Careers in Culinary Arts

Variety of culinary arts occupations

• Consulting and Design Specialists – Work with restaurant owners in
developing menus, the layout and design of dining rooms, and service
protocols.

• Restaurant management – Manage a restaurant, cafeteria, hotel

dining area, etc.

• Food and Beverage Controller – Purchase and source ingredients in

large hotels as well as manage the stores and stock control.

• Entrepreneurship – Deepen and invest in businesses, such as

bakeries, restaurants, or specialty foods (such as chocolates, cheese,
etc.).

• Food and Beverage Managers – Manage all food and beverage outlets
in hotels and other large establishments.
• Food Stylists and Photographers – Work with magazines, books, catalogs
and other media to make food visually appealing.

• Food Writers and Food Critics – Communicate with the public on food
trends, chefs and restaurants though newspapers, magazines, blogs, and
books. Notables in this field include Julia Child, Craig Claiborne and
James Beard.

• Research and Development Kitchens – Develop new products for

commercial manufacturers and may also work in test kitchens for
publications, restaurant chains, grocery chains, or others.

• Sales – Introduce chefs and business owners to new products and

equipment relevant to food production and service.

• Instructors – Teach aspects of culinary arts in high school, vocational

schools, colleges, recreational programs, and for specialty businesses (for
example, the professional and recreational courses in baking)
 Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people.
Traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional cook who
is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.

The word "chef" is adopted (and shortened) from the

term chef de cuisine, the director or head of a kitchen. (The
French word comes from Latin caput and is a doublet with
English "chief".) In English, the title "chef" in the
culinary profession originated in the haute cuisine of the 19th
century. Today it is often used to refer to any professional
cook, regardless of rank, though in most classically defined
kitchens, it refers to the head chef; others, in North American
parlance, are "cooks.
The 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),
while others have a more general meaning depending on the
individual kitchen.

• Master Executive Chef

An executive chef is responsible for all of the
food coming out of the kitchen. They are
responsible for ensuring that the food comes
out of the kitchen in a timely manner..
 Sous-chef
Sous chefs are second-in-command in kitchens, reporting to the
head chef, overseeing the preparation and cooking of food at
restaurants, diners, and other operations where somebody can get a
bite to eat. ... When the head chef is away, the sous chef is in charge.

Chef de partie
As a chef de partie you get to oversee a section of
the kitchen, be it pastry, butchery, fish, sauces,
vegetables and so on. This is why the job is
sometimes called a station chef or line cook. In
large kitchens, you usually get help from a demi-
chef de partie, commis or trainee chef
Commis (Chef)

• What are the main duties of a Commis Chef?

• Assisting in the food preparation process.
• Cooking and preparing elements of high quality dishes.
• Preparing vegetables, meats and fish.
• Assisting other Chefs.
• Helping with deliveries and restocking.
• Assisting with stock rotation Cleaning stations.
 Kitchen assistants
Kitchen assistants are of two types, kitchen-hands
and stewards.
• Kitchen-hands assist with basic food preparation
tasks under the chef's direction. They carry out
relatively unskilled tasks such as 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.
• Executive Chef
• The Executive chef sits at the top of the kitchen hierarchy; their role
is primarily managerial. Executive chefs tend to manage kitchens at
multiple outlets and are not usually directly responsible for cooking.

• Chef de Cuisine (Head Chef)

• ‘Head Chef’ is the translation for the French term ‘Chef de Cuisine’.
The Head Chef will typically focus on managerial duties relating to
the whole kitchen. For example, they supervise and manage staff,
control costs and make purchases, and liaise with the restaurant
manager and suppliers to create new menus.

• Sous Chef (Deputy Chef)

• The sous chef shares a lot of the same responsibilities as the head
chef, however they are much more involved in the day-to-day
operations in the kitchen.

• The sous chef also fills in for the head chef when they are not present.
• Chef de Partie (Station Chef)
• This role is a vital part of the brigade system,
but it’s split into many different roles. There
is more than one chef de partie and each one
is responsible for a different section of the
kitchen. This makes kitchen operations much
more productive and helps to coordinate
large quantities of meals at busy times.
Specific chef de partie roles include the following:
•Sauté Chef/Saucier (Sauce chef) – This chef is responsible for sautéing
foods and creating sauces and gravies that accompany other dishes. They
report directly to the head chef or sous chef.
•Boucher (Butcher Chef) – They prepare meat and poultry before they are
delivered to their respective stations.
•Poissonnier (Fish Chef) – They prepare fish and seafood. In smaller
kitchens, the boucher often takes on the role of the poisonnier.
•Rotisseur (Roast Chef) – They are responsible for roast meats and
appropriate sauces.
•Friturier (Fry Chef) – This member of staff prepares, and specialises in,
fried food items.
•Grillardin (Grill Chef) – They are the king or queen of all things grilled.
•Garde Manger (Pantry Chef) – This person is in charge of the
preparation of cold dishes, such as salads.
•Pattisier (Pastry Chef) – The master of all things pastry, baked goods,
and desserts.
•Chef de Tournant (Roundsman/Swing Cook/Relief Cook) – This
person does not have a specific job, but rather fills in as and when
needed at different stations.
•Entremetier (Vegetable Chef) – They prepare vegetables, soups,
starches, and eggs. In larger kitchens, this role may split into
two: Potager, who is in charge of making soups, and Legumier, who
is in charge of preparing any vegetables.
Commis Chef (Junior Chef)
The commis chef works under the chef de partie to learn the ins and
outs of a specific station. The junior chef has usually recently
completed, or is still partaking in, formal training.
Kitchen Porter
Kitchen porters assist with basic tasks in the kitchen, and are less
likely to have had formal training. Their role typically involves
introductory food preparation, such as peeling potatoes, and some
cleaning duties.
Escuelerie (Dishwasher)
This person is responsible for washing anything that was used in the
food preparation and cooking process.

Aboyeur (Waiter/Waitress)
Waiters and waitresses work at the front of house and are customer-
facing. They serve customers their dishes and anything else they order. If
a customer has a problem with their food, it is the role of the waiter or
waitress to report this to the kitchen.