Understanding chef hierarchy: The different ranks in a professional kitchen

In a professional kitchen, every team member plays an integral role in keeping the business running smoothly. With countless starters, main courses, and desserts to prepare and send out during each shift, precision and timing are everything. To ensure service is seamless, each person must understand their responsibilities completely, and be able to execute them flawlessly.

Many chef position titles are in French, which can be confusing if you’re unfamiliar with the terminology. Ever wondered what sets a saucier apart from a chef de partie, for example? Or where a commis chef fits into the picture? In this guide, we’ll break down the typical kitchen brigade, explaining each of the chef ranks and why they’re essential to a kitchen’s success. 

We’ll cover:

• Why kitchen hierarchy matters

• What are the different chef ranks?

• What does a Head Chef do?

• What does a Sous Chef do?

• What’s a Chef de Partie?

• Grill chef

• Sauce chef

• Pastry Chef

• Garde Manger

• Other types of Chefs de Partie

• What is a Commis Chef?

• What is a prep cook?

• What’s the difference between a chef and a cook?

Picture dinner service in a busy restaurant. Orders come in thick and fast as dozens of hungry customers await their meals, each one expecting perfection. In the kitchen, the environment is loud and frenetic: flames flare, pans clang, and chefs navigate narrow gangways, manoeuvring around one another as they dodge hot plates and wait staff rushing in and out. It’s a hive of activity, and without clear structure, chaos can take over in seconds.

So, how do chefs avoid mistakes, mess, and even injuries in such high-pressure environments? That’s where the brigade system comes in. 

The brigade system

Originally developed by French chef George August Escoffier, the brigade system was designed to bring order and structure to large commercial kitchens. It divides the team into specialised roles, each with a different set of responsibilities, ensuring everyone stays on track during the busiest work days. 

A successful kitchen hierarchy ensures that:

• Tasks are distributed efficiently

• Responsibilities are clearly defined

• Each chef becomes a specialist in their role

• Different elements of complex dishes are ready to be plated at the same time

• There’s a clear path to career progression

By assigning the right chefs to the right positions, and ensuring everyone knows their place in the system, the brigade model can keep even the busiest kitchens running like clockwork.

Now that you understand why kitchen hierarchy is important, let’s break down the different chef positions you’ll typically find in a professional kitchen, and how they differ from one another.

This simple diagram can help you visualise the structure of the brigade system. At the top, you’ll find the head of the kitchen, and at the bottom, the vital entry-level roles that keep everything running. Each position plays a key part in ensuring service is the best it can be.

The Head Chef — also known as the Executive Chef or Chef de Cuisine — sits at the very top of the kitchen hierarchy. They are responsible for the overall running of the kitchen, overseeing everything from menu design and staffing to food quality and the supply chain. 

While they may occasionally step in during service, the day-to-day role of the Head Chef is typically less about hands-on cooking, and more centred around leadership and executing a creative vision for the restaurant. In essence, the head chef acts as both a manager and a creative director, balancing both the artistic and the logistical elements of running a successful business.

A Head Chef’s key responsibilities include the following:

• Managing the rest of the kitchen staff and delegating responsibilities

• Hiring and training kitchen staff

• Designing and updating menus

• Overseeing food presentation, quality, and consistency

• Managing stock, food costs, and supplier relationships

• Enforcing health, safety, and hygiene standards

Executive Chef vs Head Chef

While the terms are often used interchangeably, there can be subtle differences between the roles of Head Chef and Executive Chef, depending on the type of kitchen:

• Executive Chef: More commonly used in larger operations such as hotel or resort kitchens. Executive chefs might take on more administrative responsibilities. They sometimes oversee multiple kitchens.

• Head Chef: Often used in smaller restaurants or standalone venues. They may take a more hands-on role in cooking and supervising line staff.

It’s worth noting that not all kitchens follow the exact same structure. In larger operations, you might find both a Head Chef and an Executive Chef. In some cases, the terms Head Chef and Chef de Cuisine are used interchangeably, while in others, they may refer to slightly different roles. 

Sous Chef translates to “under chef” in French. Reporting directly to the Head Chef, the Sous Chef is second-in-command in the kitchen hierarchy. They act as a bridge between the Head Chef and the rest of the kitchen, overseeing staff, managing service, and ensuring the Head Chef’s vision is carried out.

The key responsibilities of the Sous Chef include: 

• Supervising the kitchen team, coordinating activity across different stations

• Ensuring consistent food quality, presentation, and portion control

• Supporting the Head Chef in planning menus, and improving menu consistency

• Training and mentoring junior staff

• Monitoring inventory and placing orders

• Stepping in to lead service when the Head Chef is unavailable

• Problem-solving on the fly during busy shifts

In French, Chef de Partie means “head of the section”. They’re sometimes referred to as station chefs or line cooks, and are responsible for running a specific section of the kitchen. 

This role is all about expertise. A Chef de Partie must master the skills required for their station, maintaining consistency throughout service. They often supervise junior staff such as Commis Chefs. Depending on the size of the kitchen, they may also be responsible for prepping the ingredients they cook with, as well as checking equipment.

