What is a Chef de Partie?
A Chef de Partie is a chef commissioned to run one particular area of a restaurant’s kitchen. The position is most often found in kitchens with large numbers of staff where delegation of the various kitchen duties is essential to its smooth running. In kitchens where there is more than one Chef de Partie, the chefs are named according to their position in the kitchen hierarchy and are commonly referred to as chef #1, chef #2, and so on.
The Chef de Partie can be assigned anyone of a number of stations, each of which specializes in the preparation of a particular feature of the restaurant’s menu. These stations retain their French name and include the following: A sauté chef, a fish chef (poisonnier), a grill chef (Rotisseur), a roast chef (Grillardin) , a vegetable chef (Entremetier), pantry chef (Garde Manger), a fry chef (Friturier), an all rounder or roundsman (Tournant), a butcher (Boucher), and a pastry chef (Patissier).
The highest position that the Chef de Partie can be assigned is that of Sauté Chef. As Sauté Chef, the Chef de Partie concerns himself with the kitchen’s sautéd items and must ensure that their attendant sources are properly and promptly prepared. Because the fish in the kitchen is often in need of a complementary sauté, the Chef de Partie will sometimes combine this position with that of Fish Chef. As Fish Chef, the Chef de Partie is responsible for cutting and preparing the fish and its sauté.
In his guise as Roast Chef, the Chef de Partie must prepare all braised and roasted meats and their sauces. If the kitchen is small enough, the Chef de Partie will often combine this role with the positions of Grill Chef and Fry Chef to economize on kitchen staff and expedite the preparation and cooking of the kitchen’s meat dishes.
If the kitchen has a full complement of stations, separate Chefs de Partie will be assigned to the preparation of soups, while another will be given the task of busying himself with the vegetables. However, if the kitchen is smaller, the positions of legumier (vegetable chef) and potager (soup chef) will be combined. A Chef de Partie in charge of the vegetables and the soups will also find he is often tasked with preparing the kitchen’s pastas and appetizers, too.
The Pantry Chef is charged with the preparation of those of the kitchen’s dishes that leave the kitchen cold. That is, he prepares the salads, pates and cold meats. The Butcher cuts and prepares the kitchen’s meats and is sometimes charged with the management and preparation of the fish dishes too.
The Pastry Chef is usually a specialized position in the kitchen and so the Chef de Partie assigned to this role is often a specialist or executive who runs a troupe of his own chefs and cooks. Finally, the Chef de Partie’s task as a Roundsman is to fill the unoccupied positions in the kitchen.
Written by CPW
