1

Chef Consultant Jobs in Colorado (NOW HIRING)

Executive Chef

Denver, CO · On-site

$115K - $120K/yr

Oversees food preparation by consulting with the Buyer; Sous chefs, cooks, and team leaders; overseeing portion size; controlling productivity; providing culinary leadership in areas of personal ...

Executive Chef

Denver, CO · On-site

$115K - $120K/yr

Oversees food preparation by consulting with the Buyer; Sous chefs, cooks, and team leaders; overseeing portion size; controlling productivity; providing culinary leadership in areas of personal ...

next page

Showing results 1-20

Chef Consultant information

See Colorado salary details

$10

$52

$124

How much do chef consultant jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 5, 2026, the average hourly pay for chef consultant in Colorado is $52.29, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $25.53 and $65.72 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a Chef Consultant?

Chef Consultants are culinary professionals who provide expert advice and guidance to restaurants, hotels, catering companies, or food businesses. They help with menu development, kitchen organization, staff training, and improving food quality and operations. Chef Consultants often work on a project basis, using their industry experience to solve specific challenges or help launch new culinary concepts. Their goal is to enhance the overall performance and profitability of a food establishment.

What does a Chef Consultant do?

The job duties of a chef consultant focus on working to develop recipes and menus and offer advice to restaurants, food producers, caters, and other businesses in the culinary industry. In this career, you may work on a contract basis with different clients who are in the process of establishing a food production or foodservice business. Your duties and responsibilities vary depending on the needs of your employer or client. Some consulting chefs help plan a menu and organize a restaurant kitchen to ensure proper inventory, staffing, and quality. Others create recipes for a restaurant chain or food manufacturer.

How does a Chef Consultant typically collaborate with client teams during a project?

As a Chef Consultant, you’ll frequently work alongside client kitchen staff, management, and sometimes marketing teams to assess needs, provide tailored culinary solutions, and implement operational improvements. Collaboration often involves conducting training sessions, guiding menu development, and overseeing workflow adjustments. Clear communication and adaptability are essential, as each client’s team and kitchen culture can be quite different. Building trust and offering hands-on support ensures your recommendations are successfully adopted and sustainable.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Chef Consultant, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Chef Consultant, you need extensive culinary expertise, menu development skills, and experience in food safety, typically backed by a culinary degree or equivalent professional background. Familiarity with kitchen management software, inventory systems, and certifications such as ServSafe are commonly expected. Strong communication, leadership, and problem-solving abilities help build client trust and effectively guide kitchen teams. These skills ensure that Chef Consultants can deliver innovative solutions, improve operational efficiency, and elevate food quality for their clients.

What is the difference between Chef Consultant vs Sous Chef?

AspectChef Consultant
Primary RoleProvides expert culinary advice, develops menus, and offers training to clients or organizations.
Work EnvironmentConsulting firms, culinary agencies, or freelance settings.
CredentialsProfessional culinary certifications, extensive culinary experience, and often consulting or business skills.
Employer & Industry UsageUsed by restaurants, hotels, food companies, and culinary consulting agencies.

While a Chef Consultant focuses on providing expert advice, menu development, and training across various clients, a Sous Chef is a hands-on kitchen leader responsible for daily kitchen operations within a single establishment. Both roles require culinary expertise, but the Chef Consultant operates more in a strategic, advisory capacity, whereas the Sous Chef is involved in the execution and management of kitchen staff.

How much do chef consultants make?

Chef consultants typically earn between $50,000 and $100,000 annually, depending on experience, location, and the scope of projects. Senior or specialized consultants with extensive industry knowledge can earn higher salaries or hourly rates, often exceeding $150 per hour. Compensation may also include benefits, bonuses, or profit sharing based on client contracts and reputation.

What are the most commonly searched types of Chef Consultant jobs in Colorado?

The most popular types of Chef Consultant jobs in Colorado are:

What are popular job titles related to Chef Consultant jobs in Colorado?

For Chef Consultant jobs in Colorado, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What cities in Colorado are hiring for Chef Consultant jobs?

Cities in Colorado with the most Chef Consultant job openings:

Infographic showing various Chef Consultant job openings in Colorado as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 88% Full Time, 8% Part Time, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 74% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 23% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $108,753 per year, or $52.3 per hour.

