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chef
Chefs in training in Paris, France (2005).
Occupation
Type	Profession
Activity sectors	Culinary arts
Description
Education required	Catering college; see European training
Fields of employment	Kitchens, restaurants, hotels, ships, military
Related jobs	Chief Cook, Cook (profession), Cook (servant)

A chef is a person who cooks professionally. In a professional kitchen setting, the term is used only for the one person in charge of everyone else in the kitchen — the executive chef.

Contents 1 Word history 2 Titles 2.1 Chef de cuisine, executive chef and head chef 2.2 Sous-chef 2.3 Expediter 2.4 Chef de partie 2.5 Commis 3 Kitchen assistants 4 Culinary education 4.1 United States training 4.2 European training 5 Uniform 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Word history

The word "chef" (from Latin caput) is the abbreviated form of the French phrase chef de cuisine, the "chief" or "head" of a kitchen. The title chef in the culinary profession originates from the roots of haute cuisine in the 19th century. The English-language use of the word chef has become a term that is sometimes used to mean any professional cook, regardless of rank.

[edit] Titles

Below are various titles given to those working in a professional kitchen and each can be considered a title for a type of chef. Many of the titles are based on the brigade de cuisine (or brigade system) documented by Auguste Escoffier, while others have a more general meaning depending on the individual kitchen. Not all restaurants will use these titles as each establishment may have its own set guidelines to organization. Specialized and hierarchal chef titles are usually found only in fine-dining, upscale restaurants; kitchen-staff members at casual restaurants such as diners are more often called "cook" or "short-order cook".^[1]

[edit] Chef de cuisine, executive chef and head chef

This person is in charge of all things related to the kitchen which usually includes menu creation; management, scheduling and payroll of entire kitchen staff; ordering; and plating design. Chef de cuisine is the traditional French term from which the English word chef comes, and is more common in European kitchens. Executive chef is more common in England and the United States. Head chef is often used to designate someone with the same duties as an executive chef, but there is usually someone in charge of them, possibly making the larger executive decisions such as direction of menu, final authority in staff management decisions, etc. This is often the case for chefs with several restaurants.

[edit] Sous-chef

The sous-chef de cuisine (under-chef of the kitchen) is the direct assistant of the executive chef and is second in command. This person may be responsible for scheduling, and substituting when the executive chef is off duty. The sous-chef will also fill in for, or assist the chef de partie (line cook) when needed. Smaller operations may not have a sous-chef, while larger operations may have multiple.^[2]

[edit] Expediter

The expediter (in French aboyeur) takes the orders from the dining room and relays them to the stations in the kitchen. This person also often puts the finishing touches on the dish before it goes to the dining room. In some operations this task may be done by either the executive chef or the sous-chef.^[3]

[edit] Chef de partie

A chef de partie, also known as a "station chef" or "line cook", is in charge of a particular area of production. In large kitchens, each station chef might have several cooks and/or assistants. In most kitchens however, the station chef is the only worker in that department. Line cooks are often divided into a hierarchy of their own, starting with "first cook", then "second cook", and so on as needed.

Station-chef titles which are part of the brigade system include:^[4]

English	French	IPA	Description
sauté chef	saucier	[sosje]	Responsible for all sautéed items and their sauce. This is usually the highest position of all the stations.
fish chef	poissonnier	[pwasoɲe]	Prepares fish dishes and often does all fish butchering as well as appropriate sauces. This station may be combined with the saucier position.
roast chef	rôtisseur	[ʀotisœʀ]	Prepares roasted and braised meats and their appropriate sauce.
grill chef	grillardin	[ɡʀijaʀdɛ̃]	Prepares all grilled foods; this position may be combined with the rotisseur.
fry chef	friturier	[fʀityʀje]	Prepares all fried items; this position may be combined with the rotisseur position.
vegetable chef	entremetier	[ɑ̃tʀəmetje]	Prepares hot appetizers and often prepares the soups, vegetables, pastas and starches. In a full brigade system a potager would prepare soups and a legumier would prepare vegetables.
roundsman	tournant	[tuʀnɑ̃]	Also referred to as a swing cook, fills in as needed on stations in the kitchen.
pantry chef	garde manger	[ɡaʀd mɑ̃ʒe]	They are responsible for preparing cold foods, including salads, cold appetizers, pâtés and other charcuterie items.
butcher	boucher	[buʃe]	Butchers meats, poultry and sometimes fish. May also be responsible for breading meats and fish.
pastry chef	pâtissier	[patisje]	Prepares baked goods, pastries and desserts. In larger establishments, the pastry chef often supervises a separate team in their own kitchen or separate shop.

