KITCHEN ORGANIZATION

The complex system of kitchen organization was developed by Georges Auguste Escoffier, who largely is credited with modernizing the grand hotel dining in Europe in the late 1800s. Previously, grand dining involved large buffets of food where guests served themselves; Escoffier simplified menus and served each course sequentially.

The demands of a luxury hotel's guests meant that Escoffier was tasked with serving lavish meals in a short amount of time, so he needed to
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organize the kitchen in a way to get food out quickly without hurting its quality. Using his experience in the French Army, Escoffier developed brigade de cuisine, an exhaustive system with clear authority and responsibility. The system is still largely in use in restaurants today, with more formal kitchens retaining the French terms.

Kitchen Hierarchy
In a typical kitchen's chain-of-command, the chef de partie would be the third in charge, following the head chef, also known as the executive chef, and the sous chef. In this management position, a chef de partie would need to be comfortable taking orders from the head chef while managing his or her own staff. This is not typically an entry-level position as it requires culinary expertise and the ability to work independently. For a newcomer to the professional kitchen the culture and rules are as much a mystery as they should be adhered to. Many of these
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unsaid rules relate to hierarchy in the kitchen. Known as the Brigade de Cuisine, the following list denotes who comes where in the domain of the professional chef:

* Kitchen Porter: Kitchen Porter or KP, as he is widely known in the trade, provides the back breaking work as the backbone of the kitchen. Primarily he/she washes up, ensuring all chefs have the
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tools of the trade at their station. S/he packs deliveries away accordingly, and generally cleans down the kitchen and mops the floor at the end of the night. * Commis Chef: Commis Chef is the entry level by which an apprentice chef enters the trade. Often the Commis Chef is studying food or catering at college whilst practising this role in a professional kitchen. The Commis Chef acts as an assistant to all food station's, usually supporting the Chef de Partie; and performing the more menial tasks of the kitchen such as peeling potatoes and chopping onions in large quantities. In some smaller kitchen's s/he will prepare salads, garnishes and other simple dishes. * Chef de Partie: Also known as Station Chef or Line Cook, the Chef de Partie is responsible for a certain section within the kitchen. In a busy kitchen s/he is assisted by one or more assistants, Demi Chef de Partie or Commis Chef's. Chef de Partie's are responsible for areas such as Saute, Roast, Grill, Fish, Larder, Fry, Vegetable's
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& Butchery. A Roundsman Chef de Partie is so called as they rotate between all of the individual stations. * Pastry Chef: Pastry Chef is a Chef de Partie who is responsible for the dessert and puddings section of the kitchen. S/he also ensures all pastries and breads are baked freshly, and will head a team of professionals in large kitchens including a baker. The Pastry Chef devises and delivers the dessert menu including all elements that appear on it such as cheese and wine choices. Sous Chef: The Sous Chef is second in command in the professional kitchen. Once a chef has mastered all of the sections of the kitchen as a Chef de Partie s/he is trained and ready to essentially run the kitchen and supervise the rest of the kitchen team in the absence of the Head Chef, to whom the Sous Chef is the direct assistant. Head Chef, Executive Chef, Chef de Cuisine The Head Chef devises the menu, sources produce and oversees all management aspects of the kitchen including budgeting, scheduling staff, payroll
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and recruitment. The Head Chef has a plenty of scope for creativity within the role as menu creation and development is often their sole responsibility. Training for a fully qualified chef is usually four years as a Commis (1st year Commis, 2nd year Commis, and so on) after which, providing that they meet the standard, they become a fully qualified kitchen professional, and begin their climb up the demanding kitchen career ladder, through all of the levels to Head Chef, and top of the hierarchy.

Executive Chef - This is the manager of the kitchen responsible for supervision, creation of the menu, and the business side of the kitchen. An executive chef obviously is very experienced in cooking, but their day to day work may involve very little hands-on cooking.

Chef de Cuisine - This is the hands-on individual in charge of everything going on in the kitchen. Sometimes a chef de cuisine may be the individual in charge of one location of a chain, or related set, of restaurants. Also, the titles executive chef and chef de cuisine may sometimes be used interchangeably.

Sous Chef - The sous chef is second in line in the kitchen. Also, a sous chef may be in charge of the kitchen when the executive chef or chef de cuisine is absent. Conversely, the sous chef may take over for any of the line cooks that may be missing.

Expediter or Announcer - This is the individual who serves as liaison between the dining room and the kitchen. The expediter announces orders as well as checking dishes before they are taken into the dining room. Gordon Ramsay frequently serves in this role on Hell's Kitchen.

