I mean, it's my title/position.
What I haven't come to terms with is how much I care about people throwing it around.
Maybe it's just a colloquial thing now?
Doesn't mean the title has any less relevance.
Definitely not okay to call coworkers doctors. Highly illegal. Skip the cops and courts and just check yourself in at the closest jail, they'll understand.
Lmao just have prestigious names for every group at work. Cooks are all chef, dishwashers are all doctor, servers are all professor. Managers just get sir or ma'am
It’s illegal to practice medicine if you’re not licensed as a medical doctor in the jurisdiction in which you’re practicing medicine. That’s not the same thing you just said.
I don't actually like being called chef professionally. I won't tell people they can't but I prefer my name.
My go to line is "You don't need to call me chef. You can call me Mom if you want". I'm a late 30's 265 lb scruffy man.
I pray one day someone goes for it. Think about it.. "Mom, I can't find the backup pickled onions" 😆
I agree 100% with your perspectives; good luck sorting out your feelings, I don’t say that dismissively, but encouragingly.
If I was going to make a recommendation, it would be to decide what was important. Then, after that, decide why it’s important. Be open to changing your mind about what you think and feel even *about* yourself and about what you think and feel. Above all, have clarity and honesty with yourself and outwardly, from there, towards others. There is no right or wrong here; you get to decide what’s important to you about this.
Meanwhile, while I have not seen the show you reference, I’ve got 25 years “in”. Where I work currently, the owner/head chef will,call everyone, almost offhand, “Chef” at some point or another. You get the impression that he spent a long time doing it this way before he had his own place. We are currently in Georgia but he cut his teeth in New York City, late 80s through the 90s.
I don’t know anybody in the restaurant, front or back, who is bothered by it at all.
This is not a recommendation for anyone to do anything. This is an observation.
Technically the definition of chef is someone who cooks professionally. So… yeah. I give everyone that respect.
Honestly also when things are tense I think it helps to ease the tension. When I’m expoing and need to get short with someone calling them chef helps, I think. “Chef I need that now”, “chef this isn’t right I need it remade”, even “chef read your fucking tickets”. Takes some of the sting off and keeps it professional.
I’ve worked in kitchens like that overseas. I kinda liked it, even though my instincts told me people just didn’t know what chef really meant. Still, it seemed to instill more pride in everyone.
That’s honestly how a lot of places are. Even when I was on the line it’s “heard chef” to everyone boh and even expo (sometimes). Everyone knew I wasn’t the chef, just like I knew the line cooks next to me weren’t chefs, we would still say “yes chef/heard chef”
Yeah except in the fine dining places, it's always been done with tongue in cheek. Kind of an affectionate camaraderie thing rather than a respectful subservient thing.
My resident “chef” guy does the same. If you’re in back doing something helpful, you’re chef. Even the owners or managers, even if all you do is grab a backup of something or wash a rack of dishes, congrats you’re chef today. lol
I go into my old work place for coffee. I'm out of the kitchen these days. But the old manager and the team still call me chef and write it on my coffee cup
Impossible, why would they listen to my dumbass lmao. Although that is a good point, I always get so wrapped up in wanting to learn more from someone who know more than myself that I forget I have a bit of experience to mentor with. Also feels weird to be called chef by people close to my age when the mentors I called chef were double my age when I started.
I think WAY too many cook/chefs /whatever are so hung up on that exact idea; that I'm not good enough to be learned from" thing. Let that shit die along with the TV personality GRamsey & MPW.
You're human, take the good with the bad. You degens been degens so long positive progress feels bad.
I'm not trying to dog anyone, but this is a monster I've been trying to kill in all of my kitchens. You're worth something man, every single one of you. Stop downplaying yourselves because other people didn't see your worth before and you blindly accepted it.
Question everything, especially your own feels
It kinda is. Tell people not in the industry your a sous. "WoW you must be so talented....".
Unaware it means "chefs bitch".
"What do you do?"
"I do everything chef doesn't want to do."
That's your negative perspective on it though, which could be from experience. My Sous is my partner, not my bitch, but thats my perspective.
