A chef is a professional culinary expert, typically with specialized training, who manages a kitchen, creates menus, and develops recipes, while a cook is anyone who prepares food, following existing recipes and working under a chef’s direction to handle hands-on cooking tasks and maintain the cleanliness of the kitchen. The core difference lies in the level of responsibility and expertise, with chefs holding a higher-level management and creative role compared to the more fundamental preparation and execution duties of a cook.