Chef

A chef is a trained, professional cook. In a professional kitchen setting, the term is used only for the one person in charge of everyone else in the kitchen.http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chefChefs spend time learning to prepare food through practice. Chefs learn to bake, broil, and prepare food. They also learn to use and care for kitchen equipment. Chefs learn menu planning, determination of portion size, food cost control, purchasing food supplies in quantity, selection and storage of food and how to use leftover food to minimize waste. Restaurant sanitation and public health rules for handling food are also learned.

A head chef will direct a kitchen staff, in addition to preparing meals. If a chef is able to withstand the high stress and pressure of the job, they will most likely become a head chef within 10 years. Some eventually own restaurants.http://www.allfoodbusiness.com/becoming_a_chef.php

Religious orders and royal households were among the earliest places chefs were used. The large quantity of food preparation needed in these households were carried out by early professional chefs and reached a much higher standard than food served in restaurants.The royal household, with its hundreds of staff and nobles–often 150 to 250 persons–necessitated an efficient food service. http://www.foodtimeline.org/restaurants.html#chefs Status and political clout were often demonstrated at the dinner table, and great chefs were prizes to be sought and bribed into service. http://www.kitchenproject.com/history/aboutVatel.htm

There are different types of chefs of varying levels of skill, and duties in the kitchen.

• Commis is an entry-level position. Also known as an assistant or apprentice, the commis works under the line cooks or chefs de partie to learn particulars of a station, through food preparation and plating.http://www.cooking-schools.us/types-of-chefs.htm
• Chef de Partie is a station chef or line cook and is responsible for one particular area of food production in the kitchen. This position is usually found in larger kitchens with a staff big enough to allow for specialization. They’re often divided into a hierarchy using titles like first cook, second cook and so forth. http://www.cookingschools101.com/careers/positions/chef-partie.aspx
• Pastry Chefs must have the knowledge to create different kinds of baked goods and confections, as well as be able to take on special projects. http://www.cooking-schools.us/types-of-chefs.htm
• Saucier is a section chef who makes all the sauces, and sometimes might make meat dishes cooked in a particular sauce. http://www.cooking-schools.us/types-of-chefs.htm
• Sous Chef is the second in command after the chef de cuisine or executive chef in the kitchen, almost like the first mate to the captain. Sous is French for "under," and the under chef makes things run.http://www.cooking-schools.us/types-of-chefs.htm
• Executive Chefs plan and direct food preparation and cooking activities in restaurants, hospitals or other establishments with food services. They plan menus, ensure that food meets quality standards, estimate food requirements, and may also estimate food and labor costs.http://www.cooking-schools.us/types-of-chefs.htm
• Garde Manger is a highly specialized line cook who is responsible for all cold food presentation, such as composed salads, pates, canapes and hors d'ouevres or anything cold on a buffet table. http://www.cooking-schools.us/types-of-chefs.htm
• Personal Chefs offer a professional service of meal preparation. The individual tastes, dietary restrictions or goals are priority. http://www.uspca.com/becomeapersonalchef/