Food Production Staff

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    KITCHEN ORGANIZATION

    The complex system of kitchen organization was developed by Georges

    Auguste Escoffier, who largely is credited with modernizing the grand

    hotel dining in Europe in the late 1800s. Previously, grand dining

    involved large buffets of food where guests served themselves;

    Escoffier simplified menus and served each course sequentially.

    The demands of a luxury hotel's guests meant that Escoffier was tasked

    with serving lavish meals in a short amount of time, so he needed to

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    organize the kitchen in a way to get food out quickly without hurting its

    quality. Using his experience in the French Army, Escoffier developed

    brigade de cuisine, an exhaustive system with clear authority and

    responsibility. The system is still largely in use in restaurants today, with

    more formal kitchens retaining the French terms.

    Kitchen Hierarchy

    In a typical kitchen's chain-of-command, the chef de partie would be

    the third in charge, following the head chef, also known as the

    executive chef, and the sous chef. In this management position, a

    chef de partie would need to be comfortable taking orders from the

    head chef while managing his or her own staff. This is not typically

    an entry-level position as it requires culinary expertise and the

    ability to work independently.

    For a newcomer to the professional kitchen the culture and rules are

    as much a mystery as they should be adhered to. Many of these

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    unsaid rules relate to hierarchy in the kitchen. Known as the Brigade

    de Cuisine, the following list denotes who comes where in the

    domain of the professional chef:

    * Kitchen Porter: Kitchen Porter or KP, as he is widely known in the

    trade, provides the back breaking work as the backbone of the

    kitchen. Primarily he/she washes up, ensuring all chefs have the

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    tools of the trade at their station. S/he packs deliveries away

    accordingly, and generally cleans down the kitchen and mops the

    floor at the end of the night.

    * Commis Chef: Commis Chef is the entry level by which an

    apprentice chef enters the trade. Often the Commis Chef is studying

    food or catering at college whilst practising this role in a

    professional kitchen. The Commis Chef acts as an assistant to all

    food station's, usually supporting the Chef de Partie; and performing

    the more menial tasks of the kitchen such as peeling potatoes and

    chopping onions in large quantities. In some smaller kitchen's s/he

    will prepare salads, garnishes and other simple dishes.

    * Chef de Partie: Also known as Station Chef or Line Cook, the

    Chef de Partie is responsible for a certain section within the kitchen.

    In a busy kitchen s/he is assisted by one or more assistants, Demi

    Chef de Partie or Commis Chef's. Chef de Partie's are responsible

    for areas such as Saute, Roast, Grill, Fish, Larder, Fry, Vegetable's

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    & Butchery. A Roundsman Chef de Partie is so called as they rotate

    between all of the individual stations.

    * Pastry Chef: Pastry Chef is a Chef de Partie who is responsible for

    the dessert and puddings section of the kitchen. S/he also ensures all

    pastries and breads are baked freshly, and will head a team of

    professionals in large kitchens including a baker. The Pastry Chef

    devises and delivers the dessert menu including all elements that

    appear on it such as cheese and wine choices.

    Sous Chef: The Sous Chef is second in command in the professional

    kitchen. Once a chef has mastered all of the sections of the kitchen

    as a Chef de Partie s/he is trained and ready to essentially run the

    kitchen and supervise the rest of the kitchen team in the absence of

    the Head Chef, to whom the Sous Chef is the direct assistant.

    Head Chef, Executive Chef, Chef de Cuisine The Head Chef

    devises the menu, sources produce and oversees all management

    aspects of the kitchen including budgeting, scheduling staff, payroll

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    and recruitment. The Head Chef has a plenty of scope for creativity

    within the role as menu creation and development is often their sole

    responsibility.

    Training for a fully qualified chef is usually four years as a Commis

    (1st year Commis, 2nd year Commis, and so on) after which,

    providing that they meet the standard, they become a fully qualified

    kitchen professional, and begin their climb up the demanding

    kitchen career ladder, through all of the levels to Head Chef, and top

    of the hierarchy.