Chef de Partie or Line Cook - Each of these chefs or cooks are in charge of a particular portion of the kitchen's service. Among the line cooks in the traditional French brigade system:
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Saute Chef - Responsible for all sauces and sauteed items. This is traditionally the top position among chefs de partie.

Fish Chef - All of the fish dishes and the butchering and fabrication of the fish as well.

Roast Chef - The responsibility for all roasted and braised meats.

Grill Chef - This role may be combined with the roast chef and is responsible for all grilled foods.

Fry Chef - As the title implies, this position is responsible for all fried items.

Vegetable Chef - This chef is usually responsible for all the vegetables, soups, pastas, and starches. This is one of

the roles most likely to have other cooks underneath the head chef.
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Roundsman - A chef who may work in any area and fill in wherever needed.

Cold-Foods Chef - This position is sometimes referred to as pantry chef and is in charge of cold salads, appetizers, pates, etc.

Butcher - Responsible for butchering and fabricating meat and poultry, but often leaves fish to the fish chef.

Pastry Chef - Holds the responsibility for baked goods, pastries, and sweets. This is another position that may have several other cooks underneath the head chef.

Chef
A 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.

Etymology
The word "chef" is borrowed (and shortened) from the French term chef de cuisine, the director or head of a kitchen. (The French word comes from Latin caput and is cognate with English "chief".) In English, the title "chef" in the culinary profession originated in the haute cuisine of the 19th century. Today it is sometimes erroneously (in the view of those in the profession) used to refer to any professional cook, regardless of rank.

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Titles

A chef working with a tandoor oven, a cylindrical clay oven used in cooking and baking

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.
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Chef de cuisine, executive chef and head chef

This person is in charge of all things related to the kitchen which usually includes menu creation; management of kitchen staff; ordering and purchasing of inventory; and plating design. Chef de cuisine is the traditional French term from which the English word chef is derived. Head chef is often used to designate someone with the same duties as an executive chef, but there is usually someone in charge of them, possibly making the larger executive decisions such as direction of menu, final authority in staff management decisions, etc. This is often the case for chefs with several restaurants.
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

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de Partie (line cook) when needed. Smaller operations may not have a sous-chef, but larger operations may have several.[1]
Expediter

The expediter (in French aboyeur) takes the orders from the dining room and brings them to the customer, 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.
Chef de partie

A chef de partie, also known as a "station chef" or "line cook",[2] is in charge of a particular area of production. In large kitchens, each station chef might have several cooks and/or assistants. In most kitchens however, the station chef is the only worker in that department. Line cooks are often divided into a hierarchy of their
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own, starting with "first cook", then "second cook", and so on as needed. Station-chef titles which are part of the brigade system include:[3]
English French IPA Description Responsible for all sauted items and their sauce. This is usually the saut chef saucier [sosje] highest stratified position of all the stations. Prepares fish dishes and often does all fish butchering as well as fish chef poissonnier [pwasoe] appropriate sauces. This station may be combined with the saucier position. roast chef rtisseur [otis] Prepares

roasted

and

braised

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meats and their appropriate sauce. Prepares all grilled foods; this grill chef grillardin [ijad] position may be combined with the rotisseur. Prepares all fry chef friturier [fityje] fried items; this

position may be combined with the rotisseur position. Prepares hot appetizers and often prepares the soups, vegetables,

vegetable entremetier [tmetje] chef

pastas and starches. In a full brigade system a potager would prepare soups and a legumier would prepare vegetables. Also referred to as a swing cook, fills in as needed on stations in the
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roundsman tournant

[tun]

kitchen. Responsible for preparing cold garde pantry chef manger me] appetizers, pts and other [ad foods, including salads, cold

charcuterie items. Butchers meats, poultry and

sometimes fish. May also be butcher boucher [bue] responsible for breading meats and fish. Is qualified in making baked goods such as pastries, cakes, biscuits, pastry chef ptissier [patisje] macarons, chocolates, breads and desserts. Pastry Chefs can

specialize in cakes in patisseries or bakeries by making wedding,

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cupcakes, birthday and special occasion cakes. In larger

establishments, the pastry chef often supervises a separate team in their own kitchen or separate shop.

Commis

A commis is a basic chef in larger kitchens who works under a chef de partie to learn the station's responsibilities and operation.[4] This may be a chef who has recently completed formal culinary training or is still undergoing training.

