The Sims 4: Culinary Career
The culinary career in The Sims 4 is a really fun one, but admittedly doesn’t make the most money out of all the base game careers. That’s okay though, because you’ll be able to create delicious meals and delicious drinks for your friends and family, who needs money anyhow!
A really great part about this career is that you’ll be given the ability later on to write profession books, either a cook book or a bar guide. This is a great way to supplement your sim’s income and make a bit of extra simoleons.
Aspiration for the Culinary Career
I really like starting these career guides off with some different aspirations that are going to go right along with the career, this way you can have a bit of extra guidance to create the perfect sim that will go through the culinary career super easy.
Master Chef
The first aspiration is master chef which is a bit of a no brainer if you want to go into the chef branch of the culinary career. The best part about this aspiration (for me at least) is that you’ll be given the fresh chef bonus trait which will allow you to cook food that will never go bad.
Master Mixologist
The next aspiration is the master mixologist aspiration, which makes a lot of sense if you’re going to go through the mixologist branch. This has the bonus trait if you complete it where you can make drinks that can effect sim’s moods which can be really helpful if your sim isn’t feeling the greatest.
Traits for the Culinary Career
Every single career in The Sims 4 has some really awesome traits that are going to make the career a bit easier to complete, here are a few that can be helpful in the culinary career.
Foodie
Foodie sims really appreciate the finer things in life, especially food. If you’re planning on going into the chef branch of the culinary career this would be a good one. You’ll be eating really good food that you cook which will give your sim a happiness moodlet.
Creative
The creative trait is great for both branches of the culinary skill because both are considered creative skills. Creative sims get inspired moodlets randomly, and those moodlets will help your sims increase both their cooking and mixology skills.
Neat
In the culinary career, you’re going to be making tons of food or drink throughout your sim life. This means a lot of meals left on counters, drinks left on bars, and dirty dishes. Having a sim who is neat will help your sim clean up some of this mess instead of living like a slob.
Lot Trait to Help in the Culinary Career
A really awesome way for your sims to be able to increase skills and build their relationships quicker is to take advantage of lot traits. These are traits that affect your home lot and make it easier for your sim get things done.
Homey
The only real lot trait that is going to help your sim in the culinary career is the homey lot trait. This one will increase your sim’s ability to gain both the cooking, gourmet cooking, and mixology skills.
Convivial
If you’re planning to go into the mixologist branch of the culinary career, it’s time to start focusing on charisma. The convivial lot trait is going to make building the charisma skill easier and make social interactions go more smoothly.
Culinary Career Levels
“Anyone can make dinner or mix a drink at home. The Culinary career is for those who want to take it to another level and make money doing it.”
The culinary career in The Sims 4 is going to obviously heavily focus on cooking and mixology. These are the only two skills you’ll need to be earning in the beginning. The cooking skill is gained naturally any time you just cook yourself meals, so it’s really easy to gain.
My favourite part about the culinary career is that you’re given some really beautiful modern looking kitchen items as rewards.
Your daily task in the culinary career before the branch decision is going to be mixing drinks or cooking food. You’ll need to cook 3 meals or make 3 drinks to get this done, or you can do a mixture of the two. I think it’s best to focus on doing whichever skill you’ll need for your branch.