    Executive Chef - This is the manager of the kitchen

    responsible for supervision, creation of the menu, and the

    business side of the kitchen. An executive chef obviously is

    very experienced in cooking, but their day to day work may

    involve very little hands-on cooking.

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    Chef de Cuisine - This is the hands-on individual in charge of

    everything going on in the kitchen. Sometimes a chef de

    cuisine may be the individual in charge of one location of a

    chain, or related set, of restaurants. Also, the titles executive

    chef and chef de cuisine may sometimes be used

    interchangeably.

    Sous Chef - The sous chef is second in line in the kitchen.

    Also, a sous chef may be in charge of the kitchen when the

    executive chef or chef de cuisine is absent. Conversely, the

    sous chef may take over for any of the line cooks that may be

    missing.

    Expediter or Announcer - This is the individual who serves as

    liaison between the dining room and the kitchen. The expediter

    announces orders as well as checking dishes before they are

    taken into the dining room. Gordon Ramsay frequently serves

    in this role onHell's Kitchen.

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    Chef de Partie or Line Cook - Each of these chefs or cooks are

    in charge of a particular portion of the kitchen's service.

    Among the line cooks in the traditional French brigade system:

    o Saute Chef - Responsible for all sauces and sauteed items.

    This is traditionally the top position among chefs de

    partie.

    o Fish Chef - All of the fish dishes and the butchering and

    fabrication of the fish as well.

    o Roast Chef - The responsibility for all roasted and braised

    meats.

    o Grill Chef - This role may be combined with the roast

    chef and is responsible for all grilled foods.

    o Fry Chef - As the title implies, this position is responsible

    for all fried items.

    o Vegetable Chef - This chef is usually responsible for all

    the vegetables, soups, pastas, and starches. This is one of

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    the roles most likely to have other cooks underneath the

    head chef.

    o Roundsman - A chef who may work in any area and fill

    in wherever needed.

    o Cold-Foods Chef - This position is sometimes referred to

    as pantry chef and is in charge of cold salads, appetizers,

    pates, etc.

    o Butcher - Responsible for butchering and fabricating

    meat and poultry, but often leaves fish to the fish chef.

    o Pastry Chef - Holds the responsibility for baked goods,

    pastries, and sweets. This is another position that may

    have several other cooks underneath the head chef.

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    Chef

    A chefis a person who cooks professionally for otherpeople.Although

    over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a

    living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is

    proficient in all aspects of food preparation.

    Etymology

    The word "chef" is borrowed (and shortened) from the French term

    chef de cuisine, the director or head of akitchen.(The French word

    comes from Latin caput and is cognate with English "chief".) In

    English, the title "chef" in the culinary profession originated in the

    haute cuisineof the 19th century. Today it is sometimes erroneously

    (in the view of those in the profession) used to refer to any

    professional cook, regardless of rank.

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    Titles

    A chef working with a tandoor oven, a cylindrical clay oven used in

    cooking and baking

    Below are 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)

    documented byAuguste Escoffier,while others have a more general

    meaning depending on the individual kitchen.

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    Chef de cuisine, executive chef and head chef

    This person is in charge of all things related to the kitchen which

    usually includes menu creation; management of kitchen staff;

    ordering and purchasing of inventory; and plating design. Chef de

    cuisineis the traditional French term from which the English word

    chef is derived.Head chefis often used to designate someone with

    the same duties as an executive chef, but there is usually someone in

    charge of them, possibly making the larger executive decisions such

    as direction of menu, final authority in staff management decisions,

    etc. This is often the case for chefs with several restaurants.

