Prep Chef Jobs in Iowa

A Prep Chef, also known as a preparation cook, is an integral part of the culinary industry responsible for preparing ingredients for the main cooks or chefs in a kitchen. Their tasks include washing, peeling, cutting, and chopping fruits, vegetables, and other food items, as well as cooking and preparing simple dishes. They also play a critical role in maintaining cleanliness and order in the kitchen, storing food appropriately, and ensuring the availability of fresh ingredients. Prep Chefs often work under the supervision of a head chef or cooks, thus they need to have a keen eye for detail, excellent time management skills, and the ability to work well in a fast-paced environment.

To qualify as a Prep Chef, a certificate or an associate's degree in culinary arts or a related field is usually required. However, critical skills such as culinary expertise, knife skills, understanding of food safety standards, and a strong familiarity with various cooking techniques are essential. In addition, they should also have good physical stamina to manage long hours of standing and handling kitchen equipment. Prior to progressing to the position of a Prep Chef, a person may start their culinary journey in roles such as a dishwasher, line cook or a kitchen assistant.

1-15 of 28 Jobs

Prep Cook

  • West Des Moines, IA
  • 10 hours ago
  • West Des Moines, IA
  • 10 hours ago

Your Background: Great technique: you have strong knife skills Kitchen savvy: you know your weights, measurements and volumes Attention to detail: you follow all steps and techniques to ensure consistency...

Dessert Finisher/Barista

  • West Des Moines, IA
  • 10 hours ago
  • West Des Moines, IA
  • 10 hours ago

Compensation Range $16.00 - $19.00 / Hour Overview: Why Join Our Team: Great earnings potential Full and part-time hours available Flexible scheduling to fit your life Medical coverage starting at...

Food Prep, Cook, and Pizza Maker - Cast Member

  • West Des Moines, IA
  • 1 day ago
  • West Des Moines, IA
  • 1 day ago

Easy prep for pizza, salads, and wings. Pay and Benefits: Chuck E. Cheese now offers access to earned wages with our NEW "Work Today, Get Paid Tomorrow" program....

Kitchen Helper

  • Iowa City, IA
  • 1 day ago
  • Iowa City, IA
  • 1 day ago

Kitchen Helper University of Iowa United States, Iowa, Iowa City 5 West Jefferson Street (Show on map) Jun 11, 2025 Kitchen Helper Posting ID144585 DepartmentFood & Nutrition Services/UIHC...

Meat Cutter

  • Marion, IA
  • 2 days ago
  • Marion, IA
  • 2 days ago

Additional Considerations (if any): - At Hy-Vee our people are our strength. We promise a helpful smile in every aisle and those smiles can only come from a workforce that is fully engaged and...

Meat Cutter and Wrapper

  • Dyersville, IA
  • 2 days ago
  • Dyersville, IA
  • 2 days ago

... Why do people love shopping for fresh food at Sams Club? Our members tell us one of the biggest reasons is our hard-working and happy-to-help fresh food associates. Join our meat team and you...

Meat Cutter / Wrapper

  • Dubuque, IA
  • 2 days ago
  • Dubuque, IA
  • 2 days ago

... Why do people love shopping for fresh food at Sams Club? Our members tell us one of the biggest reasons is our hard-working and happy-to-help fresh food associates. Join our meat team and you...

Food Prep / Delivery Driver

  • North Liberty, IA
  • 7 days ago
  • North Liberty, IA
  • 7 days ago

products produced in our kitchen and bakehouse to our retail locations using our New Pi van. + Help assemble and package simple sandwiches and salads to be delivered to the stores....

Kitchen Helper II - Piazza Dining University of Northern Iowa

  • Cedar Falls, IA
  • 7 days ago
  • Cedar Falls, IA
  • 7 days ago

If you are a current University of Northern Iowa employee and would like to apply for this position, login to UNI Works and type "Find Jobs" in the search bar to view and apply for open positions....

Full-Time Kitchen Helper

  • Dubuque, IA
  • 7 days ago
  • Dubuque, IA
  • 7 days ago

Company Description Boyd Gaming Corporation has been successful in gaming jurisdiction in which we operate in the United States and is one of the premier casino entertainment companies in the...

(USA) Senior Meat Cutter

  • New Albin, IA
  • 7 days ago
  • New Albin, IA
  • 7 days ago

... As a Senior Meat Cutter you will drive sales in your area to deliver to our members more of what they love, for less. You will work collaboratively with other associates to ensure the total...

Kitchen Helper II - Piazza Dining

  • Cedar Falls, IA
  • 8 days ago
  • Cedar Falls, IA
  • 8 days ago

If you are a current University of Northern Iowa employee and would like to apply for this position, login to UNI Works and type Find Jobs in the search bar to view and apply for open positions....

Prep Cook - Iowa State University

  • Ames, IA
  • 9 days ago
  • Ames, IA
  • 9 days ago

. + Completes orders from steam tables and grill and serves customers at multiple stations. + Uses approved food recipes and production standards to ensure proper quality, serving temperatures and standard...

Kitchen Helper I

  • Ames, IA
  • 11 days ago
  • Ames, IA
  • 11 days ago

Kitchen Helper I Job Group: Merit Required Minimum Qualifications: Ability to understand and follow directions. Preferred Qualifications: Experience handling cleaning chemicals Industrial or...

Food Preparer

  • Dubuque, IA
  • 13 days ago
  • Dubuque, IA
  • 13 days ago

started today Pay Rate: The pay rate for this job is $15 - $15 / hour* What you'll be doing as a Food Preparer: Prepare a variety of foods for cooking according to instructions This may include making salads...

Demographic Data for Iowa

Moving to Iowa? Find some basic demographic data about Iowa below.


Local
National
3,191,035
82,356

Prep Chef Online Courses and Training Opportunities

iHireChefs curates thousands of courses in order to recommend the best ones to help further your career. If you register for a course using the links on our site, we may receive a small commission.
Travel Cake Master chef series Chef lim by APCA chef online
Travel cakes Master chef series by chef Lim, our in-house executive Pastry are something which does not need too much or a storage and great stuff for picnic and partiesThis program will cover 8...
Chef Software Learning Path: Master Chef Automation
Introduction:In today's rapidly evolving IT landscape, automation is key to efficient infrastructure management. Chef, a powerful configuration management tool, empowers DevOps engineers and IT...
Master Chef Series - Tart & Torte - Chef Lim
Chef Lim is an award winning In house Executive Pastry chef in APCA Malaysia who have curated this program for APCA chef online. this Program covers some advance level of Entremets or french...

Salary for Prep Chef Jobs in Iowa

Estimated salary range based on data from US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and iHireChefs research efforts.

Licensing / Certification

Required or preferred licenses and certifications for Prep Chef positions.



Highest Education Level

Prep Chefs in Iowa offer the following education background
High School or GED
33.3%
Associate's Degree
24.6%
Vocational Degree or Certification
17.5%
Bachelor's Degree
16.9%
Some College
3.1%
Master's Degree
2.3%
Some High School
1.8%
Doctorate Degree
0.4%

Average Work Experience
Here's a breakdown of the number of years' experience offered by Prep Chefs in Iowa
Less than 1 year
40.5%
2-4 years
26.0%
1-2 years
22.8%
None
9.8%
8-10 years
0.9%



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