Cooking Career Specialties

Cooking is more than just slicing and dicing (though if you're an Entremetier (or vegetable chef), there's certainly a lot of that!). Get a sneak peek at some of these cooking career specialties, and learn how they fit into the storied hierarchy of the kitchen.

Broiler Cook

The broiler cook is responsible for the preparation of foods that are broiled, roasted, or grilled. Usually, this means meats — including steaks, roasts of beef or pork, turkey, chicken, or fish. The broiler cook not only cooks these meats, but often carves and serves the food directly on the plate. Broiler cooks must be able to accurately gauge when a meat is cooked correctly, and how much to serve. Broiler cooks are sometimes referred to as Roast Chefs.

ChefExecutive Chef (aka Chef de Cuisine)

This is the senior-most post in any kitchen. In a restaurant, the executive chef, or chef de cuisine as he is called in Europe, is in charge of all kitchen staff and the meals that are prepared. Executive chefs oversee all kitchen operations and handle duties such as ordering supplies and planning menus. They are also responsible for food preparation and styling, recipe development, and meal creation. Executive chefs ensure appealing presentation as well as good taste. In large restaurants with numerous staff, executive chefs may do little of the actual cooking.

A note on titles: Some restaurants with multiple locations may call the head chef in one location Chef de Cuisine, while the corporate chef, who oversees all other chefs, is called the Executive Chef.

Food and Beverage Manager

The food and beverage manager oversees restaurant operations, including staffing, maintenance, inventory, and customer service. She devises strategies for quality and cost controls, and is more directly concerned with the business and human resources side of the restaurant. Food and beverage managers are trend-watchers, organized, and detail-oriented. They often have degrees in hospitality management.

Fry/Sauté Cook

Surprise: The fry and sauté cook specializes in preparing fried and sautéed foods. Their responsiblities are similar to that of the broiler cook, in that they focus on correctly preparing a specific sort of food, and serving it in appropriate portions. Fry cooks also prepare the breadings and batters used in frying.

Line Cook

Line cooks, sometimes called station chefs or chefs de partie, work in larger restaurants, and are responsible for foods at particular stations in the kitchen, such as the vegetable station, the fry station (where fry cooks operate), the fish station, the pantry station, and so on (and on).

Pantry Cook

The pantry cook prepares cold foods, including cold appetizers, patés, sandwiches, salads, some desserts, and food platters. The pantry cook reports to the sous chef.

Pastry Chef/Patisserie

The pastry chef prepares pastries and desserts, as well as bread and other baked goods. In larger restaurants, pastry chefs may supervise a pastry team in a separate kitchen. Pastry chefs are often in charge of the dessert menu, and will research, create, and test new recipes. They may also oversee other dessert-related items, such as dessert wines, dessert beverages, and gourmet cheese platters.

Sous Chef

The sous chef reports directly to the executive chef, and assists him or her in overseeing the entire food preparation process, and fills in when the executive chef is absent. The sous chef will also fill in or assist station chefs on an as-needed basis. Smaller restaurants may not have a sous chef, while larger restaurants may have several.

Wine Steward/Sommelier

The wine steward oversees all wine served in a restaurant, including selection, storage, and wine cellar rotation. He also works with the executive chef to find wines that complement a specific menu. In many restaurants, the sommelier is responsible for developing wine lists, serving wine, and training other wait staff about the wines and wine service. He may also provide expert advice and suggestions to customers, and build a rapport with them to help them find a wine or beverage suitable for their palette and their budget.

Rocket Fuel