Types of Chefs and the roles they perform
Have you ever wondered what type of chef role you might want to study towards one day? Whilst your culinary training at International Hotel School will get you geared for a solid chef role when you graduate, it’s also good to know what types of chef roles you can aspire to as you work your way up the culinary ladder or laterally into a niche chef role. Here’s our take on the 10 most popular chef roles in the culinary world today:
Commis chefs/Line cooks
Commis chefs learn ‘on-the-job’ how to prepare different types of meals and various cooking techniques.They need to know all the health and safety rules of the kitchen and they work their way up in the kitchen ranks by starting as a Commis chef and learning the very basics of cooking.
Saucier
This highly respected role includes cooking in the hot section of the kitchen to prepare sauces, soups, stocks, gravies and so on. These are the basis for all great recipes and responsible largely for the flavours that finish a dish.
Learn how to cook- try new recipes, learn from you mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun
The Butcher
The butcher is responsible for receiving all kinds of meats (red meats, fowls, carcasses and so on). They have to know exactly how to cut up the meat for each type of dish on the menu, with minimal wastage and leveraging all aspects of the carcasses which can be used to make stocks etc. The butcher may also be required for handle fish or seafood – scaling, cleaning, filleting and so on.
Garde Manger
This role is also referred to as the pantry manager or cold kitchen manager and this chef if responsible for the cold kitchen or rather, dishes prepared in the cold kitchen such as salads, pates, cold buffet items, roulades, terrines and so on. This chef may also be responsible for elaborate garnishes made from fruits, vegetables, butter or even ice sculptures.
Chef de Partie
Usually the Chef de Partie is assigned a specific section of the menu to focus on like starters, desserts, meat section, fish section and so on. They are responsible for cooking everything on the menu in that section. It almost always relates to a section on the hot station however there are exceptions.
A Sous chef’s position is usually just one position just below an Executive Chef, so the job role is a very responsible one.
The sous chef assists the Executive Chef in managing the kitchen, its staff, its stock or inventory, its menu, supplies and so on. Sous chefs may be responsible for creating new dishes, training junior chefs, managing the pass, and more.
A pastry chef or pâtissier is skilled in the making of pastries, cakes, desserts, breads and other sweet or savoury baked goods. The Pastry chef may be responsible for testing, tasting and developing new recipes for desserts and pastries, menu planning, sanitation and food safety, admin duties and purchasing. We highly recommend adding the 6 month Patisserie programme to the culinary arts programme in order to specialise in pastry.
Chocolatier
Simply put, a chocolatier is a person who works passionately with chocolate to design, create and sculpt masterpieces. The chocolatier is able to impart their own uniqueness to each and every chocolate delight they make and it often takes them years and years to perfect the craft. They may work in a hotel or pastry department of a hotel or restaurant, or they may work independently and supply pastry kitchens with finished products.
Executive Chef
An Executive Chef or Maître Chef de Cuisine is the most senior chef role and is usually reserved for large chef brigades where the executive chef will supervise all other chefs, create menus, order stock items and maintain the food or kitchen budget. In small hotels or restaurants, the executive chef is usually responsible for the cooking as well.
Sushi has become an increasingly popular dish the world over. It’s a highly specialised part of Japanese cuisine which is found on many restaurant menus today. It takes many years of training to perfect the art of making sushi and although ingredients may be fairly simple, the art of slicing the fish correctly and rolling the wet rice is not as simple as it looks. We say…practice makes perfect.Speciality Chef – Sushi Chef
Which type of chef would you like to be one day? Drop us a line below and share your thoughts on the perfect chef role for you.
