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chef de cuisine

English translation: head chef / chef de cuisine

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:chef de cuisine
English translation:head chef / chef de cuisine
Entered by: David BUICK

09:35 Sep 2, 2009
French to English translations [PRO]
Cooking / Culinary
French term or phrase: chef de cuisine
My problem is I have "XXX, son chef de cuisine depuis quatre ans sera au piano" - the person he is "chef de cuisine" of being a two-star Michelin chef. So he is not THE chef but the person slaving over the hot stove. What is his job title??
David BUICK
Local time: 20:29
head chef / chef de cuisine
Explanation:
If I understand rightly, there is a Michelin-starred chef who runs the show, but he can still have a Head Chef (also known as Chef de Cuisine in English I think) who has day-to-day running of the kitchen. The Michelin-starred chef may hold the role of Executive Chef, which means he has the administrative clout to hire and fire as well as menu planning and so on, but can also have a hands-on role in the kitchen.

A few sites give an overview of the structure of a professional kitchen including the roles Executive Chef and Chef de Cuisine or Head Chef. See eg

http://www.myeducationmanager.com/what is a chef.asp

And this explanation from
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Managing-Business-1088/Head-chef-...

"Aides: often trainees. This is usually the first port of call for those new to working in professional kitchens
Commis chef: the first rung of the ladder for newly trained chefs. The commis will usually work under a chef de partie, learning basics such as vegetable preparation.
Chef de partie: responsible for running sections of the kitchen. The chef de partie will make sure the food goes out during service and will also cook. All the commis chefs will be expected to help the chef de partie during service.
Sous chefs: essentially the head chef's right-hand man. The sous chef will fulfil any role the head chef asks him or her to do in their absence.
Head chef/chef de cuisine: the boss. Will plan menus, hire and fire staff and deal with suppliers and manage costs and budgets. Depending on their profile and other commitments, the head chef will often leave much of the day-to-day work to the sous.
Executive chef: larger establishments such as hotels will have an executive chef. This person may have much the same responsibilities as the head chef of a restaurant but on a larger scale. They may be responsible for planning the menu and setting the agenda for the style of the cuisine served, for example."

A possibility...
Selected response from:

Irene McClure
Local time: 20:29
Grading comment
Thanks all and especially here for all the background. You can tell taste is my least developed sense, can't you!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +7head chef
Mark Nathan
3 +5head chef / chef de cuisine
Irene McClure
4 +2Head Chef
John ANTHONY


  

Answers


6 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +7
head chef


Explanation:
People like Gordon Ramsey do talk about "my new head chef" - while he himself is the more shadowy "executive chef".


Mark Nathan
France
Local time: 20:29
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 188

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  mimi 254
37 mins
  -> thanks
agree  Jean-Louis S.
1 hr
  -> thanks
agree  John ANTHONY: ...and you were actually quicker than me!
1 hr
  -> thanks
agree  Tony M
1 hr
  -> thanks
agree  Irene McClure: faster than me too!
2 hrs
  -> thanks
agree  George C.
3 hrs
agree  Jeanette Phillips
11 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
Head Chef


Explanation:
For instance, the recently opened MURANO in London belongs to Gordon Ramsay, but the actual head chef is Angela Hartnett.

John ANTHONY
France
Local time: 20:29
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  jean-jacques alexandre: Naturally, my dear Watson
15 mins
  -> ...Elementary ! Thanks.
agree  Irene McClure: great minds ...
2 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +5
head chef / chef de cuisine


Explanation:
If I understand rightly, there is a Michelin-starred chef who runs the show, but he can still have a Head Chef (also known as Chef de Cuisine in English I think) who has day-to-day running of the kitchen. The Michelin-starred chef may hold the role of Executive Chef, which means he has the administrative clout to hire and fire as well as menu planning and so on, but can also have a hands-on role in the kitchen.

A few sites give an overview of the structure of a professional kitchen including the roles Executive Chef and Chef de Cuisine or Head Chef. See eg

http://www.myeducationmanager.com/what is a chef.asp

And this explanation from
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Managing-Business-1088/Head-chef-...

"Aides: often trainees. This is usually the first port of call for those new to working in professional kitchens
Commis chef: the first rung of the ladder for newly trained chefs. The commis will usually work under a chef de partie, learning basics such as vegetable preparation.
Chef de partie: responsible for running sections of the kitchen. The chef de partie will make sure the food goes out during service and will also cook. All the commis chefs will be expected to help the chef de partie during service.
Sous chefs: essentially the head chef's right-hand man. The sous chef will fulfil any role the head chef asks him or her to do in their absence.
Head chef/chef de cuisine: the boss. Will plan menus, hire and fire staff and deal with suppliers and manage costs and budgets. Depending on their profile and other commitments, the head chef will often leave much of the day-to-day work to the sous.
Executive chef: larger establishments such as hotels will have an executive chef. This person may have much the same responsibilities as the head chef of a restaurant but on a larger scale. They may be responsible for planning the menu and setting the agenda for the style of the cuisine served, for example."

A possibility...

Irene McClure
Local time: 20:29
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thanks all and especially here for all the background. You can tell taste is my least developed sense, can't you!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  emiledgar: yes, both head chef and chef de cuisine in English.
6 mins
  -> Thanks Emiledgar - not much to choose between the three answers!
agree  Sandra Petch: Because you post a full explanation :-)
22 mins
  -> gee, thanks!
agree  Colin Morley (X)
1 hr
  -> Ta Colin
agree  John ANTHONY
1 hr
  -> Thanks John A, I've returned the favour!
agree  rkillings
15 hrs
  -> Thanks rkillings
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