Overview of Chef Job Description

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A Taste for Fine Cuisine

There is a joke among chefs that you know a good cook by the extra pounds he carries around. A hefty chef means an appetite for good food. Although this isn’t really true as good cooks come in all shapes and sizes, you do need well-developed taste buds to be a good chef. While the art of cooking is partly visual, it also depends on a well-developed sense of taste and smell. A good chef is able to determine how well the ingredients are balanced in a preparation just by the aroma. A chef may be able to duplicate a dish just by tasting it.

In restaurants, the chef job description is for someone who is able to cook any of the food items listed on the menu, and also know techniques and combinations that will improve the flavor of the dishes being served. The chef must constantly study and experiment with new recipes, adding to the establishment’s reputation for delivering fine cuisine. The chef supervises the attractiveness of the plates served, adding embellishes as needed or training their cooks in how to give that artistic final touch.

When It’s All About Health

The chef is responsible for the cleanliness and the sanitary aspects of the kitchen. The chef job description includes supervising the kitchen staff to ensure all the cooking stations are kept clean, wastes are properly disposed, and the kitchen is in compliance with all health and safety regulations. The chef must know the appropriate cooking temperature in meats, fowl and fish for eliminating all bacteria, the shelf life of perishable items, and the safe standards for cooked food.

Chefs become knowledgeable in nutrition and dietary needs. Some chefs hire out their skills specifically to cafeterias in hospitals or schools, senior centers or other places where special dietary needs become a concern, such as lactose intolerance, a diabetic’s menu, or menu’s designed for the elderly. Others may concentrate on sports facilities, vegetarian restaurants or in whole food diets.

Management Skills

In the kitchen, the chef is a jack-of-all-trades, but with a difference. The chef is the master of the kitchen trade. The chef job description requires that the leader of the kitchen is knowledgeable in management skills. The chef will conduct training for the kitchen personnel and monitor their work performance. The chef will recruit and hire kitchen staff. The chef determines the production schedules and the staff requirements necessary for delivering timely service.

The chef collaborates with other personnel in planning the menu and producing a budget. The chef analyzes the recipes and assigns prices to the menu items based on the food, labor and over-head costs. The chef is responsible for ordering new food items and supplies as needed. The chef may be required to meet with sales representatives in order to negotiate prices and order supplies. The chef’s job description is for the expert in food preparation, who can serve appetizing meals from the breakfast omelet to filet mignons. The chef must be well-organized, able to work with a team, and exhibit all the skills of business management.