile (39kb pdf).