Kitchen assistants
Kitchen assistants are of two types, kitchenhands and stewards. Kitchenhands assist with basic food preparation tasks under the chef's direction. They carry out relatively unskilled tasks such as
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peeling potatoes and washing salad. Stewards 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.[4] The escuelerie (from 15th century French and a cognate of the English "scullery"), or the more modern plonguer 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 dishwasherCulinary

education

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White House chefs in 1981, directed by Executive Chef Henry Haller, preparing a state dinner honoring Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser United States and Canadian training

Culinary education is available from a wide number of institutions offering diploma, associate, and bachelor 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
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follow the apprenticeship system, and most new cooks will start at a lower-level chef de partie position and work their way up.
European training

The training period for a chef is generally four years as an apprentice. A newly qualified chef is a commis-chef, consisting of first-year commis, second-year commis, and so on. The rate of pay is usually in accordance with the training status. Commis chefs, like all other chefs except the executive-chef, are placed in sections of the kitchen (e.g., the starter (appetizer) or entre 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.[6] 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 full20

time in a kitchen as an apprentice and then would have allocated days off to attend catering college. These courses can last between one to three years.

Uniform

Chefs in Mexico wearing standard uniform.

The standard uniform for a chef includes a hat, necktie, doublebreasted jacket, apron, houndstooth (check) trousers (to disguise stains) and shoes with steel or plastic toe-caps, or clogs. A chef's hat
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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 helps to prevent sweat from 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 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 and 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.

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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 it, the apron 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. If wound dressings are required they should be bluea colour not usual for foodstuffsso that they are noticeable if they fall into food.[11] Bandages on the hands are usually covered with rubber gloves.

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HEAD CHEF
A head chef oversees the way a kitchen operates. In most cases, the staff of the kitchen report either directly to the head chef or to an assistant. Generally, she will also decide what equipment is necessary and what ingredients need to be kept in stock. In some situations, the head chef will create the menu, decide on the specials, and choose the portion sizes and appearance of the meals. In addition, she may be responsible for keeping the cost of the kitchen within a set budget, managing employees, forecasting trends in the restaurant business, and maintaining a safe kitchen according to health codes of the area. Head chefs typically work in restuarants, hotels, catering companies, retirement communities as well as other commercial dining establishments. Typically, one of the most enjoyable duties for a head chef is creating a menu. She may be responsible for finding and utilizing particular ingredients, depending on the type of restaurant, catering
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company, resort, spa, private party, or organization where she is working. For example, she may be asked to use only seasonal, local, or organic ingredients. In some cases, she may be asked to prepare a vegetarian menu or a menu using wild game as the meat selection, depending on the overall style of the chefs employer. Cost may be a consideration for a head chef in some situations. For example, she may be given a weekly, monthly, or annual budget by her employer. In addition, she may be asked to set a price point for the items on a menu. Sometimes, she may need to do research in the field. For example, if she has decided that a new item should be added to the menu, she may need to find out if other competitive restaurants also offer a similar item, how the competition prices that item, and whether it seems to sell well. Sometimes a head chef needs a full kitchen staff to help the kitchen run smoothly. In some cases, she may need to hire assistants to cover various aspects of the food preparation. For example, one
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assistant may be needed for desserts, another for pastas, and a third for side items. Occasionally, she may need to train her employees, laying out her goals and standards. The quality of the food is the ultimate responsibility of the chef; so, if an assistant is not performing adequately, disciplinary measures may be taken by the chef, as well. Food must be used quickly to ensure it maintains a high quality and does not spoil. In many cases, the head chef is responsible for monitoring the food, ensuring that all the ingredients for the items in the menu are available, and finding the best prices on those ingredients. Sometimes, she may need to analyze whether she purchased too much or not enough of a specific ingredient. In addition, she may need to decide what to do with spoiled, bruised, or low quality food items. When people eat food prepared by another person, they hope that the health codes will be followed. The head chef is typically
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responsible for maintaining a safe and clean working environment. In addition, a few other skills that may be useful to her include the ability to do heavy lifting, stand for extended periods of time, read, write, communicate effectively, compute mathematical calculations, and, of course, cook. Though formal education isn't always a requirement, head chefs often have degrees or certificates from culinary schools. Many years of kitchen experience may substitute for education for some employers.

executive chef
An executive chef, also called the chef de cuisine or head cook, runs the kitchen in a restaurant, country club, hotel or cruise ship. Most executive chefs manage a team of 10 or more kitchen workers. The duties of an executive chef include training staff, maintaining quality, assigning tasks, ordering supplies and planning meals.

