[mredikop]

The Brigade - At a glance

Executive Chef: (ex-ec-u-tive shef) Depending on your kitchen... The guy/gal who does the least amount of work and makes the most money or the guy/gal who works harder/faster/better than everyone else and runs the whole damned thing in the kitchen.

Wikipedia Definition: The executive chef is in charge of everything related to the kitchen, including menu creation, personnel management and business aspects. The executive chef can also be referred to as the "head chef" or "chef". However, use of the word "chef" for cook or kitchen helper, or a fast food operator.They have the biggest responsibilites.

Chef De Cuisine: (shef day quiz een) This person is in charge of running the kitchen in the Executive Chef's absence which can be all the time, for extended periods of time etc. In a situation where an Executive Chef/Owner has multiple concepts or properties this is the guy'gal who runs the show all the time and gets none of the credit for the food because everyone still assumes it's really Todd English back there on the line just because his name is on the door.

Wikipedia Definition: The chef de cuisine's placement within the kitchen can vary depending on the individual restaurant's hierarchy. Generally, it is equivalent to an executive sous chef position.

Sous Chef: (soo shef) The guy/gal doing all the "heavy lifting" (hard work) and getting no kudos for it. Depending on your kitchen this person's job description might include cleaning up the Executive Chef's vomit and helping him/her to his/her car after the shift or dumping him/her in a cab.

Wikipedia Definition: The Sous Chef is the direct assistant of the executive chef.The sous chef often shares some duties with the executive chef, such as menu planning, costing and ordering. Larger kitchens often have more than one sous chef, with each covering a certain shift or having his or her own area of responsibility, such as the banquet sous chef, in charge of all banquets, or the executive sous chef, in charge of all other sous chefs.

Expeditor: (ex-pah-die-ter) Pain in the a** who makes things overly complicated attempting to placate waitresses with PMT/PMS every day of the month who might someday brush against him accidentally and make his day.

Wikipedia Definition: The expeditor - a role generally held by the sous chef - serves as the liaison between the customers in the dining room and the line cooks. With the help of proper coordination and timing, they make sure that the food gets to the wait staff in a timely fashion, so that everyone sitting at a particular table is served simultaneously.

Chef De Partie: (shef day partee) Not as fun as it sounds these chefs rarely end up doing any partying and are generally overworked and get sh** on by the higher level managing chefs.

Wikipedia Definition: A chef de partie, also known as a "station chef" or "line cook", is in charge of a particular area of production. In large kitchens, each station chef might have several cooks and/or assistants. In most kitchens however, the station chef is the only worker in that department. Line cooks are often divided into a hierarchy of their own, starting with "First Cook", then "Second Cook", and so on as needed.

Saucier: (saw-see-ay) That jag off who keeps burning the sauce.

Wikipedia Definition: Prepares sauces, stews, and hot hors d'oeuvres, and sautées foods to order. This is usually the highest position of all the stations.

Poissonier: (pwa-sohn-ee-ay) The expert cooker of all things fish.

Wikipedia Definition: Prepares fish dishes (this station may be handled by the saucier in some kitchens).

Entremetier: (on-trah-met-ee-ay) The guy/gal with the easiest cake walk of a job in the kitchen. These duties could be assigned to other people but since this kid is someone's nephew...

Wikipedia Definition: Prepares vegetables, soups, starches, and eggs. Large kitchens may divide these duties among the vegetable cook, the fry cook, and the soup cook.

Rotisseur: (ro-tee-sur) In a big kitchen is that guy/gal drenched in sweat who nobody notices is one of the most talented sumbit**es in the kitchen but he/she never gets the recognition he/she deserves.

Wikipedia Definition: Prepares roasted and braised meats and their gravies, and broils meats and other items to order. A large kitchen may have a separate broiler cook or grillardin (gree-yard-ahn) to handle the broiled items. The broiler cook may also prepare deep-fried meats and fish.

Garde Manger: (guard mahn-zhay) The guy in the kitchen who's job is of abjectly vital importance who has to be really good with lots of things. This person must understand what goes well in salads and what texture/color/flavor contrasts will work well with cheeses/salads/dressings/etc. Is THE most important job in the kitchen if you ask me. Or in my kitchen is that guy that gets really mad when I keep telling him Radicchio just doesn't go with everything and just because a cheese is artisanal doesn't make it taste good.

Wikipedia Definition: Is responsible for cold foods, including salads and dressings, pâtés, cold hors d'oeuvres, and buffet items.

Pâtissier: (pah-tiss-ee-ay) Makes pastries and desserts and is always covered in flour, chocolate or both. This poor soul is always sugary, sweaty and in need of a break.

Wikipedia Definition: Prepares pastries and desserts.

Tournant: (toor-nahnt) Knows how to do every job in the kitchen and is usually the first one looked at to become the new Sous Chef if the old one falls down some stairs or is gently pushed in front of a bus... by accident!

Wikipedia Definition: Replaces other station heads.