Career in the kitchen
From apprentice to chef de cuisine
Do you want to climb the career ladder in the kitchen? Do you dream of rising from apprentice chef to head chef (chef de cuisine) and cooking up your first toque? Then we have the perfect career plan for you. Here you will find the various career stages you can take in the (upscale) kitchen.
L'apprenti de la Cuisine (apprentice of the respective apprenticeship year)
As an apprentice chef, you mainly learn the basic techniques, how to use spices and how to prepare meat and vegetables. In the kitchen, you are subordinate to your station manager and carry out tasks for your superiors. This includes classic potato peeling, onion chopping and complete mise en place. But also the preparation of simple sauces, dressings and soups. After three years, you can take the next step in your career as a commis de cuisine and then climb the career ladder with a great deal of commitment and passion for cooking and high-quality products.
Commis de Cuisine (young chef)
As a young chef, you have just finished your apprenticeship and want to gain experience. You are usually assigned to a fixed post and a specific chef de partie. You take on all the production work for the post. Cleaning, observing hygiene regulations and keeping the kitchen tidy are also part of the commis de cuisine's job. You won't find a dirty kitchen in an upscale kitchen, because tidiness and hygiene are the be-all and end-all in a kitchen. But your time as a commis de cuisine is all about one thing: gaining experience under an experienced head chef.
Demichef de Partie (Deputy Head of Post)
As deputy head of post, you take over the management of the post in the absence of the chef de partie - otherwise you report to the head of post and work together with the young chefs and apprentices to ensure that all processes run smoothly. As demichef de partie, you are also responsible for the mise en place ( together with the commis and apprentices.
Chef de Partie (Head of post)
As a chef, this role lasts the longest, as this is the position in which you spend the most time behind the stove cooking. Depending on the focus of your training, you can hold different positions in the kitchen as a chef de partie. The top class is the role of chef saucier or chef patissier. As a chef de partie, you are responsible for your own area and for the young chefs and apprentices in your post: This also applies to requests for goods, which the chef de partie passes on to his superiors in the kitchen, the head chef and sous chef.
Sous chef (deputy head chef)
The sous chef is the chef de cuisine's right-hand man. He is the direct link between the head chef and the brigade - and plays an important role in the kitchen hierarchy. Unlike the chef himself, the sous-chef is also responsible for a post. This is often the role of the saucier, as this position is considered one of the most important in an upscale kitchen.
Chef de Cuisine (head chef)
When you reach the rank of Chef de Cuisine, you have made it and taken over the management of a restaurant. You lead your kitchen brigade and ensure that everything runs smoothly in the kitchen. And you make sure that the restaurant guests are happy to come back because of the excellent cuisine.
