View source for Chef

{{Short description|Trained professional cook}}
{{About|professional cooks}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{more citations needed|date=January 2010}}
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{{Infobox Occupation
| name= Chef
| official_names=
<!-- ---------Details---------------- -->
| type = [[Skilled trades|Vocational]]
| image= Ribot Theodule The Cook And The Cat-1.jpg
| caption= French chef painted by<br>[[Théodule Ribot]] (1823–1891)
| activity_sector = [[Food industry|Food]]<br />[[Hospitality industry|Hospitality]]
| competencies =
| formation = [[Cooking school]];<br />[[Apprenticeship]]
| related_occupation= [[Baker]]
}}

[[File:Gordon Ramsay.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Gordon Ramsay]], British celebrity chef]]
[[File:Jiro_behind_the_counter_(19137550458).jpg|thumb|[[Jiro Ono (chef)|Jiro Ono]] is regarded as one of the greatest sushi chefs in the world.]]

A''' chef''' is a professional [[Cook (profession)|cook]] and [[tradesperson]] who is proficient in all aspects of [[outline of food preparation|food preparation]], often focusing on a particular [[cuisine]]. The word "chef" is derived from the term {{lang|fr|chef de cuisine}} ({{IPA|fr|ʃɛf də kɥizin}}), the director or head of a [[kitchen]]. Chefs can receive formal training from an institution, as well as by apprenticing with an experienced chef.

In modern kitchens, chefs often manage both culinary creativity and business operations, including budgeting, inventory systems, and team training.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chef de partie job description |url=https://www.caterer.com/advice/chef-de-partie-job-description |access-date=2025-08-05 |website=www.caterer.com}}</ref>

Different terms use the word ''chef'' in their titles and deal with specific areas of food preparation. Examples include the ''sous-chef'', who acts as the second-in-command in a kitchen, and the ''chef de partie'', who handles a specific area of production. The [[kitchen brigade]] system is a hierarchy found in restaurants and hotels employing extensive staff, many of which use the word "chef" in their titles. Underneath the chefs are the ''kitchen assistants''. A chef's standard uniform includes a hat (called a ''[[toque]]''), [[neckerchief]], [[Double-breasted|double-breasted jacket]], [[apron]] and sturdy shoes (that may include steel or plastic toe-caps).

==Etymology==
The word "chef" is derived (and shortened) from the term ''chef de cuisine'' ({{IPA|fr|ʃɛf.də.kɥi.zin}}), the director or head of a [[kitchen]]. (The French word comes from [[Latin]] ''[[:wikt:caput|caput]]'' (head) and is cognate with [[English language|English]] "chief"). In English, the title ''chef'' in the [[culinary arts]] originated in the ''[[haute cuisine]]'' of the 19th century. The culinary arts, among other aspects of the French language, introduced French loan words into the English language.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/english/documents/innervate/10-11/1011rothhistoryofenglish.pdf|title = Innervate|access-date = January 30, 2016|publisher = The University of Nottingham School of English Studies|last = Roth|first = Isabel}}</ref> The word is often used by itself as an [[honorific]] to address chefs by each other, apprentices, and [[waiting staff]].

==Titles==
[[File:Nancy_Silverton.jpg|thumb|[[Nancy Silverton]], a chef and baker known for her expertise in bread-making and pastry]]
[[File:Chef preparing naan to be baked in a tandoori.jpeg|thumb|Chef preparing [[naan]] to be cooked in a [[tandoor]]]]

Various titles, detailed below, are 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.

===''Chef de cuisine''===
{{Main|Chef de cuisine}}

Other names include '''executive chef''', '''chef manager''', '''head chef''', and '''master chef'''. This person is in charge of all activities related to the kitchen, which usually includes [[menu]] creation, management of kitchen staff, ordering and purchasing of inventory, controlling raw material costs and plating design. ''Chef de cuisine'' is the traditional French term from which the English word chef is derived.<ref>{{Cite web|title = the definition of chef-de-cuisine|url = http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/chef-de-cuisine|website = Dictionary.com|access-date = 2016-01-30}}</ref> ''Head chef'' is often used to designate someone with the same duties as an executive chef, but there is usually someone in charge of a head chef, possibly making the larger executive decisions such as the direction of menu, the final authority in staff management decisions, and so on.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Types of Chefs: Executive Chef, Sous Chef & Celebrity Chefs – Who's Who in the Kitchen?|url = http://www.culinaryschools.org/chef-types/|website = www.culinaryschools.org|access-date = 2016-01-30|first = Brad|last = Lowry}}</ref> This is often the case for executive chefs with multiple restaurants. Involved in checking the sensory evaluation of dishes after preparation and they are well aware of each sensory property of those specific dishes.

In the UK, the title '''executive chef''' normally applies to hotels with multiple outlets in the same hotel. Other establishments in the UK tend to use the title '''head chef'''.

