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Sous-chef

Second in command of a kitchen

Field	Value
name	Sous-chef de cuisine's
official_names	Sous-chef
type	Profession
activity_sector	Cooking
competencies	Food expert, kitchen planning, management skills
employment_field	Cooking, food
related_occupation	Foodservice
pronunciation

A sous chef is a chef who is second-in-command of a kitchen, ranking directly below the head chef in the Kitchen Brigade system developed by Auguste Escoffier. In large kitchens, sous-chefs are typically left in charge of managing members of the kitchen on behalf of the head chef, who may often be preoccupied with other tasks such as purchasing, staffing or developing dishes.

Duties and functions

The sous-chef has many responsibilities, because the executive chef has a more overarching role. Sous-chefs must plan and direct how the food is presented on the plate, keep their kitchen staff in order, train new chefs, create the work schedule, and make sure all the food that goes to customers is of the best quality to maintain high standards.

Sous-chefs are in charge of making sure all kitchen equipment is in working order. They must thoroughly understand how to use and troubleshoot all appliances and cooking instruments in the event of a malfunctioning cooking device. Sous-chefs are in charge of disciplining any kitchen staff who may have acted against restaurant policy. Incentive programs are commonly used among sous-chefs to encourage their staff to abide by rules and regulations, and motivate them to work efficiently at all times. Under the oversight of the sous-chef, downtime should be used for prepping, cleaning and other kitchen duties. They are responsible for inventory, product and supply rotation, and menu tasting. Sous-chefs need to be responsive and have the ability to improvise when a problem arises while the restaurant is busy. They must also ensure safety precautions and sanitary provisions are taken to ensure a safe and clean working environment.

Qualifications

Many sous-chefs get to their position via promotion, after training and experience in the culinary profession.

In Canada, one way to advance to the sous-chef position is by getting a specialized college diploma, acquiring the knowledge necessary to qualify to take the Red Seal for the Journeyman Cook exam. A year after completing the exam, it is possible to enroll in the Chef Program to take an exam with the Canadian Culinary Federation. Then, after four to five years of working experience, one can apply to the Certified Chef de Cuisine program.

References

"Sous chef | Define Sous chef at Dictionary.com".
Share, Chef. (2023-01-19). "What Is The Difference Between A Sous Chef And A Head Chef?".
"What Does a Sous Chef Do? {{!}} Institute of Culinary Education".
(26 October 2015). "Sous Chef Job Description".
(2024-04-30). "How Long Does it Take to Become a Chef: Steps and Timelines".
"Cook (Cuisine) Apprenticeship".

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

culinary-terminology restaurant-staff restaurant-terminology

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