A Chef de Partie, also known as a Station Chef or Line Cook, is in charge of a particular area in a commercial kitchen. This type of Chef is typically a trained professional who specializes in a specific type of food prep.
In larger kitchens, the Station Chef will have at least one Commis Chef or Demi Chef de Partie working under them. A Commis Chef is a Chef apprentice, while a Demi Chef de Partie is a rank higher than the Commis Chef.
Both Chefs can specialize in a specific part of food preparation. For example, they can be a Vegetable Chef, Pastry Chef, Roast Chef, Fry Chef, Grill Chef, Sauce Chef or Butcher Chef.
The only Chefs above the Chef de Partie in the kitchen hierarchy are the Sous Chef, Head Chef and Executive Chef.
Chef de Partie Responsibilities
To be a Chef de Partie, you already need to have extensive cooking skills and experience in commercial kitchens. While you don’t need to be a jack of all trades, you need to be exceptional in at least one station.
Some common cooking stations found in most restaurants are the fry station, grill station, saute station, cold-service station, pastry or dessert station, vegetable station, soup station and fish station.
Besides cooking, you’ll be responsible for training and supervising the Commis Chefs and Demi Chefs de Parties working on your station.
To do that successfully, you’ll need to have exceptional communication and leadership skills.
The Chef de Partie role can also involve assisting the Sous Chef, Head Chef and Executive Chef with developing new dishes and menus.
Essential Skills and Qualities
To fulfill the responsibilities we mentioned, a Chef de Partie needs to possess certain qualities and skills.
Culinary expertise
It goes without saying that the Chef de Partie needs to have extensive culinary expertise.
Ideally, this expertise should be a combination of theoretical knowledge gained in culinary school and practical skills gained by working in a commercial kitchen environment.
While you don’t necessarily need any form of formal education, having a food safety certificate is required in most established kitchens. Acquiring multiple Chef certifications will make it easier for you to advance your culinary career.
Leadership ability
Since you’ll be in charge of training and supervising multiple kitchen personnel, you’ll need to have outstanding communication and leadership skills.
These skills aren’t something that can be taught in a culinary school. Instead, you’ll have to hone them by working in a professional kitchen.
That being said, there are no shortcuts to becoming a high-ranking Chef in a kitchen. You’ll have to work your way up starting at the bottom.
Training and career path
The road to becoming a Chef de Partie can be relatively long. If you have no previous kitchen experience, you’ll probably need to start working as a Kitchen Porter or Dishwasher first.
Once you’ve set foot in the kitchen, you can go above and beyond what your role calls for and offer to help with preparing ingredients and other small tasks that Chefs might ask of you.
Then, you can look for an open position in a station of your liking. You can aim to become a Grill Chef, Fry Chef, Roast Chef, Vegetable Chef, Sauté Chef and so on. You’ll probably spend a decent amount of time in this position before you can consider becoming a Demi Chef de Partie.
Once you’ve become a Demi Chef de Partie, you can consider getting a few relevant certifications to advance to a Chef de Partie.
Let’s discuss what these certifications are.
Education and certifications
As already mentioned, you don’t necessarily need education and certifications to become a Chef de Partie. You can reach the role through hard work and hands-on experience working in a kitchen.
However, getting education and being accredited by a reputable culinary institution can allow you to reach the role of Chef de Partie faster. Certificates from the American Culinary Federation, for example, can be very valuable.
The American Culinary Federation offers 13 certifications that can make you a more valuable candidate to hire and promote. Their courses involve written and practical exams that demonstrate your experience in food hygiene, safety and preparation.
Career advancement opportunities
If you’ve reached the rank of Chef de Partie, you still have a way to go to the top of the kitchen rank pyramid. You can strive to become a Sous Chef, Head Chef and Executive Chef.
The Sous Chef is second in command in commercial kitchens. They play an important role in helping the Head Chef with menu planning, dish development, staff management and supervision.
The Head Chef is the first in command of the kitchen brigade. They’re masters of the culinary arts, responsible for all aspects of kitchen operation. Head Chefs are responsible for creating menus, overseeing all kitchen processes, managing staff and budgeting.
Executive Chefs are in charge of entire restaurant and hotel kitchen chains. They shape the culinary direction, set quality standards and ensure the overall success of the business. They’re usually not very hands-on in the kitchen. Instead, they deal with the administrative and business side of running a kitchen.