Executive Chef

Gategroup

Denver, CO • On-site

$115K - $120K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 22 days ago


Job description

We're looking for motivated, engaged people to help make everyone's journeys better.

Reporting to the General Manager of the unit, the Executive Chef, Operations is responsible for daily monitoring of the preparation of the pre-designed meals for multiple customer accounts with culinary expertise through the management of all Chefs, Sous Chefs and Cooks at the unit, and promoting and providing quality food services to airline clients.

Annual Hiring Range

  • $115,000 - $120,000/Per Year

Benefits:

  • Paid time off

  • 401k, with company match

  • Company sponsored life insurance

  • Medical, dental, vision plans

  • Voluntary short-term/long-term disability insurance

  • Voluntary life, accident, and hospital plans

  • Employee Assistance Program

  • Commuter benefits

  • Employee Discounts

  • Free hot healthy meals for unit operations roles

Job Summary:

Reporting to the General Manager of the unit, the Executive Chef, Operations is responsible fordaily monitoring of the preparation of the pre-designed meals for multiple customer accounts with culinary expertise through the management of all Chefs, Sous Chefs and Cooks at the unit, and promoting and providing quality food services to airline clients.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Achieves culinary operational objectives by contributing information and analysis to strategic plans and reviews; preparing and completing action plans; implementing production, productivity, quality, and customer-service standards; serving as culinary resource to operations managers; identifying and resolving problems; completing audits; determining system improvements; implementing change.

  • Meets culinary financial objectives by estimating requirements; assisting with menu design; anticipating and evaluating response to menu presentation; schedulingexpenditures; analyzing variances; initiating corrective actions; evaluating time-saving production techniques; training others in specialty techniques.

  • Adheres torecipes and portion specifications as required by the customer by understanding consumer tastes and nutritional needs; reviewing product specifications; evaluating ease of menu preparation; applying established procedures and budgetary constraints.

  • Oversees food preparation by consulting with the Buyer; Sous chefs, cooks, and team leaders; overseeing portion size; controlling productivity; providing culinary leadership in areas of personal expertise; monitoring presentations, garnishments, and sauces.

  • Improves menu quality and consistency by analyzing food production records and menu expenses; promoting kitchen staff interest in quality improvement; studying, evaluating, and re-designing processes; implementing changes.

  • Prepares menu and food preparation reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing food, dining, and customer data and trends.

  • Maintains safe, secure, and healthy work environment by establishing, following, and enforcing standards and procedures; complying with sanitation and federal, state, and local legal regulations; overseeing food preparation, safety, and security; reviewing and implementing accident and disaster plans.

  • Using menu specifications, maintains food ingredients, food preparation, and general supplies by selecting and purchasing menu ingredients; evaluating the quality of fresh food and food product deliveries; maintaining general supplies; establishing inventory levels, re-order points, storage requirements, and cost-controls.

  • Maintains culinary equipment by following operating instructions; instructing staff in equipment use; troubleshooting breakdowns; maintaining equipment supplies; performing preventive maintenance; calling for repairs; evaluating new equipment; preparing administrative proposals to justify purchases.

  • Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops; reviewing professional publications; establishing personal networks; benchmarking state-of-the-art practices; being sought for opinions as a culinary expert; contributing to professional publications; participating in professional societies and sharing this information with direct reports.

  • Accomplishes culinary goals by accepting ownership for accomplishing new and different requests; exploring opportunities to add value to job accomplishments.

  • Ensures quality production standards are followed and maintained. Ensures employees adhere to HACCP, FDA and safety regulations and compliance with company policies and procedures.

  • Trains and monitors employees on proper work procedures and production of products to ensure maximum productivity with minimum labor and food expenses.

  • Assists in the development and training of cooks as required.

  • Prepares administrative reports as required.

  • Ensures maximum productivity and labor costs are maintained according to financial requirements. Monitors daily manpower planning and employee turnover. Responsible for employee retention.

  • Ensures meal cycles are communicated in a timely and accurate basis. Monitor yields of products to ensure maximum usage.

  • Works with management staff to improve performance of the unit.

