To become a chef de partie, you must have prior cooking experience and demonstrate proficiency in at least one cooking area. If you want to work as a chef de partie, also known as a line cook, in a large kitchen, you’ll need management experience because you’ll be responsible for training and managing additional staff. While formal education may aid in obtaining a position as a chef, becoming a chef de partie necessitates demonstrating real-world success in the kitchen. A chef de partie is in charge of a specific kitchen station and must be able to work effectively with subordinates in addition to having excellent cooking skills.
As you begin your journey to become a chef de partie, you might consider working in a restaurant kitchen in any capacity to gain experience and see if the culinary world is a good fit for you. If you are still in high school, you might want to consider taking cooking classes to see if you enjoy working with food. For those interested in working in restaurants, some high schools may offer more advanced vocational classes. Following graduation, you may choose to enroll in a culinary school program at a vocational school, community college, or even a four-year university. If you decide to pursue a culinary education, look for a school that offers internships so you can gain hands-on experience in the kitchen.
If you don’t want to go to culinary school, you should look for an entry-level position in a kitchen. If you don’t have any formal training or experience, you might have to start as a dishwasher or do simple prep work under the supervision of a chef. As your career progresses, you should seek out more responsibility and pay close attention to your superiors’ instructions on how to improve your cooking abilities. When your superior leaves or is promoted, you may be promoted to chef de partie if you work in a smaller kitchen. You may also gain enough experience working in a specific area of the kitchen over time to be able to leave and take over as a station chef at another establishment.