Some of you may not know what goes on in the kitchen of a restaurant. There are a variety of important people that deal with that yummy abundance of flavor you are putting in your mouths. Depending on the type of restaurant, there could be up to ten chefs or as little as one. There is a phrase that I’m sure you’ve all heard before that really does pertain to the restaurant business and that’s “if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen”.
When dealing with the most important thing in life, food, you might want to know a thing or two about the people who are wearing the chef coats that are creating the masterpiece that you consume.
The Executive Chef-
This is the most important position in the kitchen! They provide numerous responsibilities and duties throughout the kitchen. They need to ensure that the dishes they are serving are up to par, on schedule and fix any problem that may arise. They also work with the owner of the restaurant to create the menu and come up with new dishes that are right for the type of restaurant it is. Some restaurants fail due to the type of restaurant they are trying to be and food they actually serve. Other responsibilities include is managing the Sous Chef and maximizing the productivity of the staff.
The Sous Chef-
This is the second most important position in the kitchen. The Sous Chef works directly under the Executive Chef. As the second in command, they are usually trying their best to some day make it to the Executive Chef position. They are usually responsible for directing the food preparation in the kitchen, discipline the staff if under performing, schedule the staff and take care of situations that could emerge.
The Line Cook-
In a busy kitchen, there are stations with different cooks at each station. A line cook is not as important position as a chef because you don’t need that much experience or schooling. The line cook typically starts at the cold station, like pastry and then cross-trained to the hot stations such as saute.
The Prep Cook-
This person is typically the first person in the kitchen. Some argue that this person is the most important in the kitchen. They do everything from cutting up vegetables, to making soups and even pizza dough. Their whole reason for being there is to prepare the tedious food items for the chefs and cooks who come in later that day.
The Pastry Chef-
This person is in charge of creating the desert portion of the menu. They have to research recipes and test them to see if the items fit the genre of food they serve. This seems like the fun part of being a chef, but it’s also very difficult, especially in a fancy restaurant. The Pastry Chef has to be very detailed oriented as well as precise.
There are other chefs and/or cooks in the restaurant industry, but the above are the most important and most well known. These are the people who make a restaurant, a restaurant. If they fail, most likely so will will the restaurant.