=== <span class="anchor" id="sous chef"></span> ''Sous-chef'' ===
<!-- [[Sous Chef]] & [[su chef]] redirect here-->{{main|Sous-chef}}

The ''sous-chef de cuisine'' (under-chef of the kitchen) is the second-in-command and direct assistant of the chef de cuisine or head chef. This person may be responsible for scheduling the kitchen staff or substituting when the head chef is absent. Also, the ''sous-chef'' will fill in for or assist a ''chef de partie'' (line cook) when needed. This person is accountable for the kitchen's inventory, cleanliness, organization, and the continuing training of its entire staff. A sous-chef's duties can also include carrying out the head chef's directives, conducting line checks, and overseeing the timely rotation of all food products. Smaller operations may not have a sous-chef, while larger operations may have more than one.<ref name="CIA_ch_1">[[#CIA|CIA (2011)]]. p. 8.</ref>

===''Chef de partie''===
{{main|Chef de partie}}

A ''chef de partie'', also known as a "station chef" or "line cook",<ref>{{cite news |author=Sophie Brickman |date=September 12, 2010 |title=How French Laundry's chefs reach for the stars |url=https://www.sfgate.com/restaurants/article/how-french-laundry-s-chefs-reach-for-the-stars-3174992.php |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]}}</ref> is in charge of a particular area of production. In large kitchens, each chef de partie might have several cooks or assistants. In most kitchens, however, the chef de partie 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.

=== <span class="anchor" id="Commis"></span> ''Commis'' (chef)/Range chef===
<!-- [[Commis Chef]] [[Trainee Chef]] redirect here-->
{{Redirect|Commis|the restaurant in Oakland, California, United States|Commis (restaurant)}}

A commis is a basic or junior chef in larger kitchens who works under a ''chef de partie'' to learn the station's or range's responsibilities and operation.<ref name="CIA_ch_2">[[#CIA|CIA (2011)]]. p. 9.</ref> This may be a chef who has recently completed formal culinary training or is still undergoing training.

===Brigade system titles===
{{Main|Brigade de cuisine}}

Station-chef titles, created by Escoffier, which are part of the brigade system include:<ref>[[#CIA|CIA (2011)]]. pp. 8–9.</ref>

<onlyinclude>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!English
!French
![[Help:IPA/French|IPA]]
!Responsibilities
|-
|Sauté chef
| {{lang|fr|[[saucier]]}}
|{{IPA|fr|sosje|}}
|[[Sautéed]] items and their [[sauce]]. (The highest position of the stations.)
|-
|Fish chef
| {{lang|fr|poissonnier}}
|{{IPA|fr|pwasɔnje|}}
|Fish dishes, and often fish butchering, and their sauces. (May be combined with the {{lang|fr|saucier}} position.)
|-
|Roast chef
| {{lang|fr|rôtisseur}}
|{{IPA|fr|ʁotisœʁ|}}
|[[Roasted]] and [[braised]] meats, and their sauces.
|-
|Grill chef
| {{lang|fr|grillardin}}
|{{IPA|fr|ɡʁijaʁdɛ̃|}}
|[[Grilled]] foods. (May be combined with the {{lang|fr|rotisseur}}.)
|-
|Fry chef
| {{lang|fr|friturier}}
|{{IPA|fr|fʁityʁje|}}
|[[frying|Fried]] items. (May be combined with the {{lang|fr|rotisseur}}.)
|-
|Entrée preparer
| {{lang|fr|entremétier}}
|{{IPA|fr|ɑ̃tʁəmetje|}}
| Hot [[appetizer]]s and often the soups, vegetables, pastas and starches. 
|-
|Soup chef
| {{lang|fr|potager}}
|{{IPA|fr|pɔtaʒe|}}
| Soups. (May be handled by the {{lang|fr|entremétier}}.)
|-
|Vegetable chef
| {{lang|fr|légumier}}
|{{IPA|fr|legymje|}}
| Vegetables. (May be handled by the {{lang|fr|entremétier}}.)
|-
|Roundsman
| {{lang|fr|tournant}}
|{{IPA|fr|tuʁnɑ̃|}}
|Fills in as needed on stations in the kitchen, {{aka}} the swing cook.
|-
|Pantry chef
| {{lang|fr|[[garde manger]]}}
|{{IPA|fr|ɡaʁd mɑ̃ʒe|}}
| Cold foods: [[salad]]s, cold [[appetizer]]s, {{lang|fr|[[pâté]]s}} and other {{lang|fr|[[charcuterie]]}} items.
|-
|[[Butcher]]
| {{lang|fr|boucher}}
|{{IPA|fr|buʃe|}}
|Butchers meats, [[poultry]], and sometimes fish and [[breading]].
|-
|[[Pastry chef]]
| {{lang|fr|pâtissier}}
|{{IPA|fr|patisje|}}
| Baked goods and plated desserts, including pastries, cakes, and breads. May manage a separate team and department.
|}
</onlyinclude>

==Kitchen assistant==
[[File:Chefs.jpg|thumb|right|In [[Playa del Carmen]] Mexico, chefs don their standard uniforms while crafting seafood [[paella]].|212x212px]]
Kitchen assistants are of two types, kitchen-hands and stewards/kitchen porters. Kitchen-hands assist with basic food preparation tasks under the chef's direction. They carry out relatively unskilled tasks such as peeling potatoes and washing salad. Stewards/[[kitchen]] porters are involved in the scullery, washing up and general cleaning duties. In a smaller kitchen, these duties may be incorporated.

