Responsibilities and Specific Duties of a Chef

The term chef may conjure up different definitions for individuals. Some may
view a chef as having general cooking knowledge whereas others may deem a
chef to be an individual with great experience and cooking flair. In general, a chef
will have greater experience than say a cook or sous chef in the culinary arts. In
order to really get a glimpse as to the role which a chef plays, one must look at
the general responsibilities and specific duties that a chef undertakes every day.

What Is a Chef?
A chef is an individual who oversees the culinary staff and wears quite a few
different hats with regard to what goes on in their workplace. Frequently a chef
will oversee the staff, place orders for culinary items and direct the overall
preparation of the food which is served in the dining establishment. From time to
time, the chef will also don the apron and help to prepare the meals as well.

General Responsibilities of a Chef

One who holds the title of chef has quite a few different general responsibilities
related to their professional role. The chef is responsible for overseeing all who
work below them in the establishment and ensure that their duties are being
carried out to the fullest of their potential. An individual who is a chef will also be
responsible for planning the set menu items and any specials as well as provide
the recipes in most cases. In addition, the chef is usually responsible for placing
food orders and necessary kitchen tool orders in order to enable the preparation
of the meals. The chef will also address any complaints which affect his kitchen
staff and resolve those issues. One who is the chef of the establishment may also
like to get behind the burners and engage in some cooking and food preparation
as well.

Specific Duties of a Chef

An individual who is a professional chef has a wide array of specific duties that
they must carry out on a daily basis. The first duty which is overly encompassing
in and of itself is that of overseeing subordinates in their
daily work environment. The chef is responsible for overseeing all individuals
who work under their charge in the kitchen. This list can include everywhere
from assistant executive chefs to the kitchen preps. The chef will oversee the
preparation of meals and ingredients, final presentation, sanitary issues and
timeliness on the part of the employees, to name just a few duties related to the
managerial position of the chef.

The chef is also the main planner with regard to the menu items and any specials
which the dining establishments offer to its patrons. Along with planning the
menu, the chef is also responsible for creating the recipes and may or may not
allow input from the assistant chefs. One who is in the position of chef will spend
many hours developing their recipes and making them just perfect to serve the
patrons.

A chef may also choose to take part in preparing a few or many of the menu items
on a weekly basis. This may occur due to the kitchen being short-staffed or
simply because the chef has a love for his/her position and wishes
to maintain cooking involvement as much as possible. Sometimes the chef will
prepare the main courses whereas they may opt to only prepare a dessert or two
now and again.

Administrative duties are also a part of the chef’s daily operations. Items such as
ensuring employees show up to work, performing payroll calculations, calculate
purchase order costs, placing food orders from merchants and addressing
worker’s complaints are all duties which fall under the administrative category.
In addition, the chef is the go-to guy or girl when a customer has a complaint
regarding their meal preparation or quality.

Also, the chef is one of the main individuals who is responsible for training the
kitchen staff. This individual is in charge of the employees who work in the
kitchen and therefore must ensure that the job they do is a good one. The chef
will detail what the worker’s duties are and how they should be carried out.

Lastly, one who takes the role of chef must ensure that all food-handling
regulations are abided by and that everyone under his/her charge is aware of
these items. The chef must ensure that safety standards and sanitary
requirements are met each and every day.

Positive Traits for a Chef to Possess

In order to excel in the role of chef, one who pursues this profession may find
their job a whole lot easier if they possess certain traits. One such trait is good
communication skills. This is a very important attribute to have as there are
many individuals who work underneath the chef in a dining establishment. A
chef who can communicate his requirements well is one who will not only teach
their staff as efficiently as possible but keep their staff as well. Communication
skills are key components in the role of a chef.

A chef should also possess the trait of creativity. Creativity is important as it will
allow an individual to prepare new and unique recipes and keep the originality
flowing throughout their career. Patrons like to go to a restaurant where the food
is not only flavorful but unique as well. A creative chef is quite able to pull off the
originality and uniqueness factors with regard to their menu items.

One who pursues a career as a chef should also possess the beneficial attribute of
professionalism. Since this individual will need to deal with a wide array of
individuals such as patrons, managers and staff, it is important that they handle
themselves in a professional manner. This is especially true since they are in a
lead position in the dining establishment and should set examples for those who
work with them.

Conclusion
Pursuing a career as a chef can be both challenging and rewarding all at once.
This individual not only gets to do what they love, which is work with delicacies
and food, but they also are able to take on a supervisory role. Their day will be
filled with a variety of items ranging from planning the menu at one point to
overseeing employees at another point in time. One who is a chef will find that
their days will be run much more smoothly if they possess certain positive traits
such as good communication skills, creativity and professionalism. The role of
chef is a varied and exciting one which more and more individuals are showing
an interest in pursuing.