Chef de Partie: Information on Careers & Jobs

Have you ever wanted to make a culinary career as a ‘station chef' or a ‘line cook'? Well, these are terms a chef de partie is also referred to as. The food service industry has to offer plenty of career possibilities for candidates who have a strong passion for cooking and are prepared to stand the kitchen heat. There's no doubt that the cooking industry features a fast-paced work environment. However, this challenging profession brings you a much rewarding career. If you want to prepare yourself to become a chef de partie or a station chef, you need to know the job description for this job position, educational requirements, job skills and career prospects. Below, we discuss about it all to help you become successful in this occupation of culinary arts.

 

Job Description
The chef is referred to as station chef due to the fact that they handle a specific area or ‘station' of the kitchen. High-end restaurants and large kitchens have multiple sections. A chef de partie specialize in the handling of one of these sections. Usually there are one or two chefs responsible for handling kitchen activities in a particular section. In case there are more chef de parties, they are referred to as chef #1, chef #2 etc.

 

In a specific kitchen section, the chef de partie has the responsibility of overseeing tasks including food preparation, cooking and presentation of food recipes. Apart from food preparation, they supervise and delegate tasks to other chefs working in a special area of the kitchen. Therefore, the job of a chef de partie does not only require great food preparation skills, but it also requires experience in handling administrative responsibilities.

 

One of the most important job duties of a chef de partie is to ensure that the food quality and the food safety standards are maintained appropriately. In addition, they are well versed with looking after several issues that may arise in the kitchen area.

 

Specialization Areas
The Chef de partie is responsible for handling any of the many kitchen stations. Large kitchens are divided into many ‘stations'. These specialization stations include a saute chef, a grill chef (Rotisseur), a pantry chef (Garde Manger), a pastry chef (Patissier), a fish chef (poisonnier) a roast chef (Grillardin), a vegetable chef (Entremetier) etc. Among all these, the job position of a sauté chef is highest ranking position in the kitchen.

 

Work Environment
The work environment for chefs is fast-paced. Though restaurants feature an attractive environment, the kitchen area is usually hot and crowded with food preparation workers, cooks and chefs. During peak hours, the chef de partie needs to perform their tasks under constant pressure to serve the food well and on time. Depending on the restaurant requirements, chefs may need to work irregular hours.

 

Educational Qualification
Since the job of a chef de partie is not an entry level position, it required candidates to possess extensive work experience working in different sections of the kitchen. To become successful as a chef de partie or a station chef or a line cook, candidates need to attend an credited culinary school. Today, there are several cooking schools and culinary institutions offering degree programs in culinary arts. Depending on their career interest, students need to pursue the right culinary program or course. Students can choose to enroll into associate or bachelor degree programs in culinary arts or cooking. Several years of work experience will always play the key role in getting hired as a chef de partie in large kitchen and high-end restaurants.

 

Job Outlook
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a fairly good job outlook for chef de partie employment. Entry level chef positions may be easy to acquire. However, candidates will face tough competition occupying chef de parties' jobs in large kitchen, high-end restaurant and restaurant chains. Due to the demanding work environment, the turnover for chef jobs is also quite high.