What does an Executive Chef do?

In a restaurant, country club, hotel, or cruise ship, an executive chef, also known as the chef de cuisine or head cook, is in charge of the kitchen. The majority of people in this position supervise a team of ten or more kitchen employees. An executive chef’s responsibilities include staff training, quality control, task assignment, supply ordering, and meal planning.

A typical day for an executive chef starts with menu planning. The chef’s budget must be respected when creating the menus. The executive or head chef is in charge of ordering any necessary food and kitchen equipment. Chefs de cuisine must establish and maintain positive working relationships with vendors. A good head cook keeps up with new food trends because he or she must create new dishes and menus that appeal to the restaurant’s or venue’s patrons.

The executive chef assigns tasks to his or her staff once the dishes and menu have been decided upon, as well as any necessary supplies and equipment. Cleaning and slicing poultry or washing and chopping vegetables are examples of food preparation tasks. Some food is prepared and stored ahead of time for use in preparing the menu orders for the following day. A ticket is a term used to describe a customer’s menu order. Chefs de cuisine supervise the preparation of tickets for customers the kitchen staff to ensure that quality is maintained.

The executive chef is in charge of kitchen staff training. They are unquestionably the leaders in their kitchens, and they must be able to inspire and manage their staff to work as a team to successfully complete meal services. Some people may be involved in selecting or updating the decor or theme of a restaurant. A certificate or diploma from a culinary school, or a cooking school, may be required for someone in this position.

Executive chefs work 12- to 14-hour shifts on average. They are in charge of not only the day-to-day kitchen operations and staff, but they also do some cooking. An executive chef may cook all of the time in smaller kitchens, but only on special occasions in larger kitchens. Cooking is a true passion for the best of them.

Some executive chefs may have marketing responsibilities. Customer satisfaction must always be a priority for them. If diners don’t receive good food and service, a restaurant is unlikely to build the kind of goodwill that allows it to stay in business.