| Rank | 1 |
| Job Title | Assistant Dishwasher |
| Hourly Wage | §15/Hour |
| Schedule | F S S M W 4 pm – 1 am |
| Daily Wage | §135 |
| Promotion Tasks | Prepare Food or Mix Drinks |
| Promotion Rewards | N/A |
| Rank | 2 |
| Job Title | Head Dishwasher |
| Hourly Wage | §16/Hour |
| Schedule | T F S S M 4 pm – 1 am |
| Daily Wage | §144 |
| Promotion Tasks | Prepare Food or Mix Drinks, Cooking Level 2 |
| Promotion Rewards | §334, Corporate Chic Countertop |
| Rank | 3 |
| Job Title | Caterer |
| Hourly Wage | §26/Hour |
| Schedule | T F S S M 3 pm – 11 pm |
| Daily Wage | §208 |
| Promotion Tasks | Prepare Food or Mix Drinks, Mixology Level 2 |
| Promotion Rewards | §368, Stainless Steel Auto Pot |
| Rank | 4 |
| Job Title | Mixologist |
| Hourly Wage | §35/Hour |
| Schedule | F S S M 6 pm – 2 am |
| Daily Wage | §280 |
| Promotion Tasks | Prepare Food or Mix Drinks, Cooking Level 3, Mixology Level 3 |
| Promotion Rewards | §515, Umber Kitchen Sink |
| Rank | 5 |
| Job Title | Line Cook |
| Hourly Wage | §43/Hour |
| Schedule | T F S S M 2 pm – 10 pm |
| Daily Wage | §344 |
| Promotion Tasks | Prepare Food or Mix Drinks, Cooking Level 4, Mixology Level 4 |
| Promotion Rewards | §556, Corporate Chic Counter Island, New CAS Items |
Culinary Career Unlocks (Before Branch)
In every career in The Sims 4, you’ll get the chance to unlock some new decor, clothing, and gameplay items that can make your sim’s home more unique. Personally, the culinary career items are some of my favourites in the game.
First, you’re going to be able to unlock the corporate chic countertop and island. These are really modern and sleek and can make any modern home feel really cool. They also look great in any restaurant!
You’ll also unlock the umber kitchen sink, which goes great and matches with the corporate chic counters as well as the stainless steel auto pot, a coffee maker that totally fits the vibes of these kitchen items.
Chef Career Branch
“It takes a special touch to craft exquisite food. Begin your journey of making Sims weak in the knees with a dangerously delicious dish.”
The chef career branch is a great option, and makes a lot more money than the mixologist branch of the career. This branch doesn’t just focus on the cooking skill, but also focuses on the gourmet cooking skill.
The daily task of the chef branch is to just make food, you’ll need to make at least 3 dishes per day. Since your food is going to go bad, I suggest just making single dishes unless you have a really large family.
When you get to level 8 of the chef branch you’ll be able to start writing cook books! This is an awesome way to make extra money and if you publish these books you can earn daily royalties every single day at 10 am from the sale of your books.
Chef Branch Levels
| Rank | 6 |
| Job Title | Head Caterer |
| Hourly Wage | §52/Hour |
| Schedule | F S S M 3 pm – 12 am |
| Daily Wage | §468 |
| Promotion Tasks | Prepare Food, Cooking Level 6, Gourmet Cooking Level 2 |
| Promotion Rewards | §691, Proistronic Pro Magnetic Knife Rack |
| Rank | 7 |
| Job Title | Pastry Chef |
| Hourly Wage | §104/Hour |
| Schedule | T F S S M 12 pm – 5 pm |
| Daily Wage | §520 |
| Promotion Tasks | Prepare Food, Cooking Level 7, Gourmet Cooking Level 4 |
| Promotion Rewards | §933, Ceiling Pot Rack (Oval), Professional Ceiling Mounted Pot Rack, Heavy Duty Pot Rack |
| Rank | 8 |
| Job Title | Sour Chef |
| Hourly Wage | §131/Hour |
| Schedule | T F S S M 8 pm – 2 am |
| Daily Wage | §786 |
| Promotion Tasks | Prepare Food, Cooking Level 8, Gourmet Cooking Level 6 |
| Promotion Rewards | §1306, New Ability: Write Cook Book, Icebox of Steel |
| Rank | 9 |
| Job Title | Executive Chef |
| Hourly Wage | §253/Hour |
| Schedule | F S S M 5 pm – 11 pm |
| Daily Wage | §1518 |
| Promotion Tasks | Prepare Food, Cooking Level 10, Gourmet Cooking Level 8 |
| Promotion Rewards | §1959 |
| Rank | 10 |
| Job Title | Celebrity Chef |
| Hourly Wage | §410/Hour |
| Schedule | F S S M 12 pm – 6 pm |
| Daily Wage | §2460 |
| Promotion Tasks | Prepare Food |
| Promotion Rewards | §3037, New CAS Items, Pancake Pro Free-Standing Griddle, Discretion Stove Hood, Pro Performance Range Hood |
Chef Branch Unlocks
The chef branch unlocks continue down the path of really cool stuff for your kitchen, and all of the items really vibe well together and make a cohesive kitchen brand. You’ll be given a magnetic knife rack that looks great above any kitchen counter on the wall.
