Head Chef (Chef de Cuisine) They are responsible for creating menus, controlling kitchen costs and managing kitchen staff. Some chefs leave the kitchen to the sub-chef and the rest of the team, while others are more practical and prefer to participate in everyday cooking activities. Also known as a head chef or master chef, an executive chef is the general head of the kitchen. This position is the pinnacle of any chef career.
An executive chef doesn't devote all of his time to cooking, but rather manages all of the kitchen operations. There is usually only one executive chef at any restaurant. The legendary chef Georges-Auguste Escoffier brought order to 19th century European kitchens by creating the Brigade System, the cooking system still in use today. In addition to the menu, the executive chef is responsible for ensuring that the kitchen runs smoothly by supervising the other chefs.
Chef de cuisine is the traditional French term, meaning head chef or kitchen manager, from which the English word chef derives. Although they are more involved in the kitchen than their superiors, sub-chefs can step in as master cooks when necessary. This chef specializes in a certain type of menu and teaches other chefs how to prepare this menu. The subchef assumes much of the responsibilities of running the kitchen, since the head chef has a more general role.
More of a practical chef than an executive chef, the assistant chef supervises all other chefs, including teaching them, correcting techniques and cooking as needed. One, different kitchens can combine several types of chefs or even separate a station into several seasons, each with a chef. This is because they are responsible for directing different sections of the kitchen, including the butcher shop, the fish cook, the fry cook, the grill cook, the pantry chef, the roast cook, the stir fry chef, the vegetable chef and the pastry chef. Depending on the restaurant and on the person himself, like the CEOs of the business world, the head chef usually leaves much of the daily operation of the kitchen to people who are lower in the hierarchy, such as the sous chef.
Chef de Cuisine is the traditional French term and, although it is slightly more common in European kitchens, head chef is the most commonly used title in the world. Due to the many facets of their work, Sous Chefs are generally experienced chefs with high levels of knowledge in cooking equipment and techniques. The Commis Chef depends on a specific Chef de Partie to learn everything about that station and how it works.