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Typically, an executive chef's day begins with menu planning. The menus must fit in with the budget allotted to the chef. The executive or head chef is responsible for ordering any needed food and equipment for the kitchen. Executive chefs should make and keep good working relationships with vendors. A good head cook also keeps up with new trends in food as he or she must create new dishes and menus that are appealing to the clientele of the restaurant or other venue. Once the dishes and menu are decided upon and any necessary supplies and equipment are ordered, the executive chef assigns tasks to his or her staff. A food preparation task may include cleaning and slicing poultry or washing and chopping vegetables. Some food is prepared and stored ahead of time to use in preparing each day's menu orders. A customer's menu order is commonly called a ticket. Executive chefs oversee the kitchen staff's preparation of the tickets going out to customers to check that quality is maintained.
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Training kitchen staff is the executive chef's responsibility. Executive chefs are definitely the leaders in their kitchens and they must be able to motivate and manage the staff to work together as a team to complete meal services successfully. Some executive chefs may be involved in choosing or updating a restaurant's decor or theme. An executive chef's training varies and may include a certificate or diploma from a culinary, or cooking, school. Executive chefs typically work 12 to 14 hour shifts. They not only oversee day-to-day kitchen operations and staff, but most also do at least some cooking. In smaller kitchens, an executive chef may cook all the time, while in larger kitchens he or she may just cook on special occasions. The best executive chefs have a true passion for cooking. Marketing duties may be the responsibility of some executive chefs. An executive chef must always be concerned with customer satisfaction. If diners don't receive quality food and good service, a
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restaurant is unlikely to gain the good reputation that keeps it popular enough to stay in business.

sous chef
A sous chef is the second in command in a kitchen. In French, the term literally means under chef. Sous chefs are an important part of the restaurants they work in, ensuring that everything runs smoothly whether or not the head chef is present. The duties of a sous chef vary widely, depending on the restaurant and its command structure. This position in the culinary world can be extremely demanding, especially since it carries none of the glamor associated with being a head or executive chef. In order to become a sous chef, someone must undergo professional training. Some people choose to undertake training at a culinary school, while others prefer to learn on the ground by working their way up the restaurant food chain. Some restaurants prefer sous chefs
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who have worked their way up in the ranks, since they are sometimes more familiar with all of the tasks which need to be performed in a busy kitchen. For some people, being a sous chef is the pinnacle of employment. The job is challenging, but extremely rewarding when a kitchen runs smoothly and pleasantly. The sous chef is on the ground in the kitchen every day, keeping track of a wide range of issues and working to ensure the the food in the restaurant is of the highest quality. For these individuals, the celebrity factor of becoming an executive chef is not of interest. Others view the position as the last step which needs to be taken before becoming an executive chef; these individuals may enjoy the social cachet of being a chef, along with the ability to control their own menus and have ultimate authority over the kitchen. A sous chef certainly does some cooking, but the job is about much more than just preparing food. Sous chefs supervise food
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preparation and safety all over the kitchen, keeping an eye on the staff and ensuring that the dishes stay true to the vision of the executive chef. In some kitchens, the sous chef may be invited to submit recipes or dishes for consideration by the head chef. These restaurant professionals also deal with the day to day issues in the restaurant. They may handle staff conflicts, payroll, proper storage of supplies, and other tasks as directed by the executive chef. Depending on the establishment, these assistant chefs are able to hire and fire staff and to undertake other autonomous decisions to keep the restaurant in good working order.

chef de partie
A chef de partie is a cook who is in charge of one area of a restaurant's kitchen. In smaller kitchens, he or she may work alone, while in larger ones, a chef de partie may supervise others working at the same station. This position also might be termed a line cook
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or station chef, and is responsible for preparing specific dishes. As with any position in a restaurant's kitchen, this cook needs to thrive in a high-pressure environment; time management and organization are as vital as culinary skills to this position. A large kitchen may have more than one chef de partie, and a hierarchy accompanies those who share this title. Some kitchens may label the second in command of the line cooks as a demi chef de partie, while others may assign hierarchy based on responsibility, with the saucier as the most senior position. This chef is typically in charge of all sauts, appetizers, and finishing sauces. Types of Chefs de Partie Each station in a kitchen may have its own chef de partie, who focuses on cooking a certain type of food or preparing foods in a certain way. The poissonier is in charge of preparing all fish, while the rotisseur handles roasted meats and the friturier deep fries foods. Vegetables are prepared by the entremetier and the patissier
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makes desserts and pastries. The chef de garde, or pantry chef, is responsible for all cold foods, including salads and cold hors d'oeuvres. A chef de partie who fills in where needed is referred to as a roundsman, swing cook, or tournant. In most professional kitchens, there is a chain of command which goes from executive chef to head chef to sous chef and finally to a station cook or chef de partie, otherwise known as a line cook. A line cook prepares a limited number of food items according to the orders of a supervising sous chef. This may involve working at a meat station, a garnish station, a fry station, a cold salad station or a number of other compartmentalized food prep areas. A professional line cook should know how to work each station in the kitchen, including prep work and coordination with other stations and the head chef.

