Chef job description: what a chef does, the kitchen brigade from commis to executive chef, skills and a template

Ask what a chef does and the answer depends on which chef. A commis peels, chops and learns. A chef de partie runs the fish section through a two-hundred-cover service. A head chef writes the menu, hires the team and answers for the food cost. The title is the same word; the job is a ladder.

This chef job description explains what all chefs have in common, sets out six duties, explains what chef de partie, sous chef, head or executive chef and pastry chef mean, lists the skills employers ask for, summarises the UK rules on allergens and hygiene, gives a template that you can adapt and suggests how to describe kitchen work on a CV.

Kitchens take on new people often, and the first shifts decide whether they stay. See how New Dynamics onboarding brings tasks, early goals and manager conversations into a clear path for a new starter.

What is a chef?

The Cambridge Dictionary defines a chef as “a skilled and trained cook who works in a hotel or restaurant, especially the most important cook”. Prospects, the UK graduate careers service, describes the work in its chef job profile: “As a chef, you'll prepare, cook and present high quality food that tastes great and is visually appealing. As you gain experience, you'll go beyond simply following recipes and will also create menus and develop new dishes.”

Three things define the job at every level.

• Standards, repeated. The same dish, to the same standard, every time it is ordered.
• Time. Food is cooked to a moment, and the kitchen runs to the pass.
• Progression. The titles mark stages, and most chefs climb them.

Chef duties: six responsibilities

1. Prepare, cook and present food. To the recipe, the standard and the time, with the presentation the restaurant expects.
2. Run a section or a shift. Set up, work the orders in sequence, coordinate with the pass and the other sections, and close down.
3. Keep food safe and the kitchen clean. Storage, temperatures, dates, allergens, cleaning and the records that show it was done.
4. Manage stock and cost. Check deliveries, rotate stock, control waste and portions, and work within the budget.
5. Develop menus and dishes. Contribute at first; own it at the top.
6. Lead and train the team. Delegate, teach, correct and motivate, from showing a commis how to hold a knife to running a brigade of twenty.

How much of each duty a chef does depends on their place in the brigade.

The kitchen brigade: chef de partie to executive chef

Prospects says chefs typically progress through four roles, and describes what each does.

1. Commis chef. The entry-level position, focused on learning the fundamentals: basic techniques, knife skills, handling food safely, checking stock and deliveries, assisting the chef de partie across stations and keeping the kitchen clean.
2. Chef de partie. Cambridge defines a chef de partie as a chef “who is in charge of one section of a kitchen in a restaurant”. Prospects lists the sections as meat, sauces, fish or pastry, and the duties as supervising the preparation, cooking and assembling of dishes so that they go out on time, assisting the sous chef or head chef with menu development, carrying out food safety and hygiene checks, monitoring stock and budgets, and delegating to junior chefs. Section chef and station chef mean the same.
3. Sous chef. The second in command. Prospects says a sous chef will “carry out the head chef's vision and maintain high kitchen standards”, manage the day-to-day running of the kitchen, oversee food orders, inventory and budgeting, and train and mentor junior staff.
4. Head chef, executive chef or chef de cuisine. The leader of the kitchen. Prospects says the role has “ultimate responsibility for overall kitchen performance and reputation”: creating a vision for the cuisine, designing menus, tasting and approving dishes before service, recruiting and managing staff, managing suppliers and the budget. It adds that in this role “you may spend less time cooking and more time managing, mentoring and driving the creative direction of the kitchen.” In practice, executive chef tends to be used where one person oversees several kitchens or outlets, with head chefs beneath them, and the two titles are often used interchangeably in a single kitchen.

Pastry chef. A pastry chef runs the pastry section, which Prospects lists among the chef de partie's sections: desserts, breads, pastries and often the baked elements of other dishes. In a large kitchen the pastry chef is a chef de partie with a team; in a hotel or a specialist business the pastry chef may head a separate kitchen. The duties are the same six, applied to pastry, with more weight on precision, timing and temperature.

Skills employers ask for

Prospects lists what a chef needs to have. The list includes “a passion for cooking”, technical cooking skills, “food knowledge and creativity to experiment with ingredients and come up with new menu ideas”, active listening and the ability to follow instructions, organisational and time management skills, teamwork and communication, “the ability to accept criticism and to learn from it”, attention to detail, and “self-motivation, determination, confidence and resilience”, together with the ability to remain calm while working under pressure.

Two more belong in every advert.

• Stamina. Long shifts, on your feet, in heat, at the busiest times of everyone else's week.
• Hygiene as a habit. Not a course certificate, but the way the person works.

UK rules that shape the job

Allergens. The Food Standards Agency's allergen guidance for food businesses, which applies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, states: “Food businesses must make sure that staff receive training on allergens.” Chefs are where allergen information starts: in the recipe, the substitution and the cross-contamination that a careless hand introduces.