    Sous-chef

    The Sous-Chef de Cuisine(under-chef of the kitchen) is the second

    in command and direct assistant of the Executive Chef. This person

    may be responsible for scheduling and substituting when the

    Executive Chef is off-duty and will also fill in for or assist the Chef

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    de Partie(line cook) when needed. Smaller operations may not have

    asous-chef, but larger operations may have several.[1]

    Expediter

    The expediter (in French aboyeur) takes the orders from the dining

    room and brings them to the customer, and relays them to the

    stations in the kitchen. This person also often puts the finishing

    touches on the dish before it goes to the dining room. In some

    operations this task may be done by either the executive chef or the

    sous-chef.

    Chef de partie

    A chef de partie, also known as a "station chef" or "line cook",[2]is

    in charge of a particular area of production. In large kitchens, each

    station chef might have several cooks and/or assistants. In most

    kitchens however, the station chef is the only worker in that

    department. Line cooks are often divided into a hierarchy of their

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    own, starting with "first cook", then "second cook", and so on as

    needed.

    Station-chef titles which are part of the brigade system include:[3]

    English French IPA Description

    saut chef saucier [sosje]

    Responsible for all sauted items

    and their sauce.This is usually the

    highest stratified position of all the

    stations.

    fish chef poissonnier [pwasoe]

    Preparesfish dishes and often does

    all fish butchering as well as

    appropriate sauces. This station

    may be combined with the saucier

    position.

    roast chef rtisseur [otis] Prepares roasted and braised

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    meats and their appropriate sauce.

    grill chef grillardin [ijad]

    Prepares all grilled foods; this

    position may be combined with the

    rotisseur.

    fry chef riturier [fityje]

    Prepares all fried items; this

    position may be combined with the

    rotisseurposition.

    vegetable

    chef

    entremetier[tmetje]

    Prepares hot appetizers and often

    prepares the soups, vegetables,

    pastas and starches. In a full

    brigade system a potager would

    prepare soups and a legumier

    would preparevegetables.

    roundsmantournant [tun]Also referred to as a swing cook,

    fills in as needed on stations in the

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    kitchen.

    pantry chef

    garde

    manger

    [ad

    me]

    Responsible for preparing cold

    foods, including salads, cold

    appetizers, pts and other

    charcuterieitems.

    butcher boucher [bue]

    Butchers meats, poultry and

    sometimes fish. May also be

    responsible for breading meats and

    fish.

    pastry chef ptissier [patisje]

    Is qualified in making baked goods

    such as pastries, cakes, biscuits,

    macarons, chocolates, breads and

    desserts. Pastry Chefs can

    specialize in cakes in patisseries or

    bakeries by making wedding,

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    cupcakes, birthday and special

    occasion cakes. In larger

    establishments, the pastry chef

    often supervises a separate team

    in their own kitchen or separate

    shop.

    Commis

    A commis is a basic chef in larger kitchens who works under a chef

    de partieto learn the station's responsibilities and operation.[4]This

    may be a chef who has recently completed formal culinary training

    or is still undergoing training.

    Kitchen assistants

    Kitchen assistants are of two types, kitchenhands and stewards.

    Kitchenhands assist with basic food preparation tasks under the

    chef's direction. They carry out relatively unskilled tasks such as

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    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.

    A communardis in charge of preparing the meal for the staff during

    a shift. This meal is often referred to as the staff or family meal.[4]

    The escuelerie (from 15th century French and a cognate of the

    English "scullery"), or the more modern plonguer or dishwasher, is

    the keeper of dishes, having charge of dishes and keeping the

    kitchen clean. A common humorous title for this role in some

    modern kitchens is "chef de plonge" or "head dishwasherCulinary

    education

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    White House chefs in 1981, directed by Executive Chef Henry Haller,

    preparing a state dinner honoring Australian Prime Minister Malcolm

    Fraser

    United States and Canadian training

    Culinary education is available from a wide number of institutions

    offering diploma, associate, and bachelor degree programs in

    culinary arts. Depending on the level of education, this can take one

    to four years. An internship is often part of the curriculum.

    Regardless of the education received, most professional kitchens

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    follow the apprenticeship system, and most new cooks will start at a

    lower-level chef de partieposition and work their way up.

