Chefs have many, varied responsibilities. Specializing in a particular area of the kitchen or a specific cuisine adds related job duties, but overall responsibilities of a chef include the following:
- Oversee menu creation
- Manage kitchen staff assignments and personnel issues
- Ensure food safety and sanitation requirements are followed
- Maintain quality of food being served
- Oversee food ordering
- Ensure design and aura of restaurant is consistent
- Manage specific customer complaints or issues
- Maintain calm and orderly procedures in a stressful work environment
The cooking industry, however, has a strong hierarchy of chefs according to their expertise, education and years in the business. Specific responsibilities for cooks in each area are as follows:
Assistant Station Chef
In this position an employee is responsible for assisting the station chef in a particular area of the kitchen. Some responsibilities include:
- Food safety/sanitation
- Food preparation (cutting vegetables, cleaning fish)
- Basic cooking procedures
Station Chef
Station chefs are in charge of a station within the kitchen. Responsibilities of station chefs include:
- Food safety/sanitation
- Oversee Assistant Station Chefs
- Manage a specific area of the kitchen, such as vegetables, fish or poultry
- Maintain orderly, efficient procedures under stressful situations
- Innovate methods of production and plating
- Create delicious food and appetizing presentation
Saucier
While technically a station chef, sauciers are considered their own category, and the highest level of station chef. Sauciers are in charge of creating sauces for all areas of the restaurant. Their job responsibilities include:
- Develop innovative sauces to match each station within the kitchen
- Manage food safety of sauces
- Work closely with other station chefs to create complementary sauces for restaurant cuisine
Sous Chef
A sous chef runs the day-to-day operations of the kitchen under the direction of the executive chef. Sous chefs hold great responsibility within the restaurant, including:
- Manage kitchen staff, overseeing station chefs, pastry chefs and sauciers
- Manage host/wait staff
- Handle all procurement, including food and cleaning vendors
- Ultimate responsibility for food safety and sanitation within the kitchen
- Innovate new ideas for menus and individual station chefs
- Maintain restaurant consistency
- Handle some public relations issues
Executive Chef
The executive chef creates the menu and has the final word on menu items, plating and atmosphere. Often the executive chef actually owns the restaurant they manage, and thus are responsible for building maintenance, restaurant atmosphere, public relations, marketing and financial management. Other duties of an executive chef include:
- Restaurant design
- Overseeing sous chef; assisting with issues sous chef cannot handle
- Final word on hiring/dismissal of employees
- Secures restaurant financing; manages debts
- Creates marketing opportunities
Other chef positions exist outside of a traditional restaurant. These can include the following:
Pastry Chef
Pastry chefs do not follow a typical route to gaining responsibility in the kitchen. Their job duties vary as well, but can include:
- Develop delicious desserts and bread products
- Create attractive and appealing plating for desserts and breads
- Work with sous and executive chefs to create menu items
- Work with station chefs and sauciers where applicable
- Innovate new ideas for pastries and breads
Chefs hold great responsibility within the kitchen. Not only do they have duties around food safety and human resources, but also must develop efficient procedures to create delicious, appealing menu items.
