Hierarchy Area of Department
and Kitchen
Classical Brigade
Following are the key points related to the classical brigade in a
professional kitchen.
Ø The traditional system was founded by chef Escoffier.
Ø A professional kitchen operates with a very distinct rank and file
and hierarchy just like an army of soldiers in a battlefield; probably
this is why Escoffier called it a brigade. Till today the team is lead
by a leader- the executive chef.
Ø Each member of a kitchen brigade has his/her own role to play for
the success of the team.
Ø It was based on various sections in the kitchen ( for example
–butcher, bakery, etc.)
Ø Every section was named in French.
Ø Every section featured a head of department, with cooks, helpers,
and porters working under him/her.
The classical brigade in the kitchen had its own flaws; the cooks had a
monotonous life as they did the same job all their lives. There was
no creativity involved as the cooks had to do what was told to
them.
Modern staffing in various category hotels
Modern staffing in the hotels focuses on multi –skilling. With the
chefs being recognized internationally, many are wanted for
specialized cuisines around the world and hence, a need arises to
keep the skilled craftsmen in an organization. Money is not the
only motivating factor for young chef; it is the growth and
development that the industry has to offer. Hence, it becomes
mandatory for organizations to have their staff oriented in all parts
of the kitchen and in the process, the junior cooks are trained to
fill up positions to counteract the rising attrition in the kitchens.
Many famous hotel chains around the globe are aiming at lean
hierarchy, as this gives chance to young people to work diligently
and increase the efficiency of the department. Today latest tools
and equipment have substantially reduced the skill levels of
people. In the classical brigade such positions were created to let
people remain in the organization. This gave rise to positions such
as senior sous chef and junior sous chef; but it is seen that the job
responsibilities of these positions are not very different from one
another. Modern trend is to hire educated people, and for some
organizations minimum requirement is a graduate. Some skilled
craftsmen who don’t have such education are hired in
organizations on a level called fixed term contract( FTC).
Role of Executive Chef
The chef carries the full responsibility for his kitchen. He must
be both cook and administrator, i.e. as well being able to
cook, an authority on culinary matters, he needs to be
capable of ensuring quick service and maintaining discipline.
He must have a strict sense of economy and efficiency. He
should be fully acquainted with the prices, market trends,
commodities in season and customer requirements. His
principal function is to forecast plan, organize and
supervise the work of the kitchen. He has to purchase,
control cost, train and direct staff. He prepares a predetermined percentage of profit and works in accordance
with the policy of the establishments. He is responsible for
staffing, selection, and dismissal in consultation with the
personnel department. The chef is responsible for the
organization of duty roasters. The chef concerns himself
with the quality of food and its presentation. As the
departmental head, he is responsible to the management.
Responsibilities of Sous Chef
The specific responsibilities of a sous chef are to:
Ø Look after the function of the executive sous chef during his/
her absence.
Ø Train staff on improved work procedures, quality food
production, economical usage of food materials, and the
attractive presentation of food items.
Ø Approve requisitions from stores for stations assigned and be
responsible for all food production in area assigned to him.
Ø Be responsible for overall food cost control without affecting
standards and specifications as laid out by top management.
Ø Account for the usage, consumption, spoilage, and control of
food stuff produced or stored under his/ her supervision. Be
responsible for the preparation of mise en place at all stations.
Ø Attend the food and beverage meetings and departmental
meetings.
Ø Maintain all attendance records.
Responsibilities of Pastry Chef
The pastry chef has to organize, develop, and supervise the pastry
shop including stations such as bakery, pastry, and confectionery.
The specific responsibilities of a pastry chef are to :
Ø Be responsible for the mise en place and food preparation for all
bakery and pastry stations.
Ø Account for the usage, consumption, and control of all foods and
equipments in the stations supervised by him/her.
Ø Train staff in his/her stations on improved work procedures,
quality food production, the economical usage of food materials,
and the attractive presentation of food items.
Ø Supervise and train the chef de parties, commis, and apprentices,
and to review staff working in his/her department.
Ø Initiate performance reviews of staff working in the department
and attend daily and weekly kitchen chef meetings and F& B
meetings.
Ø Approve requisitions from stores for materials required in his/her
stations.
Responsibilities of Chef de partie
A chef de partie assists his/her superior in maintaining the highest standard of
quality in food preparation by following standard recipes and high level of
hygiene standards maintained as per the hazard analysis and critical control
points( HACCP) in his/her area, in order to maximize guest satisfaction and
profitability in an atmosphere of high employee morale. The specific
responsibilities of a chef de partie are to:
Ø Ensure prompt and accurate service by all kitchen staff under his/her
control, to all the customers to achieve a high level of customer satisfaction.
Ø Be responsible for implementing hotel standards on food quality,
preparation, and presentation in his/her section/ shift.
