There's a wide selection of jobs to be found in the catering industry - one of them being a chef de partie job. With an annual turnover close to £4 million in the UK, the catering industry is a popular career choice for both young and old. Chef de partie jobs in particular give the individual an array of food areas in which he/she would like to specialise.
What exactly is a chef de partie?
A chef de partie is also referred to as a ‘station chef’ or a ‘line cook’ responsible for a certain production area in the kitchen. In bigger establishments each chef de partie might have numerous cooks and assistants, however in most kitchens the chef de partie takes care of their designated tasks independently. Chef de partie jobs are typically split up into a hierarchy of their own starting with ‘first cook’ and ‘second cook’ and so on.
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 makes any meals with fish. He/she might also do the fish butchering in addition to fish sauces. This chef de partie job is often combined with the sauté chef position.
Roast chef (rotisseur): In the position as roast chef, the chef de partie will make roasted or braised meats along with their appropriate sauces.
Grill chef (grillardin): This particular chef de partie job could be combined with roast chef, where the individual will make all sorts of grilled foods.
Fry chef (friturier): Just like a grill chef, this position can also be combined with the position as roast chef. In this chef de partie job, tasks involve preparing all fried items.
Vegetable chef (entremetier): A vegetable chef prepares hot appetisers, soups, vegetables, pastas and also starches. In a full system of chef de partie jobs however, there'd be a separate potager who would prepare the soups, whilst the legumier would put together the vegetables.
Roundsman (tournant): This particular chef de partie job can also be termed as swing cook. A roundsman can take on any specific role on any station as and when is necessary.
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 and other charcuterie items.
Butcher (boucher): The individual will butcher meats, poultry and fish in this chef de partie job. They could also be responsible for 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, bread and desserts. A pastry chef may also specialize in cakes only in patisseries or bakeries where they could make wedding, cupcakes, birthday and also special occasion cakes. In larger sized restaurants this particular chef de partie job is often given the opportunity to supervise their own separate workforce in a different kitchen area.
Training and qualifications
There's no fast track to getting a chef de partie job. It will take dedication, skill, as well as experience - most people start off as a kitchen aide at first.
Catering job apprenticeship: It’s advisable to apply for an apprenticeship at the age of 16 when you’ve done your GCSEs. This is how the majority of people that have chef de partie jobs have began - as food preparation workers before they're able to advance further. Duties involved will obviously require less skill and limited responsibility when compared to a chef de partie, but as you progress you'll be granted more responsibilities along with higher-skilled duties to carry out.
Culinary Arts School: A different (and better) method in which you can secure a chef de partie job is by enrolling at a Culinary Arts school. The duration of courses at these kinds of schools vary anywhere from a few months to as long as four years or more, depending on the course you take up. This sort of official training will give you higher chances of finding a chef de partie job instead of no previous formal training.
Food Hygiene Certificate: In a chef de partie job, it is pretty much certain that you’ll be in immediate contact with food. As a result, this means that you’ll have to get yourself a food hygiene certificate. This shows your employer that you've learned about and also grasped the basics of food hygiene in the kitchen area.
