Who Gets to be Called a Chef?
When you go to a restaurant, you know who's making your food — it's the person in the white jacket and the big white hat. But what is a chef, anyway?For that matter, what's a sous chef? And what about an executive chef? Here's a basic summary of some of the most common culinary job titles, and what each one means.
Chef (Chef de Cuisine)
In French, the word chef means "chief." This tells us that a chef is someone who's in charge of something. But what? A head chef, also sometimes referred to as "chef de cuisine" or "executive chef," is in charge of the whole kitchen.Every part of a foodservice operation, including menu planning, purchasing, hiring and staffing, comes under a head chef's purview. That means he or she also has overall responsibility for all the food that comes out of the kitchen.
You may have noticed one key job function missing from a head chef's job description: cooking. That's right, the head chef typically doesn't cook.
You might see him standing around hollering at the line cooks (or expediting), but just as often it's a sous chef who does that. When you think executive chef, the key word is executive: The tools of his trade are a desk, phone and clipboard, not a knife, whisk or sauté pan.
Sous Chef (Second Chef)
The sous chef (pronounced "SOO chef," from the French word for under) is in charge of all the cooking. In some kitchens, the sous chef directly supervises the entire kitchen staff, including the line cooks, prep cooks and dishwashers.While his or her duties are still mainly supervisory, the sous chef may also do some actual cooking, for instance, stepping in to replace one of the line cooks if necessary.
A sous chef's duties also frequently include expediting, or relaying orders to the line cooks and ensuring that the team works together to get all the orders right and get them out promptly.
Chef de Partie (Station Chef)
A chef de partie ("chef duh-par-TEE") is in charge of a specific station on the hot cooking line. Usually called line cooks, they're the ones doing the real cooking. Though every kitchen is organized differently, most will have, at a minimum, the following line cooks:- Sauté Cook: Responsible for all sautéed items and sauces. Often responsible for cooking fish items, too, although there may also be a separate fish cook.
- Roast Cook: Responsible for roasted and braised items. May also prepare broiled and grilled items, although there may be separate a separate grill station cook.
- Vegetable Cook: Responsible for soups, starches such as pastas and potatoes, and other vegetable items.
Other Chefs
Some kitchens will feature various other chefs, such as a pastry chef who prepares desserts and other baked items, and a pantry chef, responsible for cold food items such as salads and dressings, cured foods like sausages, as well as pâtés and terrines.Some operations will also employ a separate chef who specializes in butchering and preparing meats and poultry.
Thinking about becoming a chef? Check out these 5 Tips for Choosing a Great Culinary School.