Ø Recommend changes in system and procedure to increase efficiency and
improve service levels. Ensure that hygiene and cleanliness of the kitchen
area is maintained as per predetermined standards.
Ø Be responsible for controlling food wastage, without compromising on food
quality.
Ø Ensure proper security and safety of raw and cooked food, and equipment
by proper storage.
Ø Check that all the kitchen records are maintained properly at all times.
Ø Ensure par level of dry stores and perishables are maintained on daily basis
on correct requisitions. Etc.
Responsibilities of Commis
• Prepare food and provide prompt, courteous, and
accurate service to all the customers as per
organizational standard of quality, as directed.
• Control food wastage without compromising on food
quality.
• Prepare all mise en place in production sections for
smooth kitchen operation, as directed.
• Ensure hygiene and cleanliness of his/her area at all
the times.
• Assist chef de partie in implementing and following
organizational standards on food quality, preparation,
and presentation.
• Be responsible for maintaining all kitchen equipment in
the area in good working condition.
• Take responsibility for adherence to all organizational
policies and procedures. Etc.
Co-operation of Food production
department with other departments
in the hotels
With food and beverage service
• Service operates sales in various outlets. It takes
the food order and serves it to the guest.
• Service acts as a bridge between the guest and
the chef and helps to communicate the requests
and opinions of the food by providing constant
feedback.
• For cooking, wines and liquors are required from
F&B on daily basis.
• Service sells the food and markets the chefs
specialty, thereby bringing in more sales and
happy customers.
With Housekeeping
• Kitchen requires clean uniforms, aprons, and
dusters on daily basis, which are provided by
housekeeping.
• Kitchen also needs to coordinate with
housekeeping regarding the pest control and
fumigation in the kitchen.
• Special uniforms if required for particular
functions or theme parties are obtained from
housekeeping.
With Front Office
• Front office communicates the daily arrival list to the
kitchen and it helps the chefs to forecast their
production so that the wastage is minimized. The daily
arrival list also contains guest history and the chefs
come to know if there was any problem with food or
service during the guest previous stay. Hence, they
could make it up this time by exceeding his/her
expectation.
• The front office circulates VIP lists in the kitchens for
any special requests of guests and for the room
amenities to be placed in the room. Sometimes
welcome drinks are prepared by the kitchen for some
VIPs.
• Front office also assists guests in making their dining
choices and helps in marketing the restaurants and
outlets.
With Purchase and Stores
• This department procures raw materials at the best
possible prices, not compromising on the quality of
ingredients.
• Chefs help the purchase department to create the
standard purchase specifications for commodities.
• Chefs must give sufficient time for the orders to be
procured and so maintaining of par stock levels are
decided by the chefs and the purchase managers
depending upon the frequency of withdrawals and
availability from the market.
• Chefs also receive the goods at receiving bay, thereby
ensuring that the right quality of ingredients as per the
standards specified is purchased.
With Sales and Marketing
• This department helps the chefs to promote new
menus and festivals.
• Sales department promotes the chefs so as to
increase the sales of their products.
• Banquet sales works in close coordination with
the kitchen to sell the menus and bring in more
business. The banquet sales, however, form a
part of F&B service rather than direct sales and
marketing.
• Sales people entertain VIP guests to bring in the
business.
• Sales department coordinates with the kitchens
in times of festivals for providing hampers and
gifts to VIPs.
With Engineering
• Engineering department does the preventive and
breakdown maintenance of the machinery used
in the kitchen.
• Helps in installation of new machinery and
equipment and train the staff in its usage and
precautions.
• Coordinates with chefs to utilize the recourses
effectively to minimize costs and increase profits.
Maintenance schedules are made and followed
up by chefs.
• Fire fighting and safety procedures are laid down
by the engineering and followed up by the chefs.
With Human Resources and Training
• HR department helps chefs to find the skilled people
and facilitate recruitments by helping chefs to take
interviews and trade tests.
• Chefs highlight the training and development required
by their staff and communicate it to the training
department, who then prepare the training calendars
and train people accordingly.
• Appraisals and career developing of the kitchen people
is liaised with the HR department. Joining formalities of
the new staff, induction, orientation, locker facilities
etc. are dealt by HR department.
With Security
• Any fire in the kitchen is immediately reported to
security.
• Items taken out of the hotel are only done on a
‘gate pass’. This can be returnable or nonreturnable. It is made in triplicate and one copy is
retained in the book, one goes to finance
department and the other one goes to security
department.
• Keys of certain areas are deposited in the security
and only authorized personnel can withdraw the
same.
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Brigade
Chef de cuisine
Entremetier
Garde manger
Gate pass
Hors D' oeuvres
Menu
Par stock
Potager
Preventive maintenance
Recipe
Requisition
Satelite kitchen
SOP
Supper
Tournant
USP
VIP
Key terms