There’s a wide variety of jobs available in the catering industry - one of those being a chef de partie job. With an annual turnover of around £4 million in the UK, the catering industry is a popular career option for both young and old. Chef de partie jobs in particular offer the individual a selection of food areas in which he/she would like to specialize.
What is a chef de partie?
A chef de partie is also referred to as a ‘station chef’ or possibly a ‘line cook’ in charge of a particular production area in the kitchen. In larger establishments each chef de partie can have numerous cooks and assistants, nonetheless in the majority of kitchens the chef de partie manages their designated tasks independently. Chef de partie jobs are often divided into a hierarchy of their own starting with ‘first cook’ and ‘second cook’ and so forth.
Chef de partie job titles include the following:
Sauté-chef (saucier): This specific chef de partie job puts the individual in charge of sautéed items along with their sauces. It’s the most stratified positions of all the different stations.
Fish chef (poissonier): In this station the chef de partie prepares any dishes with fish. He/she might also do the fish butchering along with fish sauces. This chef de partie job can often be combined with the sauté chef position.
Roast chef (rotisseur): In the position as roast chef, the chef de partie will prepare roasted or braised meats along with their appropriate sauces.
Grill chef (grillardin): This specific chef de partie job may be combined with roast chef, where the individual will prepare all kinds of grilled food.
Fry chef (friturier): Like a grill chef, this position may also be combined with the position as roast chef. In this chef de partie job, duties consist of preparing all fried items.
Vegetable chef (entremetier): A vegetable chef prepares hot appetisers, soups, vegetables, pastas and starches. In a full system of chef de partie jobs however, there’d be a separate potager that would prepare the soups, whilst the legumier would put together the vegetables.
Roundsman (tournant): This particular chef de partie job is also known as swing cook. A roundsman can take on any particular role on any station whenever is needed.
Pantry chef (garde manger): Chilled courses like salads and cold appetisers are prepared by the pantry chef. In this certain chef de partie job the individual can also prepare patés along with other charcuterie items.
Butcher (boucher): The individual will butcher meats, poultry and fish in this particular chef de partie job. They could also be in charge of breading the meats and fish.
Pastry chef (patissier): In this chef de partie job the individual will make baked goods which include pastries, cakes, biscuits, macaroons, chocolate, breads and also desserts. A pastry chef can also specialise in cakes only in patisseries or bakeries where they can make wedding, cupcakes, birthday and special occasion cakes. In larger sized restaurants this specific chef de partie job is sometimes given the opportunity to keep an eye on their own individual workforce in a different kitchen.
Training and qualifications
There is no fast track to getting a chef de partie job. It takes dedication, skill, and experience - most individuals start off as a kitchen aide at first.
Catering job apprenticeship: It’s advisable to make an application for an apprenticeship at the age of 16 when you’ve finished your GCSEs. This is the way virtually all those with chef de partie jobs have began - as food preparation workers before they are able to progress further. Tasks involved will naturally call for less skill and limited responsibility compared to a chef de partie, but as you advance you will be offered more responsibilities as well as higher-skilled duties to execute.
Culinary Arts School: A different (and much better) method in which you can secure a chef de partie job is by enrolling at a Culinary Arts school. The length of courses at these kinds of schools vary anywhere from around many months to as long as four years or more, depending on the course you take up. This kind of official training gives you increased chances of getting a chef de partie job rather than no prior formal training.
Food Hygiene Certificate: In a chef de partie job, it is almost certain that you’ll be in immediate contact with food. Consequently, this means that you’ll need to get yourself a food hygiene certificate. This shows your employer that you have learned all about and also comprehended the basic principles of food hygiene in the kitchen area.
