Your first chef internship CV does not need years of restaurant experience. It needs to show what you have learned, what you can do safely, and why you are ready to train in a professional kitchen.
Culinary classes, college events, home baking projects, volunteering and part-time hospitality work can all provide useful examples. The key is to describe them accurately and connect them to the internship you want.
This guide includes a copyable CV template, example descriptions and advice for kitchen, pastry and restaurant-management applicants. If you are still choosing a placement, start with ChefPin's guide to finding a chef internship.
What should a chef internship CV include?
For most applicants with limited experience, one clear page is a useful starting point. Include:
- Name and contact information
- Target internship role
- A short professional summary
- Education and relevant training
- Practical projects or work experience
- Kitchen or hospitality skills
- Certifications, languages and availability
- A portfolio link, if you have one
Put your strongest relevant evidence near the top. A culinary student might lead with education and kitchen projects; a cafe employee changing careers might lead with hospitality experience.
Start with clear contact information
Include your name, city and country, phone number with country code, and a professional email address. Add a portfolio link if it helps demonstrate your work.
[Your full name]
Culinary Internship Applicant
[City, Country] | [Phone number] | [Email address]
Portfolio: [Link]
You usually do not need your full residential address or identity-document numbers on an application CV.
Write a summary that explains your fit
Avoid filling this section with unsupported phrases such as "expert chef" or "excellent at everything." Explain your current level, relevant practice and learning goal in two or three sentences.
Culinary student example
Culinary arts student seeking a restaurant kitchen internship. Practised vegetable preparation, basic stocks, portioning and workstation hygiene through supervised college projects. Available for a three-month placement from [month] and interested in developing preparation and service skills.
Applicant without culinary school experience
Entry-level kitchen applicant with experience preparing family meals and volunteering at community food events. Comfortable following recipes, organizing ingredients and cleaning work areas. Seeking supervised training in restaurant preparation and service.
Restaurant-management internship example
Hospitality management student seeking a restaurant operations internship. Completed coursework in food and beverage service and contributed to a college event involving guest reception and service coordination. Interested in learning shift planning, inventory procedures and guest service.
Use only statements that describe your actual experience.
Show practical experience without inventing employment
If you have never worked in a restaurant, use a section called Culinary Projects and Practical Experience. Explain where the work happened, what you personally did and which skills it demonstrates. Label home projects and college assignments clearly.
These are illustrative examples to adapt:
| Experience | How to describe it on your CV |
|---|---|
| College kitchen practical | Prepared vegetables and measured ingredients for supervised cooking sessions; organized mise en place before production. |
| Community meal volunteering | Assisted with portioning, serving and cleanup while following the event supervisor's instructions. |
| Home baking project | Recorded ingredient quantities, baking times and results across repeated bread-baking trials. |
| College hospitality event | Supported guest reception and table setup; communicated service requests to the organizing team. |
| Part-time cafe work | Took customer orders, maintained the counter area and coordinated requests with kitchen staff. |
Include quantities only when you know they are accurate. Do not invent guest counts, revenue figures or waste reductions to make a description sound stronger.
Choose skills that match the placement
A short, relevant skills section is more useful than a long list of unfamiliar techniques.
For a kitchen internship, suitable skills might include vegetable preparation, ingredient weighing, recipe following, mise en place, portioning and workstation cleaning.
For a pastry or bakery internship, you might include weighing ingredients, mixing methods, dough handling, piping practice and recording production results.
For a restaurant-management internship, focus on guest communication, reservations practice, spreadsheet basics, inventory counting, event coordination and teamwork.
Describe your level honestly. "Practised basic knife cuts during supervised classes" tells an employer more than "advanced knife skills" without supporting experience.
Copyable chef internship CV template
Replace every bracketed field and remove sections that do not apply.
[YOUR FULL NAME]
Chef Internship Applicant
[City, Country]
[Phone with country code] | [Professional email]
[Portfolio link, if available]
PROFILE
[Current education or background] seeking a [kitchen/pastry/bakery] internship. Practical experience in [two or three relevant activities]. Interested in developing [specific learning goal]. Available from [date] for [duration].
