Chef, cook and kitchen roles in Broome, Western Australia.
Perth's kitchens span a wider range than most people expect. The obvious market is hospitality - restaurants, hotels, pubs and cafes across the CBD, Northbridge, Fremantle and the coastal strip - but the larger and better paid employer group in Western Australia is remote site catering. Companies like Sodexo, Compass Group and ISS feed thousands of workers daily across mine site villages, and they recruit chefs continuously on FIFO rosters.
That split creates an unusual dynamic. A chef with the same qualifications can earn materially more on a two-and-one FIFO roster than in a Perth restaurant, with accommodation, meals and flights provided. The trade-off is the roster and the nature of the cooking - volume catering rather than à la carte - which suits some chefs and not others.
Within metropolitan hospitality, Perth has seen sustained skills shortage since the pandemic, and the standard entry pathway remains a Certificate III in Commercial Cookery, usually completed as an apprenticeship. Qualified chefs with experience in high-volume or fine dining kitchens are in genuine demand, and head chef and executive chef roles at established venues pay competitively.
Average salary ranges for chef positions in Broome:
| Position Level | Salary Range |
|---|---|
| Apprentice Chef | $40,000 - $55,000 |
| Commis / Junior Chef | $55,000 - $65,000 |
| Chef de Partie | $65,000 - $78,000 |
| Sous Chef | $75,000 - $92,000 |
| Head Chef | $90,000 - $120,000 |
| FIFO / Remote Site Chef | $85,000 - $115,000 |
Market Outlook: Sustained shortage across both hospitality and remote site catering. Commercial cookery appears on skilled occupation lists, and WA's resources catering sector provides an unusually large and well-paid employer base compared with other states.
Common qualifications and certifications required for chef positions:
Work Environment: Metropolitan hospitality involves split shifts, late finishes, weekends and public holidays. Remote site catering runs FIFO rosters with camp accommodation, meals and flights provided, typically 12-hour days but with structured time off. Both are physically demanding and heat-intensive.
Major companies hiring for chef positions:
See the full pay breakdown by experience level in our Chef salary guide, including entry-level through senior ranges and the qualifications employers expect.