Here are some of the types of Chefs de Partie you would typically find in a kitchen: 

The Sauce Chef, or Saucier, is responsible for preparing all the sauces, stocks, stews, and sautéed items that form the foundation of the menu. The role requires strong technical knowledge, as well as the multitasking ability needed to manage multiple types of pans at once, often while coordinating timing with other Chefs de Partie to ensure all the elements of a dish come together seamlessly. 

A Sauce Chef’s responsibilities can include: 

• Preparing the ingredients that go into soups and sauces before service

• Simmering stocks in large stock pots

• Using sauce strainers to achieve a fine texture

• Using stick blenders to create purées and emulsions

• Managing a variety of different saucepans, sauté pans, woks, and frying pans at once

The Grill Chef, or Grillardin, is responsible for preparing all the grilled — and often fried — items on the menu. Typically, this includes meat such as steaks, sausages, burgers, and poultry, as well as seafood and vegetables. It’s a high-pressure role that demands precise timing, as well as a good understanding of heat control. 

During service, the Grill Chef primarily works with the following:

• Char-grill or open-flame grill

• Cookware for searing and finishing, including cast iron griddle pans, and frying pans 

• An infrared or meat thermometer to ensure perfect internal temperatures

• Heavy-duty tongs for handling hot items

• Protective gloves to withstand hot pan handles

Many Grill Chefs are also responsible for preparing their ingredients before the heat goes on. This often involves breaking down cuts of meat using a boning knife, cleaver, meat slicer, or meat mincer, as well as marinating their proteins.

A Pastry Chef, also called a Pâttissier, is a dessert specialist. Despite their job title, their responsibilities extend far beyond pastries — they’re in charge of all the sweet items and baked goods that leave the kitchen, from bread to cakes, pies, and tarts. 

Exact measurements, controlled temperatures, and precise timing form the foundation of the job. A successful Pastry Chef combines technical discipline with creativity, crafting desserts that not only taste exceptional but also look visually stunning on the plate.

The duties of a Pastry Chef can include: 

• Preparing doughs and batters using a stand mixer

• Baking a variety of items in a convection or deck oven

• Ensuring items are weighed out with precision using scales and portioners

• Ensuring items are consistent in size and shape using pastry products like silicone moulds

• Decorating and assembling desserts, relying on utensils like chef’s tweezers, palette knives, and piping bags.

• Developing seasonal dessert menus

Given the technical demands of pastry work, many Pâtissiers pursue additional training to master the science and artistry required.

The Garde Manger, also known as the Pantry Chef, is responsible for all cold food preparation. While sometimes overlooked, this role is crucial to the kitchen hierarchy, particularly in restaurants with an extensive starter or salad menu. 

The Garde Manger’s responsibilities typically include: 

• Mastering the different vegetable cuts to chop vegetables in preparation for service, relying on knives and vegetable slicers to achieve a precise cut.

• Preparing preserved foods such as pickles, ferments, and cured meats

• Assembling cold dishes, platters, and buffet displays

• Maintaining cold storage and refrigeration standards

In addition to the Sauce Chef, Grill Chef, Pastry Chef, and Garde Manger, some kitchens hire other specialist Chefs de Partie depending on the complexity of the menu. The Poissonnier, or Fish Chef, is responsible for preparing and cooking all seafood dishes, while the Rôtisseur, or Roast Chef, oversees roasted meats. In larger kitchens, you might encounter a Tournant, or Swing Chef, whose job is to rotate between stations, offering aid wherever it’s needed to keep things running smoothly.

Next in the ranks comes the Commis Chef. This is a junior chef who reports directly to the Chef de Partie, learning the fundamentals of the role. This is a hands-on, learning focused role, and is often the first step on the career ladder for culinary school graduates or apprentices.

Commis Chefs are typically assigned to a specific station, where they assist with food preparation, basic cooking tasks, and maintaining cleanliness. Over time, they may take on more responsibility in their role, and eventually progress to a Chef de Partie position. 

As their job title suggests, prep cooks, or prep chefs, support the kitchen team by handling ingredient preparation before service begins. Their tasks can include chopping vegetables, preparing garnishes, measuring out ingredients, mixing dressings, or completing other essential prep work that sets the team up for a smooth service.

While prep cooks aren’t traditionally part of the classic brigade system, the role has become increasingly common in modern kitchens, particularly in high-volume or fast-paced environments. Prep cooks work under the supervision of more senior chefs and, much like Commis Chefs, the position often serves as an entry point into the culinary world.  For many aspiring chefs, this role lays the foundation for a long and successful career in the industry. 

Although the terms cook and chef are often used interchangeably, there are key differences between the two. 

A chef is typically someone who has undergone formal culinary training, or has gained extensive experience in professional kitchens. Chefs usually have leadership roles within the kitchen hierarchy — for example, Chefs de Partie lead their sections, while Executive Chefs are responsible for the whole kitchen team.

A cook, on the other hand, is typically someone in a junior role, who prepares food according to a set menu or under the direction of a chef. Cooks may or may not have formal training and are generally responsible for executing recipes (rather than creating them), handling prep work, and supporting service.

Understanding the kitchen hierarchy isn’t just useful — it’s essential knowledge. Whether you’re stepping into your first role in a kitchen or managing an entire brigade, knowing who does what helps build a stronger, more collaborative working environment, and sets you on the path to career success.

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