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line cook
A line cook is usually responsible for setting up his or her station in accordance with a master menu. If the master menu includes lobster tails, for example, the line cook or one of his or her employees will make sure enough tails are thawed, prepped and stored to handle any potential demand during service. Each station has its own particular needs, and it is up to the line cook to make sure all of the sauces, garnishes, and other complements have all been prepared and stored properly. A line cook may have to work alone during food service, or he or she may have a few employees to share the workload. Because communication is vital during food service, a line cook must be able to work well with other line cooks while simultaneously preparing quality food and handling complaints from customers or wait staff. A good line cook should be able to work

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consistently under extreme pressure, since he or she is ultimately held responsible for the quality of the food leaving the station. The ability to coordinate several different orders at the same time is also a good skill for a line cook to possess. Because a busy professional kitchen can be a grueling physical and mental challenge, a line cook must also be able to keep his or her emotions in check while receiving criticism from a superior or correcting a food problem. Many head chefs and sous chefs value consistency over creativity, so a line cook should also strive to be a team player while preparing the same dishes in the same way for years. Professional culinary training is highly recommended in order to become a line cook, but a promising kitchen staffer can also receive on-the-job training in order to master each station. It is not unusual for an experienced line cook to remain in that same position for years, since promotions to sous chef or executive chef are often rare events and the average salary of an experienced line
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cook or station chef can be surprisingly competitive with other occupations. A line cook in a large restaurant can hire his or her own staff to perform routine prep work, allowing him or her the opportunity to work with superiors on new menu ideas, new cooking techniques or other executive-level projects.

Garde manger
Garde manger meaning "keep to eat" refers to a cool, well-ventilated area where cold dishes (such as salads, hors d'uvres, appetizers, canapes, pates and terrines) are prepared and other foods are stored under refrigeration. The person in charge of this area is known as the chef garde manger. Larger hotels and restaurants may have garde manger staff perform additional duties, such as creating decorative elements of buffet presentation like ice carving and edible centerpieces made from materials such as cheese, butter, salt dough or tallow.

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History
The term "garde manger" originated in pre-Revolutionary France. At that time, maintaining a large supply of food and beverage was an outward symbol of power, wealth and status. It is because of this duty of supervising the preserving of food and managing its utilization that many interpret the term "garde manger" . The food storage areas in these castles and manor houses were usually located in the lower levels, since the cool basement-like environment was ideal for storing food. These cold storage areas developed over time into the modern cold kitchen. Most merchants who worked outside noble manors at this time were associated with a guild, an association of persons of the same trade formed for their mutual aid and protection. Guilds would develop training programs for their members, thereby preserving their knowledge and skills. "Charcuterie" was the name of a guild that

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prepared and sold cooked items made from pigs. Through this organization, the preparation of hams, bacon, sausages, pates and terrines were preserved. When the guild system was abolished early in the French Revolution in 1791, garde mangers took on the responsibility for tasks that had formerly been performed by characutieres, who had difficulty competing with the versatile garde mangers due to the limited range of skills involved. The position of "butcher" first developed as a specialty within the garde manger kitchen. As both the cost of and demand for animal proteins (in the form of pork, beef, etc.) increased, more space was required for the task of fabricating and portioning the raw proteins. This increased need for space was due not only to an upswing in the volume of protein sales, but also to the need for separating raw proteins from processed foods to avoid cross-contamination and the resulting possibility of foodborne illness.

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Modern garde manger

Modern garde manger can refer to different things in the professional kitchen. In many restaurants it is a station which is generally an entry level cooking position within a restaurant, as it often involves preparing salads or other smaller plates which can be heated and quickly plated without significant experience. In other high-profile classically influenced restaurants and hotels, the position pertains to the classical preparations.
Commis

A commis is a basic chef in larger kitchens who works under a chef de partie to learn the station's responsibilities and operation. This may be a chef who has recently completed formal culinary training or is still undergoing training.

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