Hospitality glossary · Jobs and roles
A chef de partie is a chef in charge of one section of a kitchen, such as the grill, sauces, fish or pastry. The name is French and means the chef of a part, or section.
In practice
Definitions are easy. What matters is how the thing behaves in a real operation, and where it tends to go wrong.
In a traditional kitchen brigade, the ranked team of chefs, the chef de partie sits below the sous chef and above the commis chefs, the junior chefs who help on each section. They set up their section before service, cook everything that comes from it, and often train the commis working with them. A smaller kitchen may have only one or two, each covering more than one section.
Promoting the best cook on the line and expecting them to lead with no help. Running a section means planning prep, checking stock and teaching a junior, which are different skills from cooking well. Without support, a strong cook can turn into a frustrated one who leaves.
Questions
Something here that doesn’t match what you’re seeing in your own business? That is usually worth a conversation rather than another article.
A chef de partie is a chef in charge of one section of a kitchen, such as the grill, sauces, fish or pastry. The name is French and means the chef of a part, or section. In a traditional kitchen brigade, the ranked team of chefs, the chef de partie sits below the sous chef and above the commis chefs, the junior chefs who help on each section. They set up their section before service, cook everything that comes from it, and often train the commis working with them. A smaller kitchen may have only one or two, each covering more than one section.
Promoting the best cook on the line and expecting them to lead with no help. Running a section means planning prep, checking stock and teaching a junior, which are different skills from cooking well. Without support, a strong cook can turn into a frustrated one who leaves.
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