[edit] Commis

A commis is an apprentice in larger kitchens that works under a chef de partie to learn the station's responsibilities and operation.^[3] This may be a chef who has recently completed formal culinary training or is still undergoing training.^[5]

[edit] Kitchen assistants

Kitchen assistants (often known as kitchen porters or kitchenhands) are usually kitchen workers who assist with basic tasks, but have had no formal training in cooking. Tasks could include peeling potatoes or washing salad, for example. Smaller kitchens more commonly have kitchen assistants who would be assigned a wide variety of tasks (including washing up) in order to control costs.^[3]

A communard is in charge of preparing the meal for the staff during a shift. This meal is often referred to as the staff or family meal.^[3]

The escuelerie (from 15th century French)) or dishwasher, is the keeper of dishes, having charge of dishes and keeping the kitchen clean. A common humorous title for this role in some modern kitchens is chef de plúnge^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Culinary education

[edit] United States training

Culinary education is available from a wide number of institutions offering diploma, associate, and bachelor degree programs in culinary arts. Depending on the level of education, this can take one to four years. An internship is often part of the curriculum. Regardless of the education received, most professional kitchens follow the apprenticeship system, and most new cooks will start at a lower-level chef de partie position and work their way up.

[edit] European training

The training period for a chef is generally four years, consisting of first-year commis, second-year commis, and so on. The rate of pay is usually in accordance with the training status. Commis chefs are usually placed in sections of the kitchen (e.g., the starter (appetizer) or entrée sections) under the guidance of a chef de partie and are given relatively basic tasks. Ideally, over time, a commis will spend a certain period in each section of the kitchen to learn the basics. Unaided, a commis may work on the vegetable station of a kitchen.^[6]

The usual formal training period for a chef is two years in catering college. They often spend the summer in work placements. In some cases this is modified to 'day-release' courses; a chef will work full-time in a kitchen as an apprentice and then would attend catering college on days off. These courses can last between one to three years. Once the chef has completed the fourth year in training, they usually graduate to demi-chef de partie or chef de partie.^[7]

[edit] Uniform

The standard uniform for a chef includes a hat, necktie, double-breasted jacket, apron, houndstooth^{[clarification needed]} (checkered) trousers and steel-toe- (or plastic-)capped shoes or clogs.^[8][9] A chef's hat (toque) is tall to allow for the circulation of air above the head and also provides an outlet for heat. The hat will assist in the prevention of sweat dripping down the face. Skullcaps are an alternative hat worn by chefs.

Neckties were originally worn to allow for the mopping of sweat from the face, but as this is now against health and safety regulations, they are largely decorative.^[10] The jacket is usually white to repel heat and double-breasted to prevent serious injuries from burns and scalds. The double breast serves to conceal stains on the jacket as one side can be rebuttoned over the other.

An apron is worn to just-below knee-length also to assist in the prevention of burns because of spillage. If hot liquid is spilled onto the apron, it can be quickly removed to minimize burns and scalds. Shoes and clogs are hard wearing and with a steel-top cap to prevent injury from falling objects or knives. According to some hygiene regulations, jewellery is not allowed apart from wedding bands. Additionally bandages should be blue in order to more easily identify any that have fallen into food during preparation^{[citation needed]}. Bandages on the hands are traditionally covered with rubber gloves.

[edit] See also