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| Name | chef |
|---|---|
| Caption | Chefs in training in Paris, France (2005). |
| Type | Profession |
| Activity sector | Culinary arts |
| Formation | Catering college; see European training |
| Employment field | Kitchens, restaurants, hotels, ships, military |
| Related occupation | Chief Cook, Cook (profession), Cook (servant) |
A kitchen chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.
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".
===Sous-chef===
The Sous-Chef de Cuisine (under-chef of the kitchen) is the second in command and direct assistant of the Executive Chef. This person may be responsible for scheduling and substituting when the Executive Chef is off-duty and will also fill in for or assist the Chef de Partie (line cook) when needed. Smaller operations may not have a sous-chef, but larger operations may have several.
===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.
Station-chef titles which are part of the brigade system include:
{| class="wikitable" |- !English !French ! !Description |- |sauté chef |saucier | |Responsible for all sautéed items and their sauce. This is usually the highest stratified position of all the stations. |- |fish chef |poissonnier | |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 | |Prepares roasted and braised meats and their appropriate sauce. |- |grill chef |grillardin | |Prepares all grilled foods; this position may be combined with the rotisseur. |- |fry chef |friturier | |Prepares all fried items; this position may be combined with the rotisseur position. |- |vegetable chef |entremetier | |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 | |Also referred to as a swing cook, fills in as needed on stations in the kitchen. |- |pantry chef |garde manger | |Responsible for preparing cold foods, including salads, cold appetizers, pâtés and other charcuterie items. |- |butcher |boucher | |Butchers meats, poultry and sometimes fish. May also be responsible for breading meats and fish. |- |pastry chef |pâtissier | |Prepares baked goods, pastries and desserts. In larger establishments, the pastry chef often supervises a separate team in their own kitchen or separate shop. |}
===Commis=== A commis is an apprentice in larger kitchens that works under a chef de partie to learn the station's responsibilities and operation.
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.
The standard uniform for a chef includes a hat, necktie, double-breasted jacket, apron, houndstooth (checkered) trousers (to disguise stains) and steel-toe- (or plastic-)capped shoes or clogs. A chef's hat was originally designed as a tall rippled hat called a Dodin Bouffant. The Dodin Bouffant had 101 ripples that represent the 101 ways that the chef could prepare eggs. The modern chef's hat 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. The chef's neck tie was originally worn on the inside of the jacket to stop sweat running from face and neck down the body. The jacket is usually white to show off the chef's cleanliness, repel heat and is double-breasted to prevent serious injuries from burns and scalds. The double breast also 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, jewelry is not allowed apart from wedding bands and religious jewelry. Additionally bandages should be blue in order to more easily identify any that have fallen into food during preparation. Bandages on the hands are traditionally covered with rubber gloves.
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