    European training

    The training period for a chef is generally four years as an

    apprentice. A newly qualified chef is a commis-chef, consisting of

    first-year commis, second-year commis, and so on. The rate of pay is

    usually in accordance with the training status. Commischefs, like all

    other chefs except the executive-chef, are placed in sections of the

    kitchen (e.g., the starter (appetizer) or entre sections) under the

    guidance of a demi-chef de partie and are given relatively basic

    tasks. Ideally, over time, a commis will spend a certain period in

    each section of the kitchen to learn the basics. Unaided, a commis

    may work on the vegetable station of a kitchen.[6]

    The usual formal training period for a chef is two years in catering

    college. They often spend the summer in work placements. In some

    cases this is modified to 'day-release' courses; a chef will work full-

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    time in a kitchen as an apprentice and then would have allocated

    days off to attend catering college. These courses can last between

    one to three years.

    Uniform

    Chefs inMexico wearing standard uniform.

    The standard uniform for a chef includes a hat, necktie, double-

    breasted jacket, apron, houndstooth (check) trousers (to disguise

    stains) and shoes with steel or plastic toe-caps, orclogs.A chef's hat

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    was originally designed as a tall rippled hat called a Dodin Bouffant.

    The Dodin Bouffant had 101 ripples that represent the 101 ways that

    the chef could prepare eggs. The modern chef's hat is tall to allow

    for the circulation of air above the head and also provides an outlet

    for heat. The hat helps to prevent sweat from dripping down the

    face. Skullcaps are an alternative hat worn by chefs.

    Neckties were originally worn to allow for the mopping of sweat

    from the face, but as this is now against health regulations, they are

    largely decorative. The chef's neck tie was originally worn on the

    inside of the jacket to stop sweat running from face and neck down

    the body. The jacket is usually white to show off the chef's

    cleanliness and repel heat, and is double-breasted to prevent serious

    injuries from burns and scalds. The double breast also serves to

    conceal stains on the jacket as one side can be rebuttoned over the

    other.

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    An apron is worn to just below knee-length, also to assist in the

    prevention of burns because of spillage. If hot liquid is spilled onto

    it, the apron can be quickly removed to minimize burns and scalds.

    Shoes and clogs are hard-wearing and with a steel-top cap to prevent

    injury from falling objects or knives. According to some hygiene

    regulations, jewelry is not allowed apart from wedding bands and

    religious jewelry. If wound dressings are required they should be

    bluea colour not usual for foodstuffsso that they are noticeable

    if they fall into food.[11]Bandages on the hands are usually covered

    withrubber gloves.

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    HEAD CHEFA head chef oversees the way a kitchen operates. In most cases, the

    staff of the kitchen report either directly to the head chef or to an

    assistant. Generally, she will also decide what equipment is

    necessary and what ingredients need to be kept in stock. In some

    situations, the head chef will create the menu, decide on the

    specials, and choose the portion sizes and appearance of the meals.

    In addition, she may be responsible for keeping the cost of the

    kitchen within a set budget, managing employees, forecasting trends

    in the restaurant business, and maintaining a safe kitchen according

    to health codes of the area. Head chefs typically work in restuarants,

    hotels, catering companies, retirement communities as well as other

    commercial dining establishments.

    Typically, one of the most enjoyable duties for a head chef is

    creating a menu. She may be responsible for finding and utilizing

    particular ingredients, depending on the type of restaurant, catering

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    company, resort, spa, private party, or organization where she is

    working. For example, she may be asked to use only seasonal, local,

    or organic ingredients. In some cases, she may be asked to prepare a

    vegetarian menu or a menu using wild game as the meat selection,

    depending on the overall style of the chefs employer.

    Cost may be a consideration for a head chef in some situations. For

    example, she may be given a weekly, monthly, or annual budget by

    her employer. In addition, she may be asked to set a price point for

    the items on a menu. Sometimes, she may need to do research in the

    field. For example, if she has decided that a new item should be

    added to the menu, she may need to find out if other competitive

    restaurants also offer a similar item, how the competition prices that

    item, and whether it seems to sell well.