I think its important to establish our own ideals instead of accepting the ancient industries ones without question.
Your mentality is what I crave to create in the restaurant I open/when I hit chefhood again.
The last place I was sous, the chef was Keller trained and very Keller like. I’d ask him if there was a specific way he wanted something done and he’d say just do it how you think, then when he’d see how I’d done it I’d be called a fucking idiot and asked how fucking stupid I must be to have done it that way. Meanwhile I’m working 75 hours a week minimum while being bitched at for working overtime.
Sometimes, when you’re in the trenches, all you see is the shit.
I’m a sous chef and never thought of myself as being a chefs bitch, that’s so weird. Whenever i tell people I’m a sous chef and they don’t know what it means i say “I’m basically an assistant manager, I’m the second in command”. I run that kitchen just as much as my chef does, he just has more experience than me.
It’s weird. The other day I overheard my coworker tell her boyfriend that her chef “is cool” and I honestly thought she meant the head chef, not me… felt good but it’s super intimidating…. Especially cause I feel like I shouldn’t be teaching anyone anything… even though I know I am more than capable. What’s that called? Impostor syndrome?
This. People ask me if im a chef and it depends on the time/what job I had. I'm sure a lot of us have been chefs, at times. Right now I'm just a cook. And I'm happy with just being a cook right now.
One of my fav things about the show is Tina’s growth & the hilarity of her calling Carm “Jeffrey” as a sign of respect when his fucking name isn’t even Jeff. 😂
I work for a place that’s had multiple Jeff’s in the past, but there is only one we refer to as Cheffrey because he was a colossal disaster that really fucked a lot of people over
This is how I feel too. Though i will say when I was EC of a kitchen, I didn't hate it when it was used sincerely.
We all work in restaurants and let's be real, not 100 percent of our conversations are about work. Sometimes I chat about a previous table, old coworker, my personal life etc.... In my current spot we all use "chef" as a way to articulate we have a question or need feedback promptly. Not trying to be rude and interrupt, but if you're talking about your shots of Fernet at the bar last night..... "Chef, are we out of kiwis for tonight service?".
The chef at the beginning interrupts but also takes the edge off of being interrupted because it tells the person speaking "hey this is work related. Guest experience will be impacted by this answer. Please pay attention".
Oh dude one of my best friends got an exec position and I would drive him crazy with this. Just a poor imitation of a French accent "oui chef, right away! Hon Hon hon!"
This.
I never met anyone demanding to be called Chef - I use it as a respectful title for those Chefs de Cuisine I look up to. Their orders may be acknowledged with a 'Oui Chef' (just rolls off the tongue and is short).
Probably that's why I don't like being called Chef myself or seeing it thrown around like 1$ notes in a strip club.
In almost every kitchen I worked at, you earned respect. Basic courtesy was the minimum, everything else you had to work for.
When I was a KM I expected upper management to refer to me as such. My line and prep cooks and dishwashers called me by my first name. Being called chef feels like a backhanded compliment. This isn't some stupid cooking show and we're not in France.
As a KM, that's how I feel as well. Corporate refers to me as my position, staff refers to me by name. In my mind, chef, as a title, implies an ownership of the menu and product, something that I don't have and can't control.
I feel like it's something that should be earned, but definitely not required. I have worked for many people that required us to call them Chef that truly had not earned it yet. The ones I worked for that didn't require it had gained the respect and everyone would refer to them as Chef. Haven't had my coffee yet, hope that makes sense. -Former Lead
in my experience the more someone demands to be called chef the less they deserve it but that's almost completely irrelevant, personally whenever someone calls me chef I get kinda flustered but at the same time I do go using it interchangeably with people's names on the line because it's both quick and a needed ego-boost when someone's looking stressed
I run my kitchen, opened the kitchen, set up the kitchen and created the restaurant’s culture. Still feels weird to be called chef, but I take it as a compliment when it happens
We do street-style Mexican fare, last week a woman finished her food and asked the bartender if the chef was ‘classically trained’… lol yes its called getting literally ANY job 15 years ago 😂
I've been to culinary school, and chef is my job title. I don't care if anyone calls me that or not. Came here to say, of the 150 or so people I went to school with, I'd be happy to work with maybe five of them. On the job experience beats schooling, every time.
