Chef Salary in Summerland, CA

How much does a Chef make in Summerland, CA?

As of May 01, 2026, the average salary for a Chef in Summerland, CA is $63,805 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $31.

However, a Chef's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $85,870
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $55,783 to $75,355
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $48,479
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Paid Annually Paid Monthly Paid Semimonthly Paid Biweekly Paid Weekly Paid Hourly
View as table View as graph 25% $55,783 10% $48,479 90% $85,870 75% $75,355 $63,805 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Chef Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary		 Monthly
Pay		 Weekly
Pay		 Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $75,355 $6,280 $1,449 $36
Average $63,805 $5,317 $1,227 $31
25th Percentile $55,783 $4,649 $1,073 $27
Check out Chef Job Openings in Summerland, CA
Private Executive Chef

Excellence Services, LLC - Menlo Park, CA

Private Chef

Ivy Chef Agency - Santa Monica, CA

Chef

Healthy Tiffin - Fremont, CA

Chef

Healthy Tiffin - Alameda, CA

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Key Factors That Influence Chef Salaries

A Chef's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, skills and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Chef Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Chef's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $61,171
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $61,769
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $62,608
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $64,150
  • Expert (over 8 years): $67,597
Levels Salary
Entry Level Chef$61,171
Intermediate Level Chef$61,769
Senior Level Chef$62,608
Specialist Level Chef$64,150
Expert Level Chef$67,597
$61,171 0 yr
$61,769 < 2 yrs
$62,608 2-4 yrs
$64,150 5-8 yrs
$67,597 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Cheves

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $74,529
  • San Francisco: $73,713
  • Oakland: $72,159

What Skills Can Increase a Chef's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Presentation (Mentioned in 8.53% Job Postings): Presentation conveys information from a speaker to an audience. Presentations are typically demonstrations, introduction, lecture, or speech meant to inform, persuade, inspire, motivate, build goodwill, or present a new idea/product.
  • Food Service (Mentioned in 2.44% Job Postings): The foodservice or catering industry includes the businesses, institutions, and companies which prepare meals outside the home.
  • Food Handling (Mentioned in 1.35% Job Postings): Food Handling means one or more operations of food production, manufacture, offering or displaying for sale, storage, preserving, wrapping, transportation, delivery, importation, exportation, or the licensing or approval for any of such activities.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Presentation 8.53%
Food Service 2.44%
Food Handling 1.35%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Chef's salary.
  • Instructing: Can increase your salary by up to 13%.
  • Production Orders: Can increase your salary by up to 12%.
  • Customer Satisfaction: Can increase your salary by up to 11%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Instructing
 $72,100
13%
Production Orders
 $71,461
12%
Customer Satisfaction
 $70,823
11%
Coaching
 $69,547
9%
SOP
 $69,547
9%
Procurement
 $69,547
9%
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Chef Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Chef's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

  • Yearly
  • Monthly
  • Weekly
  • Hourly
  • Table View
Last Updated on May 01, 2026
$55,783
Average $63,805/year
$75,355
$4,649
Average $5,317/month
$6,280
$1,073
Average $1,227/week
$1,449
$27
Average $31/hour
$36
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $75,355 $6,280 $1,449 $36
Average $63,805 $5,317 $1,227 $31
25th Percentile $55,783 $4,649 $1,073 $27

Chef Salary Growth & Career Path

Chef
Executive Chef

For a Chef, the most direct path to higher earnings is advancing to the Executive Chef role. This promotion typically comes with a significant pay increase, bringing the average annual salary to $94,161 - a projected growth of 48% over your current level.

Salaries of jobs related to Chef

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Cost of Living In Summerland, CA

Cost of Living in Summerland, CA is
49.8% Higher
than the National Average

Use Salary.com's Cost of Living Calculator to find out what income you need to maintain your standard of living in a different city and how much more or less money you need to budget for basic expenses.

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third-party data sources. We also provide multiple percentiles of salary information for your reference, click here to know Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial to Getting Pay Equity Right. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target.

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