    Sometimes a head chef needs a full kitchen staff to help the kitchen

    run smoothly. In some cases, she may need to hire assistants to

    cover various aspects of the food preparation. For example, one

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    assistant may be needed for desserts, another for pastas, and a third

    for side items. Occasionally, she may need to train her employees,

    laying out her goals and standards. The quality of the food is the

    ultimate responsibility of the chef; so, if an assistant is not

    performing adequately, disciplinary measures may be taken by the

    chef, as well.

    Food must be used quickly to ensure it maintains a high quality and

    does not spoil. In many cases, the head chef is responsible for

    monitoring the food, ensuring that all the ingredients for the items in

    the menu are available, and finding the best prices on those

    ingredients. Sometimes, she may need to analyze whether she

    purchased too much or not enough of a specific ingredient. In

    addition, she may need to decide what to do with spoiled, bruised, or

    low quality food items.

    When people eat food prepared by another person, they hope that

    the health codes will be followed. The head chef is typically

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    responsible for maintaining a safe and clean working environment.

    In addition, a few other skills that may be useful to her include the

    ability to do heavy lifting, stand for extended periods of time, read,

    write, communicate effectively, compute mathematical calculations,

    and, of course, cook. Though formal education isn't always a

    requirement, head chefs often have degrees or certificates from

    culinary schools. Many years of kitchen experience may substitute

    for education for some employers.

    executive chef

    An executive chef, also called thechef de cuisine or head cook, runs

    the kitchen in a restaurant, country club, hotel or cruise ship. Most

    executive chefs manage a team of 10 or more kitchen workers. The

    duties of an executive chef include training staff, maintaining

    quality, assigning tasks, ordering supplies and planning meals.

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    Typically, an executive chef's day begins with menu planning. The

    menus must fit in with the budget allotted to the chef. The executive

    or head chef is responsible for ordering any needed food and

    equipment for the kitchen. Executive chefs should make and keep

    good working relationships with vendors. A good head cook also

    keeps up with new trends in food as he or she must create new

    dishes and menus that are appealing to the clientele of the restaurant

    or other venue.

    Once the dishes and menu are decided upon and any necessary

    supplies and equipment are ordered, the executive chef assigns tasks

    to his or her staff. A food preparation task may include cleaning and

    slicing poultry or washing and chopping vegetables. Some food is

    prepared and stored ahead of time to use in preparing each day's

    menu orders. A customer's menu order is commonly called a ticket.

    Executive chefs oversee the kitchen staff's preparation of the tickets

    going out to customers to check that quality is maintained.

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    Training kitchen staff is the executive chef's responsibility.

    Executive chefs are definitely the leaders in their kitchens and they

    must be able to motivate and manage the staff to work together as a

    team to complete meal services successfully. Some executive chefs

    may be involved in choosing or updating a restaurant's decor or

    theme. An executive chef's training varies and may include a

    certificate ordiploma from a culinary, or cooking, school.

    Executive chefs typically work 12 to 14 hour shifts. They not only

    oversee day-to-day kitchen operations and staff, but most also do at

    least some cooking. In smaller kitchens, an executive chef may cook

    all the time, while in larger kitchens he or she may just cook on

    special occasions. The best executive chefs have a true passion for

    cooking.

    Marketing duties may be the responsibility of some executive chefs.

    An executive chef must always be concerned with customer

    satisfaction. If diners don't receive quality food and good service, a

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    restaurant is unlikely to gain the good reputation that keeps it

    popular enough to stay in business.

    sous chef

    A sous chef is the second in command in a kitchen. In French, the

    term literally means under chef. Sous chefs are an important part

    of the restaurants they work in, ensuring that everything runs

    smoothly whether or not the head chef is present. The duties of a

    sous chef vary widely, depending on the restaurant and its command

    structure. This position in the culinary world can be extremely

    demanding, especially since it carries none of the glamor associated

    with being a head orexecutive chef.