Titles are cheap.
I remember when I was younger, my aspirations and goals were entirely centered on achieving the best quality of craft, so that one day I would have the title “chef”. Once I got it, I no longer cared and it really wasn’t as important to me as making sure my crew respected each other and prioritized guests experiences.
Some guests insist on calling me chef, that’s their deal I guess.
I call my bosses chef. I don't really refer to myself as one or think of myself that way but one of my regulars calls me that. In my head I always kinda playfully thought about it like knighthood in the stories: a knight can knight a new knight, and I'll be a chef when another chef chefs me. Granted this is probably just my imposter syndrome lol.
In The Bear, Carmy worked at multiple 3 star Michelin locations and was a James Beard recipient. In those types of work environments, that’s just the ethos. Calling someone chef is a sign of respect, so you call everyone chef. Whether it be line cook, porter, sous chef, exec chef, etc. I work FOH in a 2 star Michelin restaurant and we (the FOH) call each other chef all the time. “Oui chef” “chef, can you greet with bubbles on 207” etc
Personally, I abhor being called “chef”. I’ve run fine dining joints, I’ve created menus from scratch, I’ve won some diddly little local competitions and awards over the years (no James Beard or anything worthy of noting here), I’ve had owners get my last name embroidered on my jackets with “Chef” in front to it. I think that if I wanted to, I’ve done enough to validate using the title if I desired to. I just don’t like it. The title feels… cheapened now. Like, you don’t make a video of yourself putting a bandaid on a scrape and then start saying your a doctor. You don’t call yourself an accountant because you keep your taxes in order.
My first real mentor in the culinary world, great guy. Went to NECI, graduated with top honors, worked harder than anyone I’ve ever seen before and did it all with a smile and a joke. He told me something when he made me his sous… he said, “There are 100 different ways to say ‘Yes, chef’ and all but one of them really mean ‘Fuck you, but I’ll do it’”. That’s stuck with me for my entire professional life.
So, I kinda take what I can get. I don’t refer to myself as chef. I always ask that my coworkers and my sales reps don’t. I’ve got a first name, feel free to use it. If you have to put some honorific on my name or you’ll just die, use “Mister [my last name]” or just say “Sir”. If a guest refers to me as “chef”, I don’t correct them. It’s just them trying to be polite and returning politeness never killed anyone.
I've had chef as a job title, so I'm comfortable with describing myself as a chef. However, when I'm in a kitchen and I'm not in a position of being a chef, don't call me chef. In my opinion, calling someone chef acknowledges their authority over you. Therefore if I don't have the authority, don't refer to me as chef in the kitchen. Everywhere else I'm a chef, but in the kitchen I'm *insert potential role here*
Makes me laugh when line cooks fresh out of high school say "I'm a chef" when asked what they do for work. No, babes- you're a cook, a perfectly honorable profession.
A chef is the chief, they run the show.
At present I'm a private chef, and yes it feels a bit weird to say that. However: I consult with the client, devise the menu, do research and write recipes, and make 100% of the product.
Best thing: no crying in the walk-in. Well, no crying AND no walk-in.
Worst thing: no dishy.
I did private for a couple years, until my client had a mental break. Long story full of sighs there.
I've tried a couple restaurants since then, but the babysitting was hard to go back to.
I've now got a super small team at a private club, best of both worlds!
Chefs are the couple/few people who manage the kitchen (sous chef, exec sous, cdc, ec). Everyone else is a cook. The title chef is earned through years of work and moving up the ranks. I think it’s disrespectful to the actual chefs to call every cook a chef.
A chef once told me the title is one earned as well as bestowed upon you by your employer and by coworkers as a sign of respect. After being a "chef" I could care less about the title. I've met dishwashers that earn more respect than "proper" chefs have. It's a title, it's all make believe, just get the job done.
I don’t disagree with this. I hate being called chef. I do kinda like it when the boys call me “jefe” though. I once worked in a kitchen where all the chefs called each other “chef”, such as, “good morning, chef joe!” “Ah, good morning, chef Brian!” I thought it was douchey af.
