Starting from the bottom with zero experience, a steward can make $45,000 while the camp boss at the top makes $65,000. If you are the cook on an offshore oil rig, you can easily earn $59,000 a year.

Compare this against the industry average of $32,650 for a head chef (reported by the US Department of Labor).

Fast food - a line cook working in Washington is paid $22,000.

Hotels and restaurants - food preparers get an average of $12,000, assistant cooks get $20,000 while the executive (chief) chef of a 5-star restaurant gets $100,000.

Catering/retail - the executive chef makes $45,000 while his assistants earn $20,000 to $25,000.

Offshore catering jobs certainly pay well, don't they? Even a steward with no experience makes more money than many chefs.