Kitchen Organisation
The Kitchen Brigade
Kitchen Brigade
The Kitchen Brigade is dictated by:
• size of the establishment
• its food and beverages on offer
e.g. a 5 star hotel could have between 80 and 120 chefs whereas a small roadside restaurant could have 4-10 chefs, however each would still have a hierarchal structure
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Typical kitchen brigade hierarchal structure• Executive/head chef/kitchen manager
• Sous chef/second chef
• Chef de partie/section chef leaders/cooks
• Senior commis chefs/assistant cooks
• Commis chefs
• Apprentices 3
Classical kitchen brigade structure
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Roles of Executive/head chef/kitchen manager or chef de cuisine
• Kitchen Manager
• Administrator
• Budget-holder
• Responsible for the production of all food items within
the business – this dictates the amount of actual
cooking he/she may do.
• Health and safety
• Staff recruitment
• Purchasing of resources 5
Roles of Sous chef /second chef
• In charge of operations in the absence of the senior chef
• More ‘hands on’ and responsible for the production of food on a daily basis
• Depending on the size of operation there may be more than one sous chef taking charge on different rota patterns
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Role of Chef du partie/section chef leaders/cooks
• Responsible for a particular / number of sections in the kitchen
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Chef du partie - sections
These sections may include:• Chef saucier/rôtisseur (sauce and roasts and
entrées)• Chef du garde-manger (larder section) • Poissonnier (fish section)• Chef etremettier (vegetable section)• Chef pâtissier (pastry section)• Chef tournant (relief chef)
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Senior commis chefs/assistant cooks
• Key members of the section
• In charge of the section when the chef du partie is absent
• Generally works in the larger sections e.g. pâtissier and larder
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Commis chef
• Depending on the size of operation there may be one or more commis chefs
• responsible for the day-to-day preparation and cooking within the section
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Kitchen porter
• Used for the cleaning of utensils and equipment
• In some operations they may be required to do some basic food preparation
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