Cook's Dress

Hi. I am nine years old and just starting to help my mom cook. I would like to be a chef when I get a liitle older. My questions are about the clothes a chef wears. I have noticed that their pants are often black and white checks or stripes. Why? And, what is the reason for that big floppy hat? Thank you.

[Nicko]

Hello Madison,

That is a great question, and I am glad that you posted it in the forums. Not to long ago Chef Joe George wrote an excellent article about the chef's uniform that is in the ChefTalk.Com archives if you would like to read it. Here is the link:
http://www.cheftalk.com/HTML/Educati...cket_hats.html

The article is called Jackets and Toques - The History and Evolution of the way we dress.

Hope that helps!


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Best Regards,

Nicko
nicko@cheftalk.com

Hello Madison,

I think it great that you are interested in cooking. It can be a lot of fun and very rewarding, though it is hard work with long hours. About your question concerning the uniforms I can give you a brief summary. A long time ago in France, during the Revolution, the rich nobility had private chefs, but when the rich were hunted the chefs had to flee. Many found safety in the church monestaries. The Priest dressed the chefs like religious men so the would be safe, but eventually the chefs switched their clothes to white to differenciate themselves from the Preists. The hat was used in the church to show position with the taller the hat the higher up in rank the wearer was. The chefs, calling the hat a toque used the same system.

The jackets traditionally were double breasted which allowed the wearer to switch it and cover a stain, but the real reason for the double breast was an added layer of insulation. The cuffs on the sleeves were very long and rolled up, but in a pinch they were handy pot holders. The buttons were cloth knots so if they ever fell into the food they would be seen, or if bitten atleast they were safe.

The checkered pants (usually refered to as checks) hide stains in the pattern, though many chefs are wearing all kinds of different and unique uniforms today. The important thing about the pants is that hot liquids will roll off and not soak through to your skin. The other important thing is to make sure they are long enough so if liquids do spill and run down the don't end up in your shoe.