If you use the kitchen more often to prepare dishes, then the most suitable career in The Sims 4 for you is the Culinary career.
Both cooking delicious meals and making drinks as a Mixologist can improve skills that develop naturally, and these skills are highly important in the Culinary career.
Most of the rewards from the Culinary career come in the form of home decorations. In addition to making the kitchen look more attractive, these decorations can also provide an Inspired aura that helps your Sim get promotions faster.
Overview
The Culinary career is one of the most creative careers in The Sims 4 and is a great choice for players who have a passion for cooking or mixology.
Cooking is also one of the easiest skills to level up because every Sim we play needs food. As a result, you will cook frequently, and your Cooking skill will naturally increase over time without you even noticing.
This is why the Culinary career is often considered one of the easiest careers in The Sims 4. In addition, you can choose between two branches: becoming a Chef or a Mixologist.
Becoming a Chef or a Bartender: Which is Better?
As mentioned earlier, the Culinary career in The Sims 4 has two different branches. After reaching level 6, you will be given the option to become either a Chef or a Mixologist.
Chef Branch
This branch focuses on everything related to culinary arts. Sims not only rely on the Cooking skill, but also need to improve Gourmet Cooking in order to continue getting promoted.
Mixologist Branch
This branch is suitable for those who want to become skilled bartenders. It requires two promotion skills: Mixology and Charisma.
Now you know the difference between the two. So, which career branch will you choose?
Traits and Aspirations That Help the Culinary Career
Sims who focus on preparing dishes need inspiration in their work. Therefore, the Creative trait is a great choice.
The Creative trait helps Sims more easily gain the Inspired mood naturally, which is the ideal mood for a culinary career. Working in the right mood is often an important factor in getting promotions.
In addition, the Foodie trait can also help in this career because it unlocks various food-related social interactions.
However, it should be noted that the Foodie trait also has a drawback. Sims with this trait will feel uncomfortable when eating low-quality food.
Therefore, this trait is more suitable for Sims who already have high Cooking and Gourmet Cooking skills, so its benefits can be fully maximized.
Besides traits, there are also aspirations that support both career branches:
- Chef: The recommended aspiration is Master Chef, which allows Sims to gain more Satisfaction Points when cooking daily meals and increases Cooking skill progression.
- Mixologist: The recommended aspiration is Master Mixologist, which helps improve Mixology skill development.
Every Level in the Culinary Career: Salary, Working Hours, Promotion Requirements, Daily Tasks, and Rewards
In the table below, we summarize the progression of the Culinary career in The Sims 4, including working hours, salary, daily tasks, promotion requirements, and rewards at each level.
Culinary
The daily task in the Culinary career is Prepare Food or Mix Drink. To Prepare Food, you can click on an oven or fridge and choose Cook.
Meanwhile, to Mix Drink, you need a bar. You can get one in Build Mode under Objects by Function > Entertainment > Bars, then select Make Drinks.
For promotion requirements, you only need to improve Cooking and Mixology skills. The ideal mood for this career is Inspired, which can be triggered by taking a Thoughtful Shower.
| Level | Title | Schedule | Rates | Ideal Mood | Daily Task | Promotion Requirements | Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Assistant Dishwasher | Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun (4pm-1am) | §135 | Inspired | Prepare Food/Mix Drinks | – | None |
| 2 | Head Dishwasher | Mon, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun ( 4pm-1am) | §144 | Inspired | Prepare Food/Mix Drinks | Level 2 Cooking | §334 Bonus, Corporate Chic Countertop |
| 3 | Caterer | Mon, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun (3pm-11pm) | §208 | Inspired | Prepare Food/Mix Drinks | Level 2 Cooking Level 2 Mixology | §368 Bonus, Stainless Steel Auto-Pot |
| 4 | Mixologist | Mon, Fri, Sat, Sun (6pm-2am) | §315 | Inspired | Prepare Food/Mix Drinks | Level 3 Cooking Level 3 Mixology | §515 Bonus, Umber Kitchen Sink |
| 5 | Line Cook | Mon, Fri, Sat, Sun (2pm-10pm) | §344 | Inspired | Prepare Food/Mix Drinks | Level 4 Cooking Level 4 Mixology | §556 Bonus, Corporate Chic Counter Island, Line Cook CAS Parts |
Chef
The Chef branch has a daily task of cooking meals, both Cooking and Gourmet Cooking.
For promotion requirements, you only need to focus on improving Cooking and Gourmet Cooking skills.