    In order to become a sous chef, someone must undergo professional

    training. Some people choose to undertake training at a culinary

    school,while others prefer to learn on the ground by working their

    way up the restaurant food chain. Some restaurants prefer sous chefs

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    who have worked their way up in the ranks, since they are

    sometimes more familiar with all of the tasks which need to be

    performed in a busy kitchen.

    For some people, being a sous chef is the pinnacle of employment.

    The job is challenging, but extremely rewarding when a kitchen runs

    smoothly and pleasantly. The sous chef is on the ground in the

    kitchen every day, keeping track of a wide range of issues and

    working to ensure the the food in the restaurant is of the highest

    quality. For these individuals, the celebrity factor of becoming an

    executive chef is not of interest. Others view the position as the last

    step which needs to be taken before becoming an executive chef;

    these individuals may enjoy the social cachet of being a chef, along

    with the ability to control their own menus and have ultimate

    authority over the kitchen.

    A sous chef certainly does some cooking, but the job is about much

    more than just preparing food. Sous chefs supervise food

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    preparation and safety all over the kitchen, keeping an eye on the

    staff and ensuring that the dishes stay true to the vision of the

    executive chef. In some kitchens, the sous chef may be invited to

    submit recipes or dishes for consideration by the head chef.

    These restaurant professionals also deal with the day to day issues in

    the restaurant. They may handle staff conflicts, payroll, proper

    storage of supplies, and other tasks as directed by the executive

    chef. Depending on the establishment, these assistant chefs are able

    to hire and fire staff and to undertake other autonomous decisions to

    keep the restaurant in good working order.

    chef de partie

    A chef de partie is a cook who is in charge of one area of a

    restaurant's kitchen. In smaller kitchens, he or she may work alone,

    while in larger ones, a chef de partie may supervise others working

    at the same station. This position also might be termed a line cook

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    or station chef, and is responsible for preparing specific dishes. As

    with any position in a restaurant's kitchen, this cook needs to thrive

    in a high-pressure environment; time management and organization

    are as vital as culinary skills to this position.

    A large kitchen may have more than one chef de partie, and a

    hierarchy accompanies those who share this title. Some kitchens

    may label the second in command of the line cooks as a demi chef

    de partie, while others may assign hierarchy based on responsibility,

    with thesaucieras the most senior position. This chef is typically in

    charge of all sauts,appetizers,and finishing sauces.

    Types of Chefs de Partie

    Each station in a kitchen may have its own chef de partie, who

    focuses on cooking a certain type of food or preparing foods in a

    certain way. Thepoissonieris in charge of preparing all fish, while

    the rotisseur handles roasted meats and the friturier deep fries

    foods. Vegetables are prepared by the entremetierand the patissier

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    makes desserts and pastries. The chef de garde, or pantry chef, is

    responsible for all cold foods, including salads and cold hors

    d'oeuvres. A chef de partie who fills in where needed is referred to

    as a roundsman, swing cook, or tournant.

    In most professional kitchens, there is a chain of command which

    goes from executive chef to head chef to sous chef and finally to a

    station cook or chef de partie,otherwise known as a line cook. A

    line cook prepares a limited number of food items according to the

    orders of a supervising sous chef. This may involve working at a

    meat station, a garnish station, a fry station, a cold salad station or a

    number of other compartmentalized food prep areas. A professional

    line cook should know how to work each station in the kitchen,

    including prep work and coordination with other stations and the

    head chef.

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    line cook

    A line cook is usually responsible for setting up his or her station in

    accordance with a master menu. If the master menu includes lobster

    tails, for example, the line cook or one of his or her employees will

    make sure enough tails are thawed, prepped and stored to handle

    any potential demand during service. Each station has its own

    particular needs, and it is up to the line cook to make sure all of the

    sauces, garnishes, and other complements have all been prepared

    and stored properly. A line cook may have to work alone during

    food service,or he or she may have a few employees to share the

    workload.

