Does The Nutrition Knowledge Level of Chefs Affect Their Cooking and Food Preparation Skills?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21325/jotags.2025.1765Keywords:
Chefs, Nutritional knowledge, Cooking and food preparation skillsAbstract
This study assessed the impact of chefs’ nutrition knowledge levels (NKS) on their cooking and food preparation skills. The study was conducted via face-to-face surveys with 164 chefs (18.9% female) employed in establishments registered with the Kütahya Restaurants Tradesmen Chamber. Sociodemographic characteristics and work experience were questioned, and the The Nutrition Knowledge Level Scale for Adults (NKLSA) and the Cooking and Food Skills Scale (CS and FC) were administered. 43.9% of the chefs held a culinary certification, 55.4% had 0-10 years of work experience, 20.1% had a bachelor's degree or higher. Although cooking and food skills scores increased with higher education levels, this difference was not significant (p> 0.05). The proportion with good basic nutrition and food-health knowledge scores was 12.2%, very good scores was 0.6%. The cooking skills scores of women were higher than those of men (p=0.048). Standardized training programs to improve chefs' nutrition knowledge and cooking skills could contribute to protecting public health and enhancing service quality.
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