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If you’re a food lover you might have heard the name of chefs. There are many types of chefs who work in a restaurant to prepare delicious food items for customers. Right from preparing food to advising fellow chefs, these professionals are responsible for performing various duties.
If you’re someone curious to know about chefs, this article is for you. In this article, I’m going to give you a comprehensive guide on the categories and types of chefs in hotels. Let’s explore!
What Is a Chef?
Derived from the term “chef de cuisine”, the word “chef” refers to the head, or the director of the kitchen responsible for creating the menu, supervising workers, and preparing delicious meals for food lovers in a restaurant, hotel, or resort. There are a wide variety of chefs out there each with their unique types, names, skills, roles, and responsibilities.
Different Types of Chefs You Need to Know
As you know the definition and the meaning of the word chef, it’s time we explored the types of chiefs. Following are the top 8 different types of chefs you should know!
Executive Chef
The first one in our list of types of chefs, the executive chef is the supreme position in the chef hierarchy and is often considered the chef’s highest position. It takes years of hard work, skills, and excellence to become an executive chef. They are also considered “head chefs”, as the majority of kitchens employ the same person for both positions.
You should keep the fact in mind that the executive chef isn’t responsible for preparing food and dishes, however, leadership, communication, and time management are certain skills every Head Chef should master. Rather they guide other chefs and oversee the kitchen and operations. An executive chef supervises and, at times performs a taste test of the prepared food and makes sure the dish is up to the standard prior to reaching customers.
Sous Chef
Another type of chef is a sous chef who works closely with the executive chef. Exploring Executive Chef vs. Sous Chef will help understand the difference between these two. They are responsible for overseeing the chefs and keeping the entire kitchen on time. At times, sous chefs get involved in decision-making as they ensure the chiefs work hand in hand intending to accomplish their responsibilities.
Apart from having a culinary degree, a sous chef needs to have excellent leadership skills as they are consistently entrusted with providing training to new chefs and assisting executive chefs in implementing the restaurant’s concept.
Chef de Partie
Chef de partie, another type of chef, is the next type of role in the kitchen. They specialize in certain items on the menu and supervise the station management. These chefs often initiate as line cooks prior to being promoted to chef de parties.
Chef de Partie collaborates with the executive chefs in order to create menus and prepare essential ingredients for meals. They are responsible for reporting both the sous chef and executive chef at the end of the day in the restaurant. They need to have a graduation degree from a culinary school and experience in a restaurant.
Fish Chef
The Fish Chef is another types of chef that takes charge of expertly selecting, preparing, and cooking sustainable seafood in a kitchen. Right from halibut to sushi, fish cutlets, and fish and chips, the fish chef has to ensure that each dish prepared in the kitchen has delicious flavor and complimentary sides.
These chefs may also initiate partnerships with local suppliers intending to source the best-caught fish for the restaurant. Besides, they also report to the executive chef while collaborating with a variety of cooks in the kitchen. Most fish chefs must have a culinary degree and restaurant experience.
Meat Chef
Also known as the rotisserie, or roast chef, the meat chef is another type of chef in a restaurant kitchen. These chefs tend to roast, braise, or broil a variety of meats to bring out the idea of an executive chef. Meat chefs might also be responsible for purchasing meat from local stores to prepare in the kitchen.
Meat chefs also report to the sous chef, or executive chef to make sure the meat meets the restaurant’s standard. These chefs have to have a degree in Culinary Arts.
Vegetable Chef
Vegetable Chefs are types of chefs that tend to be in charge of preparing and cooking many veggies and starches for each meal. Right from slicing vegetables to tossing salads with spicy dressings, these chefs ensure each vegetable complements and enhances the flavors of the dish. They might also prepare toppers, soups, or stand-alone vegetable dishes for the entire meal.
The majority of vegetable chefs need to go to culinary school, specifically those willing to specialize in vegetarian and vegan food.