    Because communication is vital during food service, a line cook

    must be able to work well with other line cooks while

    simultaneously preparing quality food and handling complaints from

    customers or wait staff. A good line cook should be able to work

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    consistently under extreme pressure, since he or she is ultimately

    held responsible for the quality of the food leaving the station. The

    ability to coordinate several different orders at the same time is also

    a good skill for a line cook to possess.

    Because a busy professional kitchen can be a grueling physical and

    mental challenge, a line cook must also be able to keep his or her

    emotions in check while receiving criticism from a superior or

    correcting a food problem. Many head chefs and sous chefs value

    consistency over creativity, so a line cook should also strive to be a

    team player while preparing the same dishes in the same way for

    years. Professional culinary training is highly recommended in order

    to become a line cook, but a promising kitchen staffer can also

    receive on-the-job training in order to master each station.

    It is not unusual for an experienced line cook to remain in that same

    position for years, since promotions to sous chef or executive chef

    are often rare events and the average salary of an experienced line

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    cook or station chef can be surprisingly competitive with other

    occupations. A line cook in a large restaurant can hire his or her

    own staff to perform routine prep work, allowing him or her the

    opportunity to work with superiors on new menu ideas, newcooking

    techniques or other executive-level projects.

    Garde manger

    Garde mangermeaning "keep to eat" refers to a cool, well-ventilated

    area where cold dishes (such as salads, hors d'uvres, appetizers,

    canapes, pates and terrines) are prepared and other foods are stored

    under refrigeration. The person in charge of this area is known as the

    chef garde manger. Larger hotels and restaurants may have garde

    manger staff perform additional duties, such as creating decorative

    elements of buffet presentation like ice carving and edible centerpieces

    made from materials such as cheese, butter,salt dough ortallow.

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    History

    The term "garde manger" originated in pre-Revolutionary France.

    At that time, maintaining a large supply of food and beverage was

    an outward symbol of power, wealth and status. It is because of this

    duty of supervising the preserving of food and managing its

    utilization that many interpret the term "garde manger" .

    The food storage areas in these castles and manor houses were

    usually located in the lower levels, since the cool basement-like

    environment was ideal for storing food. These cold storage areas

    developed over time into the modern cold kitchen.

    Most merchants who worked outside noble manors at this time were

    associated with a guild,an association of persons of the same trade

    formed for their mutual aid and protection. Guilds would develop

    training programs for their members, thereby preserving their

    knowledge and skills. "Charcuterie" was the name of a guild that

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    prepared and sold cooked items made from pigs. Through this

    organization, the preparation of hams, bacon, sausages, pates and

    terrines were preserved. When the guild system was abolished early

    in the French Revolution in 1791, garde mangers took on the

    responsibility for tasks that had formerly been performed by

    characutieres, who had difficulty competing with the versatile garde

    mangers due to the limited range of skills involved.

    The position of "butcher" first developed as a specialty within the

    garde manger kitchen. As both the cost of and demand for animal

    proteins (in the form ofpork,beef,etc.) increased, more space was

    required for the task of fabricating and portioning the raw proteins.

    This increased need for space was due not only to an upswing in the

    volume of protein sales, but also to the need for separating raw

    proteins from processed foods to avoid cross-contamination and the

    resulting possibility offoodborne illness.

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    Moderngarde manger

    Modern garde manger can refer to different things in the

    professional kitchen. In many restaurants it is a station which is

    generally an entry level cooking position within a restaurant, as it

    often involves preparing salads or other smaller plates which can be

    heated and quickly plated without significant experience. In other

    high-profile classically influenced restaurants and hotels, the

    position pertains to the classical preparations.

    Commis

    A commis is a basic chef in larger kitchens who works under a chef

    de partie to learn the station's responsibilities and operation. This

    may be a chef who has recently completed formal culinary training

    or is still undergoing training.