EDUCATION
[Qualification or course name]
[Institution], [Location]
[Start date]–[Completion or expected completion date]
Relevant modules: [Include only modules you studied]
CULINARY PROJECTS AND PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE
[Project or activity name] — [Institution or setting]
[Dates]
- Prepared [ingredients or dishes] using [methods you practised].
- Followed [relevant instructions or procedures].
- Worked with [team or supervisor] to complete [specific task].
[Second project, volunteer role or job] — [Organization or setting]
[Dates]
- Assisted with [specific responsibility].
- Demonstrated [skill] by [brief example].
RELEVANT SKILLS
[Four to six skills supported by your experience]
CERTIFICATIONS AND TRAINING
[Exact course or certificate title] — [Provider], [Date]
[Expiry date, if applicable]
LANGUAGES
[Language] — [Accurate proficiency level]
AVAILABILITY
[Start date, placement length and relevant schedule information]
Adapt the CV for each employer
Keep a master version, then adjust the summary, skills and project order for each application.
For a bakery, bring baking projects forward. For a hotel kitchen, highlight teamwork and supervised production. For a restaurant-management placement, emphasize service, communication and organizational experience.
Read the listing carefully and use its terminology when it accurately describes your skills. Never add software, cuisines or certifications simply because the employer mentions them.
Browse ChefPin Jobs to understand the responsibilities employers are advertising and identify suitable opportunities.
Keep the layout easy to read
Use a simple layout with clear section names, consistent dates and readable text. A single-column design is a practical choice.
Avoid skill-rating bars, tiny fonts and large decorative graphics. Keep photographs of dishes in a linked portfolio so the CV stays focused on qualifications.
Follow the employer's requested file format. When sending a PDF, check that the text is selectable and copies in the correct order. Name it clearly, such as Firstname-Lastname-Chef-Internship-CV.pdf.
No template can guarantee that every applicant-tracking system will read a CV perfectly.
Common mistakes to correct before applying
Watch for vague summaries, spelling errors, broken portfolio links and inconsistent dates. Clearly distinguish professional employment from school, volunteer and home projects.
If you use AI to improve the wording, review every sentence. Remove any invented duties, results, qualifications or equipment experience.
Before sending, ask an instructor, chef or trusted colleague to check whether the CV accurately represents your current abilities.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply without restaurant experience?
Yes. Use relevant education, practical projects, volunteering and transferable work experience. Look for internships that provide supervision and training.
Should I include home cooking?
You can include structured home projects when professional experience is limited. Explain what you practised and label the setting accurately.
Do I need a photograph?
Requirements and customs vary. Follow the employer's instructions; a photograph is not necessary to explain your culinary skills.
Should I include references?
Provide them when requested and obtain permission before sharing someone's contact details. You can usually use the space on your initial CV for stronger evidence of your skills.
Can I use the same CV for chef and management internships?
Use separate versions. Kitchen applications should emphasize preparation and culinary practice; management applications should emphasize operations, service and coordination.
CV-maker platforms to consider
The following platforms can help you format your application. They are listed by use case, rather than as a ranking. Features and plan limits can change, so check the download options before spending time on a design.
| Platform | Useful for | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| FlowCV | Creating a straightforward first CV | Its website currently advertises one free resume with unlimited downloads. Check plan limits if you need multiple saved versions. |
| Canva | Applicants who want flexible visual editing | Canva offers a free resume builder. Choose a simple template and check whether your selected assets require payment. |
| Europass | Creating CVs using the Europass format, particularly when requested for European applications | Tailor the content to the vacancy; the format is not compulsory for every European employer. |
| Novoresume | Applicants who prefer a dedicated resume-building tool | Review the current free and premium limits before choosing a layout or building additional versions. |
| Adobe Express | Creating and editing a CV using design templates | Adobe offers a free resume creator; check template and premium-feature availability before exporting. |
Choose a platform that lets you produce a clear, accurate document. The strongest part of your chef internship CV will be the evidence of what you have practised and your readiness to learn.