Qualifications and apprenticeships. Prospects says apprenticeships are available at different levels, including level 2 commis chef and production chef, level 3 chef de partie and pastry chef, and level 4 senior culinary chef. Skills England's apprenticeship listing sets out the current standards. Prospects notes that it is also possible to start as a kitchen assistant or trainee commis chef and work your way up.

This is general information about the UK, not legal advice. Other countries have their own food safety rules.

Chef job description template

Adapt the template to the level and the kitchen. Keep every line true.

Job title: [Commis chef / chef de partie / sous chef / head chef], [section if applicable]

Reports to: [Chef de partie / sous chef / head chef / general manager]

Hours: [Full-time], including evenings, weekends and split shifts

Purpose of the role: To [prepare and cook / run the section / run the kitchen] to our standard, safely, on time and within budget, and to [learn from / support / lead] the team.

Main duties:

• Prepare, cook and present dishes to the recipe and the standard
• [Set up and run the section / run the shift / run the kitchen] through service
• Keep food safe: storage, temperatures, dates, allergens and cleaning, with records
• Check deliveries, rotate stock, control waste and portions
• [Contribute to / develop] menus and new dishes
• [Follow instructions / delegate to and train] junior chefs

Skills and experience:

• Technical cooking skills at [level], with [cuisine or section] experience
• Food hygiene and allergen training [level required]
• Organised, calm under pressure and able to keep standards through a full service
• Works well in a team and takes direction [or leads one]
• [Qualification or apprenticeship level required or offered]

We provide: Training and apprenticeship support, meals on shift, a written tipping policy where tips are shared, and a clear route to the next role in the brigade.

Say the cuisine, the covers, the sections and the hours. "Chef" alone tells a candidate nothing. Our job description template explains the structure, and our guides to the waiter and server job description and the meaning of caterer cover the roles around the kitchen.

How to describe kitchen work on a CV

Employers want the level, the kitchen and the evidence. The lines below are invented examples, to show the form.

• State the kitchen and the level. “Chef de partie on the sauce section of a 120-cover restaurant, leading two commis.”
• Show standards. “Ran the section through a full year with no food safety audit findings.”
• Show scope. “Developed four dishes that joined the menu, and costed them to the gross margin target.”
• Name the training. Food hygiene level, allergen training and apprenticeship level.

Common mistakes in chef adverts

No level. Commis, chef de partie, sous and head are different jobs. Say which.

No cuisine, covers or hours. These decide whether a chef applies.

Passion in place of pay. Say the salary, the hours and how tips are shared.

Silence on allergens and hygiene. Say the training you require and provide.

No route up. The brigade is a ladder. Show the next rung.

Frequently asked questions

What does a chef do?

A chef prepares, cooks and presents food to a standard and a time, keeps food safe and the kitchen clean, manages stock and cost, and, with experience, develops menus and dishes and leads and trains the team. How much of each a chef does depends on their level in the kitchen brigade.

What does chef de partie mean?

Chef de partie is the chef in charge of one section of a kitchen, such as meat, sauces, fish or pastry. The chef de partie supervises the preparation, cooking and assembly of that section's dishes, carries out food safety checks, monitors stock and delegates to junior chefs. Section chef and station chef mean the same.

What is an executive chef?

An executive chef, head chef or chef de cuisine is the leader of the kitchen, with ultimate responsibility for its performance and reputation: the vision for the cuisine, the menus, the standards, the team, the suppliers and the budget. In practice, executive chef tends to be used where one person oversees several kitchens, with head chefs beneath them.

What does a pastry chef do?

A pastry chef runs the pastry section: desserts, breads, pastries and often the baked elements of other dishes. In a large kitchen the pastry chef is a chef de partie with a team; in a hotel or specialist business they may head a separate kitchen. Precision, timing and temperature matter more than in most sections.

What qualifications does a chef need?

None are essential to start. In England, apprenticeships run from level 2 commis chef and production chef through level 3 chef de partie and pastry chef to level 4, and Prospects notes that it is possible to start as a kitchen assistant and work up. Food hygiene and allergen training are required in practice.

What skills does a chef need?

Technical cooking skills, food knowledge and creativity, the ability to follow instructions and to accept criticism, organisation and time management, teamwork and communication, attention to detail, resilience, calm under pressure and the stamina for long shifts in heat.

Your next step

If you are hiring, put the level, the cuisine, the covers, the hours and the pay in the first paragraph of the advert. If you are applying, rewrite one line of your CV with the section, the covers and the team you led.

For a plan that turns a new chef's first week into a confident first month, read and download our onboarding guide. The guide is free to read, and the PDF uses our short download form.

Want every new starter in the kitchen to get the same clear start? Book a New Dynamics demo and bring your current approach. You can also email contact@new-dynamics.com.