  • Ensures Menu presentations are properly planned, set up, and specifications reviewed to ensure compliance.

  • Maintains labor requirements, food costs, overtime, and all productivity requirements.

  • Must ensure all cooks, and Sous Chef employees have the skill and ability to perform all cooking and food preparation requirements of all the Airline Accounts serviced in the Unit.

  • Ensures all products are cooked at required temperature according to airlineand food safety specification, etc.

  • Responsible for coaching, counseling and preparing corrective action for employees.

  • Completes all company required training including but not limited to ServSafe Sanitation Manager Certification.

Qualifications

Education:

  • Associate Degree or Bachelor Degree in theCulinary Arts or a related field, (formal culinary education) required or at least 4 years of experience in an Executive Chef role

Work Experience:

  • Minimum10years as aChef required

  • Minimum of4years as an Executive Chefrequired.

  • Minimum of1-3 years supervisoryexperience working in a high volume, manufacturing, food production and restaurant or catering environmentrequired.

  • In-flight catering experience or experience in a high-volume food service environment required.

Technical Skills:(Certification, Licenses and Registration)

  • Ability to cook meals according to detailed specifications.

  • Ability to work in a fast paced, deadline driven environment.

  • Must have strong and effective leadership skills, and the ability to successfully manage a staff of 2 to 3 Sous Chefs and over 20 cooks.

  • Current or previous labor relations experience is a plus, but not required.

  • Candidate must be comfortable with all levels of employees andhave the ability todrive positive program change.

  • Ability to train others required.

  • Must have the ability to give negative and positive feedback to employeeson a daily basis.

  • Excellent time management skills required. Ability to handle multiple tasks without losing focus on priorities.

  • Strong organizational, analytical, communication and leadership skills required.

  • Must be innovative andhave the ability tomake changes to the operation as needed to further improve the work environment and unit performance.

  • Experience with menu design a plus

  • Basic computer skills required. Working knowledge of Microsoft Office products preferred

Technical Skills:(Certificates, Licenses and Registration)

  • ServSafe Certified preferred.

Language / Communication Skills:

  • Must have excellent written and oral communication skills.

  • Multi-linguala plus.

Job Dimensions

Geographic Responsibility:Unit

Type of Employment:Full-Time

Travel %:Yes - Up to 10%

Exemption Classification:Exempt

Work Environment / Requirements of the Job:

  • Regularly, stands, bends, lifts, and moves intermittently during shifts of 10+ hours.

  • In a normal production kitchen facility there may be physical discomfort due to temperature and noise.

  • Must be able to lift, push, pull and move product, equipment, supplies, etc.,in excess oftwenty-five (25) pounds.

  • A rotating schedule of over 55 hours per week is typical.

GateGroup CompetenciesRequired to beSuccessful in theJob:

  • Thinking -Information Search and analysis & problem resolution skills

  • Engaging -Understanding others, Team Leadership and Developing People

  • Inspiring -Influencing and building relationships, Motivating and Inspiring, Communicating effectively

  • Achieving -Delivering business results under pressure, Championing Performance Improvement and Customer Focus

Demonstrated Values to be Successful in the Position

Employees at gategroup are expected to live ourValues of Excellence, Integrity, Passion and Accountability. To demonstrate theseValues, we expect to observe the following from everyone:

  • We treat each other with respect and we act withintegrity

  • We communicate and keep each other informed

  • We put our heads together to problem solve and deliverexcellenceas a team

  • We havepassionfor our work and we pay attention to the little details

  • We foster an environment ofaccountability, take responsibility for our actions and learn from our mistakes

  • We do what we say we will do, when we say we are going to do it

  • We care about our coworkers, always taking an opportunity to make someone's day better

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the individual(s) assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities,and skills required. Management reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties and to assign other duties as necessary. In addition, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

gategroup is an equal opportunity employer committed to workforce diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated againston the basis ofrace, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status or other category under applicable law.

For further information regarding Equal Employment Opportunity, copy and paste the following URL into your web browser:http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf

We anticipate that this job will close on:

09/25/2026
Please click here to view our North America Applicant Privacy Notice.

If you want to be part of a team that helps make travel and culinarymemories, join us!