The kitchen brigade (Brigade de cuisine, French pronunciation: [bʁiɡad də kɥizin]) is a system of hierarchy found in restaurants and hotels employing extensive staff, commonly referred to as "kitchen staff" in English-speaking countries.
The concept was developed by Auguste Escoffier (1846–1935). [1] [2] This structured team system delegates responsibilities to different individuals who specialize in certain tasks in the kitchen or in the dining room.
This is a comprehensive list of the members of a full kitchen brigade. Only the largest of establishments would have a staff of this size. As noted under some titles, certain positions are combined into other positions when such a large staff is unnecessary. Note: Despite the use of chef in English as the title for a cook, the word actually means "chief" or "head" in French. Similarly, cuisine means "kitchen", but also refers to food or cooking generally, or a type of food or cooking.
English | French | IPA | Responsibilities |
---|---|---|---|
Sauté chef | saucier | [sosje] | Sautéed items and their sauce. (The highest position of the stations.) |
Fish chef | poissonnier | [pwasɔnje] | Fish dishes, and often fish butchering, and their sauces. (May be combined with the saucier position.) |
Roast chef | rôtisseur | [ʁotisœʁ] | Roasted and braised meats, and their sauces. |
Grill chef | grillardin | [ɡʁijaʁdɛ̃] | Grilled foods. (May be combined with the rotisseur.) |
Fry chef | friturier | [fʁityʁje] | Fried items. (May be combined with the rotisseur.) |
Entrée preparer | entremétier | [ɑ̃tʁəmetje] | Hot appetizers and often the soups, vegetables, pastas and starches. |
Soup chef | potager | [pɔtaʒe] | Soups. (May be handled by the entremétier.) |
Vegetable chef | légumier | [legymje] | Vegetables. (May be handled by the entremétier.) |
Roundsman | tournant | [tuʁnɑ̃] | Fills in as needed on stations in the kitchen, a.k.a. the swing cook. |
Pantry chef | garde manger | [ɡaʁd mɑ̃ʒe] | Cold foods: salads, cold appetizers, pâtés and other charcuterie items. |
Butcher | boucher | [buʃe] | Butchers meats, poultry, and sometimes fish and breading. |
Pastry chef | pâtissier | [patisje] | Baked goods and plated desserts, including pastries, cakes, and breads. May manage a separate team and department. |
ENTREMÉTIER […] Cuisinier chargé de la préparation des entremets, dans une grande cuisine.
ENTREMETTIER ou ENTREMÉTIER n. m. (ENTREMÉTIER 1870 GDu, ENTREMETTIER 1892 Ddd; de entremets). […] Dans une brigade de cuisine, jeune chef de partie qui a la charge de préparer les potages, les œufs, ainsi que les légumes devant servir de garniture (aux viandes, aux poissons).
The kitchen brigade (Brigade de cuisine, French pronunciation: [bʁiɡad də kɥizin]) is a system of hierarchy found in restaurants and hotels employing extensive staff, commonly referred to as "kitchen staff" in English-speaking countries.
The concept was developed by Auguste Escoffier (1846–1935). [1] [2] This structured team system delegates responsibilities to different individuals who specialize in certain tasks in the kitchen or in the dining room.
This is a comprehensive list of the members of a full kitchen brigade. Only the largest of establishments would have a staff of this size. As noted under some titles, certain positions are combined into other positions when such a large staff is unnecessary. Note: Despite the use of chef in English as the title for a cook, the word actually means "chief" or "head" in French. Similarly, cuisine means "kitchen", but also refers to food or cooking generally, or a type of food or cooking.
English | French | IPA | Responsibilities |
---|---|---|---|
Sauté chef | saucier | [sosje] | Sautéed items and their sauce. (The highest position of the stations.) |
Fish chef | poissonnier | [pwasɔnje] | Fish dishes, and often fish butchering, and their sauces. (May be combined with the saucier position.) |
Roast chef | rôtisseur | [ʁotisœʁ] | Roasted and braised meats, and their sauces. |
Grill chef | grillardin | [ɡʁijaʁdɛ̃] | Grilled foods. (May be combined with the rotisseur.) |
Fry chef | friturier | [fʁityʁje] | Fried items. (May be combined with the rotisseur.) |
Entrée preparer | entremétier | [ɑ̃tʁəmetje] | Hot appetizers and often the soups, vegetables, pastas and starches. |
Soup chef | potager | [pɔtaʒe] | Soups. (May be handled by the entremétier.) |
Vegetable chef | légumier | [legymje] | Vegetables. (May be handled by the entremétier.) |
Roundsman | tournant | [tuʁnɑ̃] | Fills in as needed on stations in the kitchen, a.k.a. the swing cook. |
Pantry chef | garde manger | [ɡaʁd mɑ̃ʒe] | Cold foods: salads, cold appetizers, pâtés and other charcuterie items. |
Butcher | boucher | [buʃe] | Butchers meats, poultry, and sometimes fish and breading. |
Pastry chef | pâtissier | [patisje] | Baked goods and plated desserts, including pastries, cakes, and breads. May manage a separate team and department. |
ENTREMÉTIER […] Cuisinier chargé de la préparation des entremets, dans une grande cuisine.
ENTREMETTIER ou ENTREMÉTIER n. m. (ENTREMÉTIER 1870 GDu, ENTREMETTIER 1892 Ddd; de entremets). […] Dans une brigade de cuisine, jeune chef de partie qui a la charge de préparer les potages, les œufs, ainsi que les légumes devant servir de garniture (aux viandes, aux poissons).