You’ll also get a series of hanging pot racks and new range hoods to mix up your sim’s kitchens as well. The best part? You’ll unlock a new fridge that matches well with your new counters, and a pancake griddle that looks great as a second stove in any home.
Mixologist Career Branch
“A master mixologist knows the ins and outs of various mixers and ingredients to create a drink that makes the shyest Sim sit up and notice.”
If you decide to go down the mixologist branch of the culinary career, you’ll need to start focusing on your sim’s charisma skill. This makes sense since a mixologist needs to be able to talk to different customers.
The daily task of this branch is to make drinks, you’ll need to make around 3 drinks per day. Obviously, you’ll need a bar to get this done. As you grow you’ll be able to start doing mixologist tricks with bottles, which are some of my favourite animations in the game.
A really awesome part of this career path is that you can start making extra money on the side by writing bar guides. These can be sold to publishers to make daily royalties as a nice way to increase your sim’s income and also grow their fame.
Mixologist Branch Levels
| Rank | 6 |
| Job Title | Head Mixologist |
| Hourly Wage | §45/Hour |
| Schedule | T F S S M 6 pm – 1 am |
| Daily Wage | §315 |
| Promotion Tasks | Mix Drinks, Mixology Level 5, Charisma Level 2 |
| Promotion Rewards | §691, Captain Rodrigo de Pablo Cask |
| Rank | 7 |
| Job Title | Juice Boss |
| Hourly Wage | §64/Hour |
| Schedule | T F S S M 7 pm – 2 am |
| Daily Wage | §448 |
| Promotion Tasks | Mix Drinks, Mixology Level 7, Charisma Level 4 |
| Promotion Rewards | §1907 |
| Rank | 8 |
| Job Title | Chief Drink Operator |
| Hourly Wage | §111/Hour |
| Schedule | T F S S 4 pm – 12 am |
| Daily Wage | §888 |
| Promotion Tasks | Mix Drinks, Mixology Level 8, Charisma Level 6 |
| Promotion Rewards | §2559, New Ability: Write Bar Guide, Vinoteca Bottle Rack |
| Rank | 9 |
| Job Title | Drinkmaster |
| Hourly Wage | §166/Hour |
| Schedule | T S S 2 pm – 12 am |
| Daily Wage | §1660 |
| Promotion Tasks | Mix Drinks, Mixology Level 10, Charisma Level 8 |
| Promotion Rewards | §3916, Lemonade on a Sunny Day Torchiere |
| Rank | 10 |
| Job Title | Celebrity Mixologist |
| Hourly Wage | §197/Hour |
| Schedule | T S S 12 pm – 10 pm |
| Daily Wage | §1970 |
| Promotion Tasks | Mix Drinks |
| Promotion Rewards | §4984, New CAS Items, Bar Setters Bar |
Mixologist Branch Unlocks
The mixologist branch unlocks are really fun if you want to have a home bar for your sims to entertain in. The first, is a barrel that could hold some whiskey and looks great on a counter.
The next, is a bottle rack for wine bottles that can be hung on the wall. My favourite item you unlock is the Lemonade on a Sunny Day Torchiere which is a hilarious light that looks like a mixed drink with a lemon on the rim.
And finally, you’ll unlock the bar that matches the countertops that you unlock in the first half of this career making it a nice cohesive decor item.
Final Thoughts
The culinary career in The Sims 4 is a really great option if you want to have your sim cooking and mixing drinks. It’s also really awesome if you have a family because you’ll be able to make sure they’re fed well and always eating something delicious. How do you feel about the culinary career? Let me know in the comments!
If you aren’t feeling like the culinary career is right for your current sim, here are a few other career guides that may be a better fit:
What does the +1 mean next to celebrity chef? I have get famlus downloaded will this help increase fame?