Here's How Much The White House Chef Actually Makes
It doesn't matter whether you are serving up gold-plated platters of fried exotic birds or dishing up a carton of chicken nuggets and fries, a chef is still a chef. That ridiculously large, white, and fluffy hat is to be worn with pride whether you are cooking on a barbecue or in a bathtub.
Even though it is completely respectable to be beaming with pride every time you successfully use a grill without creating a huge fire, it has to be accepted that some chefs are more skilled than others. Those with Michelin star restaurants or television shows, for instance. Or the cook who has the immense burden of leading the White House kitchen, as the case may be.
The full name for the prestigious role is White House Executive Chef, which includes key responsibilities, such as managing a team of chefs and kitchen workers, as well as choosing vibrant but suitable menus for the many auspicious events that the White House hosts (via Share America). But how much does said chef earn for all this hard work?
You can earn serious money as a White House chef
With great power comes great responsibility — and a massive salary, as it turns out. According to Mental Floss, the White House's head chef takes home a paycheck in the region of $80,000 to $100,000 per year. However, the role includes an abundance of late night finishes and no paid overtime.
The Executive Chef's expansive team of underlings are not likely to be short of a few dollars, either. Ensuring the White House's three kitchens (via Insider) run smoothly requires well-paid cooks who know exactly what they are doing. Reader's Digest reports that the average U.S. chef acquires $52,160 a year for their hard work, suggesting that chefs reaching the heights of working in the White House earn substantially more.
In fact, anyone looking to take on the mighty task of feeding the 140 hungry guests who typically attend spectacular White House functions (via Insider) can expect to be paid far more than any fast food restaurant worker. Research by Comparably estimates the average earning of a White House chef amounts to $93,340 a year. Nice!