Career Profile: Chefs

After you’ve received your education at a culinary institute, vocational program, or apprentice program, it’s time to enter the job market. If you’re currently in school to become a chef, you’re probably eyeing the job market nervously. What lies in wait for you? What will you do? What should you pursue? Here are some job descriptions of the jobs you’ll encounter after graduation. Good luck!

What to Expect

  • A high pressure environment. It turn out that old advice “if you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen” is true after all.
  • Lots of time on your feet.
  • An active work environment.

Specific Jobs

  1. Executive Chef. The executive chef is the head of the kitchen. This chef plans menus, manages personnel, and is ultimately responsible for every meal.
  2. Sous Chef. The sous chef is the right hand of the executive chef. A sous chef works as an assistant and an extension of the executive chef. There may be more than one sous chef at a restaurant. A sous chef oftens expedites for the kitchen, serving as a liaison between the orders coming in and the orders coming out.
  3. Chef de partie, station cook, or line cook. These are kitchen chefs assigned to one general station. These various stations are outlined below.
      1. Saucier: this chef prepares the sauces, stews, hot hors d’oeuvres, etc. This position also sautes to order. Most consider this to be the most experienced or “best” of all the stations.
      2. Poissonier: this may also be the saucier, but this station handles all the fish orders.
      3. Entremetier: this station is dedicated to all vegetables, soups, eggs, and starches. This job may be divided, depending on how big the kitchen is.
      4. Rotisseur: this chef is in charge of all the roasted and braised meats. Other responsibilities include gravies, broiled meats to order, etc. This may include grilling, but some kitchens have their own grillardin.
      5. Pantry chef: this chef is responsible for all the cold menu items. A pantry chef will prepare salads, salad dressings, cold hors d’oeuvres, etc.
      6. Pastry chef: this chef is dedicated to preparing the restaurant’s desserts.