The article deals with comparative analysis of conceptual approaches and content of cooks' training in Ukraine, European countries, the USA and Eastern Partnership countries. It has been found out that national vocational education is grounded on education standards and activity-based approach to forming the training content, subject-based structure of curricula and, surely, needs to become competency-based. It has been revealed that in Eastern Partnership countries there is a normative base of cooks' vocational training and it is accorded with the competency-based approach. However, such states as the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, and the Republic of Kazakhstan implement study programs for training cooks in traditional institutions of formal vocational training of Post-Soviet type. At the same time, the training of future cooks in European countries is mainly oriented toward the concept of continuing education and is variable, multilevel, wide-profile, at most approximated to the needs of catering trade. The level-based curricula and dual system of cooks' training in vocational schools of France, Austria and Italy have been characterized. In addition, the authors have defined the common feature of professional practical training of cooks in culinary schools in the USA, that is its organization under the conditions of real production that ensures a wide professional competency of future cooks, their acquiring knowledge and skills needed for professional activity. It has been concluded that positive aspects of foreign experience may assist in defining prognostic directions for the development of cooks' vocational training in Ukraine.