RateOrchard
Seniority Profile · California

Senior Chefs and Head Cooks salary in California

Roles that require seasoned judgement and the ability to lead projects without supervision. Typically five to ten years of experience and a track record of complete ownership.

Adrian Serafin, founder and editor of RateOrchardBy Adrian SerafinFounderUpdated May 4, 2026
BLS percentile range
MEDIAN to P75 of the California OES distribution for Chefs and Head Cooks.
DOL OFLC offered median
$80,000
Across 7 certified filings at this wage level.
Real disclosed salaries

Senior Chefs and Head Cooks in California: actual employer-disclosed pay

Public records from 7 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $80,000. Every figure below is an actual offered salary an employer attested to under federal law.

By DOL wage level

DOL classifies every offer into one of four wage levels based on the role's experience and skill requirements.

LevelFilingsMedian offer
Level III — experienced7$80,000

Top employers filing for this role

Companies with the most certified filings for Senior Chefs and Head Cooks in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.

EmployerMost-filed titleFilingsMedian
Kojin SF, LLCChef de Cuisine2$80,000
Yokai SF LLCChef de Cuisine1$80,000
Amber India CorporationIndian Cuisine Specialty Chef1$80,000
Benaka Gourmet LLCExecutive Chef1$71,000
Pascaline Fine Catering LLCChef de Cuisine1$80,000
Everyday Inc.Sous Chef1$75,000

Recent sample filings

A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.

  • Chef de Cuisine at Yokai SF LLC
    $80,000
    San FranciscoWage Level IIIDecided Aug 12, 2025I-202-25218-223714
  • Indian Cuisine Specialty Chef at Amber India Corporation
    $80,000
    San FranciscoWage Level IIIDecided Jun 25, 2025I-200-25168-103257
  • Chef de Cuisine at Kojin SF, LLC
    $85,000
    San FranciscoWage Level IIIDecided Jun 2, 2025I-202-25145-016351
  • Executive Chef at Benaka Gourmet LLC
    $71,000
    Santa ClaraWage Level IIIDecided Jan 15, 2025I-200-25007-601676
  • Chef de Cuisine at Pascaline Fine Catering LLC
    $80,000
    Santa RosaWage Level IIIDecided Dec 13, 2024I-202-24341-524451
  • Sous Chef at Kojin SF, LLC
    $75,000
    San FranciscoWage Level IIIDecided Nov 20, 2024I-202-24319-473773
  • Sous Chef at Everyday Inc.
    $75,000
    San FranciscoWage Level IIIDecided Oct 23, 2024I-202-24291-412646

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification. Disclosed wages reflect what employers attested to pay; actual paid wages may differ. Only certified filings are shown — denied and withdrawn cases are excluded.