Created by Georges Auguste Escoffier, and originally used in restaurants and hotels in France, the Brigade de Cuisine (kitchen brigade) is a hierarchy system that defines the roles of each staff member in a kitchen. This will help explain the organization and distribution of responsibility in a kitchen and how every little detail of a dish goes unlooked.

Members of the Brigade:

Chef de Cuisine – The top chef. This person is responsible for running the show, supervising staff, training staff, creating new menus, testing new recipes, and maintaining communication with all other departments within the restaurant.

Executive Sous Chef (or Chef de Cuisine) – This is the right-hand man of the Chef de Cuisine. This person is also responsible for the management of the kitchen following the direction of the Chef de Cuisine, and is the eyes and ears of the Chef de Cuisine when he or she is not on site.

Sous Chef (or Chef de Partie) – This person is something of a “senior” chef. They are responsible for assisting the Chef de Cuisine and Executive Sous Chef in managing the kitchen, and are generally responsible for overseeing a particular station of the kitchen.

Cuisinier (or Cook/Line Cook) – This person is responsible for preparing specific components of a dish for a particular station, under the strict guidelines of the Sous Chefs and Chef de Cuisine.

Commis – This person, like the Cuisinier, also assists in the operation of a specific station, but works directly under the Cuisinier and Sous Chef.

Apprenti (or Apprentice) – This person is often a student completing an Externship through a culinary school program, and is responsible for basic prep work and cleaning.

Plonguer (Dishwasher) – This person is responsible for cleaning dishes and can sometimes be given basic food prep tasks.

Marmiton (Pot and Pan Washer) – This person is responsible for washing all the pots, pans and larger pieces of cooking equipment.

Listed below are the titles of more specific Cuisiniers (which are not listed in order of hierarchy). In smaller kitchens or restaurants, it is not uncommon to have several of these tasks completed by one person.

Saucier – Saucemaker
Rotisseur – Roast Cook
Grillardin – Grill Cook
Friturier – Fry Cook
Poissonnier – Fish Cook
Potager – Soup Cook
Legumier – Vegetable Cook
Garde Manger – Pantry Cook

Filed Under: Culinary History, Food Talk