[Rivver]

If you have the ability to run a restaurant, create menus, price, teach staff, run succesful events and most importantly have a loyal customer base then I feel you can call yourself a chef.

If you have someone else create menus, price and rely on 50% or more premade food but still run the operation, then I would say that person would be a kitchen manager. Im surrounded by those type of places,sadly.

I know a guy that calls himself a "chef" He worked at a seafood place and he would always brag about how busy and good his food is. I stopped by to see him and check out his operation..... First thing I saw was him cutting open a bag of white funk and dumping it into a big pot. I asked what the **** that was, he replied "New England Clam Chowder" Yuck! Then I looked around and saw cans of premades every where, from marinara, peanut sauce, to even tomato basil soup! WTF I said to myself. Im sorry but if a "chef" cant make a tomato basil soup within 30 minutes from scratch then our industry has major issues. Frozen fish, shrimp already in marnades, stuffed fish, crab cakes everything was made in a factory and bought in. And what blows me away is he did almost 250 covers that night!