Pastry Chef
There is a huge role of a Pastry Chef when it comes to someone specializing in baking and creating sweets. They tend to prepare everything from candy to lavish cakes, and then devise new menu items. Pastry Chefs need to have specialized training in the Pastry Arts, which is different from the Culinary Arts. You can find most culinary institutes providing Culinary Arts and Pastry Arts degrees and diplomas.
Executive chefs and Pastry Chefs sometimes work hand in hand, specifically in restaurants where dessert remains as significant as the main course. Besides, they occasionally work together to prepare recipes that amalgamate sweet and savory ingredients. If you’re someone interested in enjoying, baking, pastry, and dessert, the Pastry Chef role may be the right choice for you.
Personal Chef
Last but not least, the personal chefs don’t work for others in professional kitchens. For these chefs, it’s more common to work in private locations to cook for different clients. To put it in a nutshell, personal chefs are entrepreneurs.
Personal chefs tend to serve food to a multitude of locations. They visit client’s houses in different locations to prepare food for multiple families. These professional chefs may visit their clients’ houses once or twice to seek to prepare food using their client’s space. Besides, they may cook food at a commissary kitchen as well as deliver packed items to consumers, with instructions. Explore how to become a Personal Chef, and embark on your golden career!
Private Chef
Next in the types of chefs are Private Chefs that are like Personal Chefs but work for a specific family. They often tend to travel with their families to a vacation property. As a personal or private chefs, they are their own boss but need to have specific and essential business skills to success. For the ones having the abilities to enjoy organizing, cooking, offering customer services and having control over their schedule, Private Chef can be a right field to choose.
Station Chefs (Chefs de Partie)
Specialized Chefs, or Chefs de Partie are responsible for certain stations in the kitchen. Common types of Station Chefs include Saute Chef, Fish Chef, Grill Chef, Fry Chef, Vegetable Chef, Butcher Chef, and Pastry Chef.
Saucier
A saucier is a type of chef who is responsible for preparing high-quality sauces, soups, and stews in a restaurant kitchen. This type of chef is hired at fine-dining French restaurants.
The saucier chefs oftentimes collaborate with various chefs to create flavors intending to match additional dishes on the menu. The Soucer, similar to other chefs, reports to Souce Chefs, and Executive Chefs.
In order to be a Soucer Chef, an excellent amalgamation of culinary school and kitchen experience ensures a competent position in the very field.
Fry Chef
The Fry Chef tends to operate the fryer in the kitchen. To prepare the menu’s fried items, these Chefs also bread or batter the ingredients before frying them. They oftentimes deep clean the fryer to keep the station clean and hygienic.
A Fry Chef may attend culinary school, however, the majority of them have substantial experience in working with a fryer at a restaurant. Apart from reporting to the Executive and Souce Chefs, they might work with the Vegetable Chef or Butcher Chef intending to prepare fried menu items.
Grill Chef
The Grill Chefs are the next one of the types of chefs that are responsible to cooks fish, meat, and vegetables for certain menu items. Every restaurant typically has at least one grill cook, but when it comes to larger establishments, they may have two, or more depending on needs.
Apart from reporting to Souce Chefs, and Executive Chefs, the Grill Chefs oftentimes collaborate with the Butcher Chefs and Vegetable Chefs to consult and prepare meals to serve in the restaurants.
Butcher Chef
The Butcher Chefs are most common in larger restaurants. They help plan and prepare various types of meats. These Chefs are in charge of sourcing meat for kitchens from local meat suppliers or merchants. A Butcher Chef’s key responsibility is to prepare meat for every station, generally for the Meat Chefs, and Grill Chefs.
Butcher Chefs source and slice the appripriate types of meats along with keeping track of kitchen’s meet inventory. However, not all kitchen has a Butcher Chef, they are an excellent resource for Sous Chef and Executive Chefs.
Chef Consultant
Chef Consultants are hired to assist reasturants busineess by improving there food operations. Restaurants are more likely to hire a Chef Consultant to help them create a new menu, enhancing prifits and efficiency, or traning their existing employees.
