How To Write a Food Preparation Worker Resume in 5 Steps

Food preparation professionals assist chefs with small tasks to make the kitchen more efficient. Food preparation professionals are often skilled in communication, multi-tasking and time management. If you’re applying for food preparation positions, learning to create an effective resume can be beneficial.

In this article, we explain what food preparation professionals are, detail the steps you can follow to write an effective food preparation worker resume, provide a template and review a sample resume you can use as inspiration when writing your own.

What is a food preparation worker?

Food preparation workers are professionals who get ingredients and workstations ready for cooking and food assembly. Food preparation professionals often focus on smaller tasks that can help culinary professionals complete meals and dishes faster. These are some tasks a food preparation worker may manage:

• Communicating with staff about ingredients

• Chopping, dicing and slicing vegetables and fruit

• Monitoring ingredient inventory levels

• Cleaning and organizing preparation areas

• Following recipes to measure ingredients

• Labeling and stocking goods for easy access

• Preparing simple appetizers like salads

• Clearing trash and food scraps from the area

• Sanitizing and disinfecting cooking areas

How to write a food preparation worker resume

These are some steps you can follow to write a food preparation worker resume:

1. Choose a format for your resume

The first step to writing an effective food preparation resume is determining which resume format is best for you. If you’ve recently graduated and don’t have much experience, it may be better to highlight your education and skills. Those with consistent work experience may have more success emphasizing that experience. For a professional design, use 1-inch margins and a font like Arial or Times New Roman.

2. List your contact information

It’s important to list your current contact information so the hiring manager can reach you to schedule an interview. Include your full name, professional email address, phone number and location. Rather than including your full street address, you can simply include the city and state in which you live.

3. Craft your professional summary

Your professional summary is the portion in your resume in which you can detail who you are and what your value is. This is often the first part of the resume a hiring manager reads, so consider including your most impressive attributes here. For example, you may include awards or professional achievements. You can also include information about the type of work environment you’re seeking.

4. Detail your work experience

The work experience section in your resume is important because hiring managers may use it to determine if you know how to complete tasks within the role. Include relevant information about where you worked and for how long, what your title was and the tasks you completed. Try to use specific figures in your description of the tasks to show the positive effect your work had.

5. Include education, skills and certifications

Employers for food prep professionals may require that you have at least a high school diploma. You can list this information in the education section of your resume. You can also list important skills for food preparation, like time management and food handling. Also, include any certifications related to food handling and preparation you hold.

Example of a food preparation worker resume

This is an example food preparation resume you can use as inspiration when writing your own:

Professional Summary

Food preparation worker with three years of experience working in restaurant and catering settings. Awarded employee of the year in 2020 for excellence in food preparation. Seeking a workplace environment in which I can develop my skills and help the food preparation team function more efficiently.

Work Experience

Food preparation professional, September 2020–Current
Joe’s Deli and Pies, Detroit, Mich.

• Implements and uses a new online food order system to increase efficiency by 45%

• Communicates with other food prep professionals to organize and deliver orders

• Monitors and reports on inventory levels to ensure ingredients are available

• Educates customers on deli choices for a 35% increase in customer satisfaction

• Sanitizes and organizes preparation area daily to reduce potential contamination

Catering assistant, August 2019–September 2020
Claire’s Delicious Delicacies Catering, Detroit, Mich.

• Served and explained appetizers and drinks to guests efficiently

• Organized and prepared serving areas to eliminate cross-contamination

• Loaded and transported catering van with zero incidents of food spilling

Server, June 2016–August 2019
Joel’s Diner, Detroit, Mich.

• Collaborated with servers and hosts to ensure a quality customer experience

• Memorized menu and provided great recommendations to guests

• Addressed customer issues quickly and efficiently with a 90% satisfaction rate

Skills

Sanitation techniques | Multi-tasking | Organization | Communication | Time management | Efficiency

Education

High school diploma
Blue Lake High School

Certifications

• OSHA Safety Certificate, 2022

• NEHA Certified Professional in Food Safety, 2021

Food Preparation Worker