What is the Job of an Executive Chef?

Contrary to what you may have seen on television reality shows, the role of an executive chef is more than traveling the world in search of exotic ingredients or screaming at rebellious sous chefs. In the real world, the executive chef, an expert in culinary arts, is one part manager and one part chef mixed together with a touch of economist and a splash of scientist. The executive chef is the CEO of the restaurant and its chief tutor responsible for training everyone from the sous chefs and salad chefs to the waiters and busboys.

The Many Roles of the Executive Chef

Logistical Responsibilities

The Executive Chef is responsible for ensuring that the kitchen is properly stocked with everything from soup pots and dishes to steaks and fish fillets. This means that the chef must be highly adept at forecasting the needs of the restaurant each day of the week and whenever there are holidays or special events on the calendar. Time management is also an important skill for chefs who need to get dishes out in a timely fashion for their hungry customers.

Personnel Management & Training

Whether it's a slow Tuesday or a fast-paced Saturday night, an Executive Chef is responsible for ensuring that there are enough cooks in the kitchen to keep the broth from spoiling. This means staffing the kitchen so that chefs arrive with adequate time to prepare the food and that there will be a sufficient number of chef's on hand during critical hours during service.

Most importantly, the Executive Chef is only as good as the team backing them up. For this reason, they are responsible for making sure that staff are properly trained and up-to-date with the latest cooking techniques and culinary trends. The best Executive Chefs build training time into the schedule so that the skills of each chef are honed to a fine point.

Accounting

The Executive Chef must be a master of mathematics. The chef is responsible for keeping track of the kitchen's expenses including those for supplies, equipment, staff, and incidentals that can spring up during operation. Because restaurant margins are very thin, a chef must also be highly adept at managing the kitchen budget, negotiating deals with vendors, and trimming waste and shrinkage from daily operations.

Menu Planning & Food Preparation

One of the most important responsibilities of an Executive Chef is the planning and preparing of the delicious meals customers crave. This is where a chef is allowed to flex their creative muscles and have some fun. Whether creating a family favorite or giving a twist to a classic dish, menu planning involves creating a menu that customers will come back to taste time and time again. Menu planning and food preparation requires creating dishes that are visually appealing and a step above other dishes being crafted in competing restaurants.

Training to Become an Executive Chef

An Executive Chef is required to wear many hats. This means that the chef must be an expert in many different areas. This starts with earning a college degree. Essential courses include business management, hospitality management, budgeting, accounting, personnel management, marketing, food safety, law, and of course, food preparation and culinary techniques.

It is also a good idea for the chef to take courses in biology and chemistry. This helps them better understand the "nuts and bolts" of the foods they are preparing, and this knowledge can help them create, craft, and blend food creations that are satisfying and sought after.

Most importantly, an Executive Chef must be willing to continue their education long after the ink on their diploma is dry. Chefs must be willing to participate in continuing education course and be willing to learn how to teach themselves. A good chef is one who pays attention to culinary trends, management techniques, legal regulations and has the ability to incorporate these into their kitchen.

Does this sound like the career for you? If you’re interested in becoming an executive chef you need passion for cooking, leadership skills, and, of course, a college degree. If you want to earn an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Culinary Arts, consider ECPI University for your educational needs. With year round classes and an accelerated schedule you could find yourself graduating in as little as 15 months. For more information, contact a helpful admissions advisor today.

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