In certain circomestances, a Chef Consultant is called in to provide second opinions on the reasons why a kitchen is suffering from problems or failing to stay afloat. Chef Consultants should be skilled culiniarians embeded with expertise in Hospitality and Restaurant Operation and Management.
Chef Consultants tend to be constantly on the move and have to have an entrepreneurial spirit. If someone enjoys fast-paced, challenging work and doesn’t get bothered being “in the thick of it,” they can be an excellent suit for a career in Chef Consulting.
Commis Chef
A Commis Chef, an entry-level chef, shadows chefs intending to learn more about kitchen responsibilities. They oftentimes assist other chefs to prepare meals in workstations in need of assistance to ensure chefs gets needed tools and ingredients and the work areas remain clean.
Commis Chefs, in general, get promoted to various statins depending on their experience and practices.
Chef Owner
A Chef Owner starts and owns their own restaurant. These chefs often remain focused on business management and operations, for instance establishing the restaurant and overseeing the operations to ensure it runs smoothly. Although Chef Owners may continue to work in kitchens, their preliminary responsibility is to be with cooking pertains to creating and updating menus.
Corporate Chef
A Corporate Chef is responsible to oversee culinary operations across different location in a restaurant business. They create and updates menus, maintain food quality, manage budget and make sure compliance with safety standards.
Collaborating with kitchen staff, Corporate Chefs tend to focus on innovation, consistency, and cost-effectiveness, amalgamating creativity and leadership to streamline the dining experience in a restaurant.
Garde Manger Chef
A Garde Manger Chef tends to specialize in cold kitchen preparations, preparing salads, appetizers, terrines, pâtés, and charcuterie. These chefs ensure artistic presentation, freshness as well as preparing quality of cold dishes. Having expertise in flavor balancing and food preservation, Garde Manager Chefs play a vital role in elevating a restaurant’s menu with visually alluring, and delicious creations.
Chef Tournant (Relief Chef)
A Chef Tournant, also known as Relief Chef, happens to be a versatile culinary professional responsible for rotating through multiple kitchen stations, accomplishing thier jobs as required. They adapt quickly, and make sure seamless operations in areas such as grill, saute, or pastry. Embelished with wider expertise and excellence, Chef Tourants maintain quality across kichen brigade.
Catering Chef
A Catering Chef tends to specialize in preparing and executing specific meals for events like weddings, parties and conferences. These chefs design menus, manage food preparation, along with coordinating logistics intending to meet client needs. They balance creativity and efficiency and ensure preparing high-quality dishes and deliver on time, elevating the overall event experience.
Celebrity Chef
Celebrity Chefs are renowned culinary expert having public recognition through media, restaurants, and cookbooks. They blend cooking talent with charisma, and often host TV shows, endorse brands, along with inspiring food trends. Apart from working in the kitchen, they influence global culinary culture and turn their passion into a broadened celebrated persona.
Nutrition Chef (Dietary Chef)
A Nutrition Chef, or Dietary Chef are a type of chefs specilizing in preparing meals that align with specific dietary needs as well as fulfilling health goals. These chefs design balanced menus while incorporating nutritional guidelines targeting individuals or groups like diabetics or athletes.
Amalgamating culinary skills and expertise with health knowledge, Nutrition Chefs deliver flavorful, wholesome dishes capable of promoting overall health and well-being.
Research and Development Chef
The last but not least, a Research and Development Chef tends to focuses on innovating and creating new recipes, products, and innovative techniques for food brands, restaurants, or manufacturers. These chefs amalgamate their culinary expertise with experimentation, assessing trends and customer preferences. Research and Development Chefs are responsible for driving innovation, ensuring unique, high-quality food offerings that are capable of meeting market demands, promoting the overall culinary experiences.
Wrapping Up!
That’s all about the types of chefs! I tried to mention 24 types of chefs in this blog. Hopefully, it’ll help you expand your understanding, extinguishing the curiosity about the types of chefs. So, go with the suitable one and choose what suits you the most!
