A chef is the major component of a restaurant kitchen and, of course, the most crucial one. In order to succeed in its business, a restaurant has to hire a whole team of well-trained chefs to fulfil the demands of the public.
What are the Different Levels of Chefs?
For a well-running restaurant kitchen, a team of chefs, each one performing a particular role, is required. Each chef fulfils distinct responsibilities depending upon their experience. The different levels of chefs in Stockport Pizza house and other gourmet restaurants that make up a team are elaborated below:
Executive Chef
This title is essentially confined to large food chains and restaurants, and so not all restaurants have an executive chef. An executive chef does very little of actual cooking as this is more of a management role rather than a cooking one.
An executive chef is the manager of the kitchen; he or she ensures the management of the kitchen and the staff by carrying out certain responsibilities like planning menus, managing the culinary budget, overseeing and training personnel. The duty of the smooth run of the kitchen lies on the shoulders of the executive chef.
To be hired at the position of an executive chef requires a lot of prior cooking experience in addition to management skills.
Head Chef (Chef de Cuisine)
The head chef plays the role of an executive chef in the restaurant kitchens without an executive chef. They have almost the same responsibilities as an executive chef does.
Analogous to an executive chef, they also manage the kitchen as well as the kitchen staff. Creating menus and managing kitchen costs are also included in their duties. Some head chefs leave the cooking activities to the rest of the team, while others tend to be involved in the day-to-day cooking tasks.
Deputy Chef (Sous Chef)
A deputy chef, also known as a sous chef in the French language, is more of a hands-on chef and actively involved in the cooking activities and day-to-day running of the kitchen. The roles may overlap with the head chef, like supervising the staff and managing the kitchen.
In small restaurant kitchens, there is typically no sous chef while large food chains and restaurant kitchens may have more than one sous chef.
Station Chef (Chef de Partie)
Each station chef has their own specific role in the kitchen. Depending upon the role they play, station chefs include:
- Butcher Chef
- Fish chef
- Grill Chef
- Fry Chef
- Pantry Chef
- Pastry Chef
- Roast Chef
- Roundsman or Swing Chef
- Sauté Chef
- Vegetable Chef
Junior Chef (Commis Chef)
Junior chefs are hired to work under more experienced senior chefs. They are the chefs that have recently completed culinary training and are beginning to work in this field. They assist the senior chefs and observe and absorb their knowledge and techniques to gain experience. They are also known as commis chefs.
Kitchen Porter
Kitchen porters are essentially assistants that help other chefs. They are more likely to lack any basic culinary training and help to carry out tasks involved in the basic preparations of food such as peeling and cutting of vegetables and fruits, grating cheese, in addition to cleaning duties.
Purchasing Manager
The purchasing manager is in charge of keeping track of the food items available in the kitchen and those that need to be ordered. They interact with vendors on a daily routine to buy the best quality food items required in the kitchen within the ideal price.
To hold the position of a purchasing manager, the person must be responsible and organized and should be able to keep track of both the kitchen and the budget.