The ideal mood for this branch is Inspired. You can trigger it about 20 minutes before work by taking a Thoughtful Shower. This helps improve career performance and speeds up promotions.
| Level | Title | Schedule | Rates | Ideal Mood | Daily Task | Promotion Requirements | Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Head Caterer | Mon, Fri, Sat, Sun (3pm-12am) | §468 | Inspired | Prepare Food | Level 6 Cooking Level 2 Gourmet Cooking | §691 Bonus, Positronic Pro Magnetic Knife Rack |
| 7 | Pastry Chef | Mon, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun (12pm-5pm) | §520 | Inspired | Prepare Food | Level 7 Cooking Level 4 Gourmet Cooking | §933 Bonus, Heavy Dutiest Pot Rack, Professional Ceiling-Mounted Pot Rack, Ceiling Pot Rack Oval |
| 8 | Sous Chef | Mon, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun (8pm-2am) | §786 | Inspired | Prepare Food | Level 8 Cooking Level 6 Gourmet Cooking | §1,306 Bonus, Icebox of Steel by Krampft Industries, Write Cookbook on Computer |
| 9 | Executive Chef | Mon, Fri, Sat, Sun (5pm-11pm) | §1,518 | Inspired | Prepare Food | Level 10 Cooking Level 8 Gourmet Cooking | §1,959 Bonus |
| 10 | Celebrity Chef | Mon, Fri, Sat, Sun (12pm-6pm) | §2,460 | Inspired | Prepare Food | N/A | §3,037 Bonus, Stove Hood, Range Hood, The Obelisk, Pancake Griddle, Iron Chef CAS Parts |
Mixologist
The Mixologist branch has a daily task of Mix Drink. To complete it, you need a bar at home. Follow these steps:
- Enter Build Mode
- Buy and place a Bar object in your Sim’s home
- Click on the installed bar
- Select Make Drinks
For promotion requirements, you need to improve Mixology and Charisma skills. Mixology can be improved by:
- Clicking the bar
- Selecting Practice Making Drinks
- Repeating until the skill increases
Meanwhile, Charisma can be improved by:
- Performing social interactions such as Complimenting other Sims
- Practicing in front of a mirror
- Selecting Practice Speech
The ideal mood for this branch is Inspired. To achieve it, follow these steps:
- Click the shower
- Select Thoughtful Shower
With the Inspired mood, skill development becomes faster, making Mixologist career progression more optimal.
| Level | Title | Schedule | Rates | Ideal Mood | Daily Task | Promotion Requirements | Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Head Mixologist | Mon, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun (6pm-1am) | §315 | Inspired | Mix Drinks | Level 5 Mixology Level 2 Charisma | §691 Bonus, Captain Rodrigo de Pablo Cask |
| 7 | Juice Boss | Mon, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun (7pm-2am) | §448 | Inspired | Mix Drinks | Level 7 Mixology Level 4 Charisma | §1,907 Bonus |
| 8 | Chief Drink Operator | Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun (4pm-12am) | §888 | Inspired | Mix Drinks | Level 8 Mixology Level 6 Charisma | §2,559 Bonus, Vinoteca Bottle Rack, Write Bar Guide on Computer |
| 9 | Drinkmaster | Thurs, Sat, Sun (2pm-12am) | §1,660 | Inspired | Mix Drinks | Level 10 Mixology Level 8 Charisma | §3,916 Bonus, Lemonade on a Sunny Day Torchiere |
| 10 | Celebrity Mixologist | Thurs, Sat, Sun (12pm-10pm) | §1,970 | Inspired | Mix Drinks | N/A | §4,984 Bonus, Bar Setters Bar, Bartender Outfit CAS Parts |
Conclusion
The Culinary career in The Sims 4 is an ideal choice for Sims who frequently engage in kitchen activities, as Cooking and Mixology skills develop naturally through daily actions. This career is also relatively easy because cooking and drink-making are routine needs in the game, so skill progression happens naturally over time.
After level 6, players can choose between two branches: Chef or Mixologist. The Chef branch focuses on Cooking and Gourmet Cooking, while Mixologist emphasizes Mixology and Charisma.
In terms of gameplay, Chef is more suitable for players who enjoy cooking a variety of dishes, while Mixologist offers a more social gameplay style through drink-making and bar interactions. Both require the Inspired mood to speed up skill gains and promotions.
The rewards from this career are generally decorative items that enhance the home and provide positive effects, improving both the appearance of the kitchen or bar and career progression. Overall, the Culinary career is a relaxed, stable, and easy-to-progress path with two branches that suit different playstyles.
