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Cooking Careers 101 - How to Become a Hotel Chef
by Lisa Jenkins
Hotel jobs are very stressful and can be extremely tiring as you will work long days
preparing and making food for guests as well as catering for functions that the hotel
might be hosting like a wedding, party or corporate event. Qualified chefs are in short
supply leaving many jobs unfilled longer than hotels would like. Some of the chef hotel
jobs are the chef de partie or the sous chef, the demi chef, hotel cook, head cook, pastry
chef, kitchen manager, master chef, sommelier, or the director of food. You also get the
food preparers and other kitchen staff as well as the hotel management checking in every
so often or liaising with you about events that are happening.
The hotel cook is usually called the head chef, master chef, or executive chef. If you
are the head chef in a hotel, you will be responsible for the running of the entire
kitchen as well as the creation of the menu and recipes for the other chefs to prepare and
make. You will oversee the reparation of the food, check the making of all the dishes that
leave each chef station, help train the new apprentice chefs and assistant chefs, and you
will also encourage and lead your team of chefs. The head chef will also manage the
banqueting hall and other food related facilities in the hotel like the bars and cafes,
the hotel restaurant and any other food areas.
As the head chef it is your duty to produce stunning menus and make the recipes that
are used each day, so that uniformity is maintained in the food service along with
consistent high standards. You are also the kitchen manager in a hotel and you will also
have the tasks of handling the monetary issues of the hotel kitchen, ordering supplies and
ingredients, and providing estimated consumption cost to the hotel management.
The chef de partie is the second in command in the kitchen and also known as the sous
chef. If you have this hotel chef job, you are very busy and are basically the middle man
between the head chef and the rest of the kitchen chefs and staff. You will be responsible
for the running of the kitchen, for the organization of the menu, kitchen staff and
recipes, of the food preparation, and ensuring that the food is up to the correct
standards, as well as maintaining the hygiene and health regulations in the hotel kitchen.
The chef de partie must know everything about the food that is being made, and works very
closely with the head chef. You must know how to make all the different types of dishes on
the menu.
The demi chef is also known as the demi chef de partie. You will work directly under
the chef de partie and your job is to ensure that all the food going out of the kitchen is
of the highest standards for each section. You will have different sections to control
such as meat, vegetables, pasta, etc, and it is your job to facilitate the smooth running
of your particular section. The demi chef also needs to keep in mind minimum wastage,
correct hygiene and cleanliness, adhere to safety regulations, and take stock counts.
The commis chef is the next hotel chef in line under the demi chef and your job is to
help the demi chef prepare the mis en place and ensure minimum wastage at all times. The
commis chef will provide an accurate inventory of the ingredients used and clean and
prepare the stations for cooking each shift. The commis chef has to be efficient and organized.
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