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]].<ref name="CIA_ch_2"/>

The ''escuelerie'' (from 15th century French and a [[cognate]] of the English "[[scullery maid|scullery]]"), or the more modern plongeur 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 plonge''" or "head dishwasher".<ref>{{cite web|title=Chef Revelations – Kevin Gratton|url=http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/04/08/2011/339659/chef-revelations-kevin-gratton.htm|publisher=Caterer & Hotelkeeper|access-date=3 January 2013|author=Amanda Afiya|date=4 August 2011}}</ref>

==Culinary education==
Education is available from many culinary institutions offering diploma, associate, and bachelor's 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 2nd or 1st cook position and work their way up. 

Like many skilled trades, chefs usually go through a formal apprenticeship which includes many years of on-the-job training. Culinary schools and restaurants offer these apprenticeships. Apprenticeships usually take 3 to 4 years to complete and combine classroom instruction with on-the-job training. The training period for a chef is generally four years as an apprentice. A newly qualified chef is advanced or more commonly a toquecommis-chef, consisting of first-year ''commis'', second-year ''commis'', and so on. The rate of pay is usually in accordance with the chefs. Like all other chefs except the executive-chef, trainees are placed in sections of the kitchen (e.g., the starter ([[Hors d'œuvre|appetizer]]) or [[entrée]] sections) under the guidance of a ''demi-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.<ref>[https://kitchenwarrior.co.uk/blogs/chef/chef-training-options chef training options] - kitchenwarrior.co.uk</ref>

The usual formal training period for a chef is two to four 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 have allocated days off to attend catering college. These courses can last between one and three years. In the [[United Kingdom|UK]], most chefs are trained in the workplace, with most doing a formal [[National Vocational Qualification|NVQ]] level 2 or 3 in the workplace.

<gallery widths="200px" heights="145px">
File:Oxford - Chef School - 0405.jpg|Chefs in training at chef school in Oxford, England
Image:Chef préparant une truffe.jpg|A chef preparing a truffle for diners
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|Cooking|Food}}
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[American Culinary Federation]]
* [[Auguste Escoffier]]
* ''[[Brigade de cuisine]]''
* [[Celebrity chef]]
* [[Chef (2014 film)|''Chef'' (2014 film)]]
* [[Cook (profession)]]
* [[Culinary art]]
* [[Development chef]]
* [[List of chefs]]
* [[List of pastry chefs]]
* [[List of restaurant terminology]]
* [[Personal chef]]
* [[World Association of Chefs Societies]]
{{div col end}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|colwidth=25em}}

==References==
* {{Cite web |last=Caparoso |first=Randal |title=Wine Miracles by the Bucket |url=http://www.wineloverspage.com/randysworld/miracles.shtml |work=Wine Lovers Page |date=March 19, 2001 |access-date=August 20, 2007}}
* {{Cite book|author=The Culinary Institute of America|author-link=The Culinary Institute of America|title=The Professional Chef|edition=9th|location=[[Hoboken, New Jersey]]|publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]]|date=2011|isbn=978-0-470-42135-2|oclc=707248142|ref=CIA}}
* {{Cite book |last=Davidson |first=Alan |author-link=Alan Davidson (food writer) |editor1-first=Tom|editor1-last=Jaine|editor2-last=Davidson |editor2-first=Jane |editor3-last=Saberi |editor3-first=Helen |title=The Oxford Companion to Food |edition=2nd |date=September 21, 2006 |orig-year=1st ed. 1999 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=[[Oxford]] |isbn=978-0-19-280681-9|title-link=Oxford Companion to Food }}
* {{Cite magazine |last=Piercefield |first=Taylor |author-link=taylor Piercefield |title=Modern Tastes & Wine Pairing  |magazine=Wine Spectator |date=May 22, 2008 }}{{Full citation needed|date=June 2015}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links}}
* [http://www.acfchefs.org/ACF/Certify/Levels/ACF/Certify/Levels/ Official certification levels of the American Culinary Federation]
* [http://www.careers.govt.nz/default.aspx?id0=60103&id1=J48534 Chef training and career progression in New Zealand]

{{Meals wide}}
{{Restaurant workers}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Chefs| ]]
[[Category:Culinary terminology]]
[[Category:Food service occupations]]
[[Category:Restaurant staff]]
[[Category:Restaurant terminology]]