The first place to start is with your education. There are a number of options here; there are vocational schools, two college programs, and four year college programs. There are also apprenticeships available through trade unions, professional culinary academies and industry associations. There are also some hotels that offer training programs as well. If you have taken courses that focus on food preparation it is possible to get a position as a cook or a chef without having to do the lower kitchen duties that many have to do as they work towards the chef position.
The curriculum that you will have to go through will vary greatly depending on the program and the institution however all want to be chefs spend a great deal of time learning how to prepare food. You have to understand the difference between broiling, baking and other food preparation methods. It is equally important that a chef knows how to use the equipment in the kitchen and how to take care of it. Typically a culinary student will take classes dealing with menu planning, portion size determination, food cost control, food supply quantities, purchasing, food selection and storage as well as how to use leftover food to minimize waste. Students will also learn the legal side of being a chef with restaurant sanitation and public health law.
The head chef is usually responsible for directing the entire kitchen as well as meal preparation. Often head chefs go off and start their own restaurants. Most chefs that are able to handle the pressure and stress of their position will become head chef in 10 years.
Chef jobs, sous chef jobs and cook jobs all have their own set of responsibilities. We are going to take a look at some of the most common chef positions.
Executive Chef - this is the chef that is in charge of everything as it pertains to the kitchen including creating the menu, managing the personnel and the business aspect of the kitchen. Often this position is synonymous with head chef of simple chef.
Chef de Cuisine - this position will vary based on the establishment as far as where they fall in the hierarchy. Generally speaking it is the equivalent of the executive chef or a position that oversees a number of establishments in a group of restaurants where they are in charge of more than one executive chef or this position can also be the same as a sous chef and this position would report to the executive sous chef.
Sous Chef - this position is the direct assistant to the executive chef. Often this person will share in the responsibilities of the executive chef such as creating the menu, ordering, and costs. In larger kitchens there is usually more than one sous chef, generally one for each shift with their own set of responsibilities.
Chef de Partie - this is also known as the station chef or more commonly the line cook. This position is in charge of a certain area. While it is possible for there to be more than one cook at a station this is not usually the case. Most establishments will have one cook per station. Think of Hell's Kitchen where there is one chef on appetizers, main dishes, garnish, and desserts.
Sauce Chef - also called the saucier, this chef if responsible for the hot or oeuvres, sautés, stews, and sauces. This position is typically the highest of the station chefs.
There are other chef jobs, sous chef jobs, and cook jobs as well such as the fish cook, the vegetable cook, roast cook, and the pantry chef. The number of cook positions in a kitchen will generally depend on the restaurant. Find job listings with ChefCrossing.com. There are thousands of listings available. Sign up for a FREE trial today!
