The Different Types of Chefs — Culinary World

The different types of chefs in kitchen hierarchy

• Chef or Executive Chef : He or she is the boss in the kitchen. Normally, a restaurant, or a chain of restaurants, has a chef. It takes years of training in a culinary academy and decades of experience to reach this highest level. A chef cooks little, his functions are mainly administrative; he oversees the operation of the kitchen and its staff, develops the menus and ensures that the kitchen service goes as it should.
• Sous chef or kitchen assistant : He or she is immediately under the chef and is directly responsible for the production of the dishes. Depending on the size of the kitchen, there may be one or more sous chefs who are responsible for all of the junior chefs and other staff on the team.
• Chef de partie : he or she is responsible for a particular type of menu in which he or she specializes or It is his or her duty to direct the necessary preparation for his or her specific menu.
• Line manager or station manager : working directly under the sous chef, there are different types of line managers each responsible for a specific part of a dish:

Sauce maker : it is his duty to prepare the basic sauces necessary in the production of the different dishes. This is a very important role and the saucier must be highly skilled because the sauce is a vital ingredient, especially in French cuisine.

Fishmonger : he or she cooks all fish and seafood dishes; its work also includes the processing, preservation and inspection of its products.

Entremetier : he or she prepares all the soups as well as all the vegetable, rice and egg dishes.

Roaster : he or she is responsible for all roasts and / or other meat dishes as well as their accompanying sauces.

Grillardin : all the grills are prepared by the grillardin. In small kitchens, this role is added to that of the roaster.

Fryer : he or she is responsible for all fried foods on the menu.

Turning point : he or she goes from station to station providing assistance in stations that need it.

Pantry : he or she is responsible for preparing cold foods such as salads, cold meats, pâtés and appetizers.

Pastry chef : he or she prepares all bakery items including cakes, breads and desserts.

Butcher : he or she bones and cuts all the meats, and sometimes also the fish, for the different stations.

If you are interested in becoming a professional chef, learn about the different types of chefs that work in a professional kitchen, learn from a culinary institute , join a professional kitchen, and develop yourself by accumulating experience.

If your goal is to have a career, hang in there tenaciously. It’s a difficult job, but for food lovers who are really interested, it is a job that can be very rewarding too.