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

2

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

4

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

6

Role of Chef du partie/section chef leaders/cooks

• Responsible for a particular / number of sections in the kitchen

7

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)

8

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

9

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

10

Kitchen porter

• Used for the cleaning of utensils and equipment

• In some operations they may be required to do some basic food preparation

11