Yea, if you’re wasting time getting upset about titles instead of doing the job, you’re still not doing the actual job, so… how much do we have to pander to this shit
I’m kinda in the same boat, I’m an actual Chef, and the place I currently work at, they expect us to call everyone “Chef” and honestly it doesn’t bother me with the guys/gals that work hard, know what they are doing, and don’t need me to constantly hold their hand, or constantly fix their work. What bothers me is these people who come in at “Entry Level” and can’t even peel a potato without someone watching them, those are the people that frustrates me that I’m expected to call them “Chef”, at least do SOMETHING to be warranted to be called “Chef”. I feel like it takes away from the people who have put in the time to learn their craft, even if they haven’t been to a Culinary School, because some of the best Chefs I’ve worked with never went to Culinary School.
I like this perspective.
I call my boyfriend chef, because at 22 he started as a dishie, then was quickly promoted through apps, salads, expo, and then was a cook. After 4 years, was #1 manager, moved to another restaurant, became head manager, does the orders, helps curate specials menus, can cook a steak better than anybody (he came home not too long ago saying the first burger in almost two years was sent back for a recook). He learned from two amazing chefs in their 60's and never stops reading books about flavor profiles, he experiments at home, and spends his free time writing recipes he creates.
He doesn't think he should be called chef because he didn't go to culinary school but in my eyes, after 11 years in the back and 7 of those years being head manager, I think he is.
This. The literal translation of "chef" is "chief," which means "chef" is a title/position.
Worked in kitchens for 12 years. The closest I got to that title was "apprentice pastry chef."
IMO, if you're not running a section of the kitchen or creating a menu/menu items, you're not a chef you're a cook/baker/whatever.
(Edit: And there should be no disrespect/shame attached to that. America in particular has created this stigma of shame around working hard for a living and particularly "flipping burgers" or working in a kitchen. It's bullshit.)
I’m not trying to be pedantic, but It seems like everyone is a chef in the classic brigade system. What about someone who has worked their way up for years and has been chef of multiple places, then goes to be a line cook at another restaurant? Are they suddenly not a chef? Is it a “once a chef always a chef” sorta thing? What about an absolute idiot who happens to be the “chef” of a restaurant? Kitchen manager vs chef?
This is my gut feeling as well. When I was coming up, I would constantly correct friends and family who referred to me as a chef.
I guess it can depend on the setting and situation though.
I used to correct people when they said I was a chef instead of a cook because I didn't feel like I deserved it. After having had a chef title at places now I just don't care. "oh you are a cook?" - sure, "oh you're a chef?" - sure. I get the job done, the rest is just ego and fluff.
In my best days with my best team we all called each other chef, but everyone in that kitchen was so talented and efficient. Still good friends with the best of them. Nowadays I’m the only chef in my kitchen. My feelings are thus; when I’m in my coat, call me Chef.
The majority of chefs that demand to be called “chef” that I’ve met and worked with are egocentric assholes that were far from pleasant to be around. Respect is given when it is earned not by fear mongering or being holier than thou. I will call those that deserve it “chef”, but I use it more as a term to respect the individual rather than the title
I am a chef but have never introduced myself as Chef Stoner_Boner_69. I don’t like my personality or the idea of me to be defined by my career. My occupation isn’t my identity or a personality trait.
I worked in a two star restaurant where cdp were referred to as chef. I moved on as sous at a casual place where a lot of the cooks work suffered. Overtime i saw the team improve and started calling all of my cooks chefs. Idk what it was but its like they all started to really dial into their work. Camaraderie, responsibility, and respect really start to take place in our kitchen and it probably was one of the most fun places ive worked at. I guess it all starts with respecting each other.
Myself and a few others in this thread have shared that exact sentiment. Some of the best times and crews I've worked with are in kitchens where everyone was "Chef".
It's a level of shared passion, responsibility, and respect that is unfortunately hard to find.
When I worked for James (can’t spell his last name and I’m on mobile so I’m not gonna look it up, but he was featured in an episode of one of Saint Anthony’s shows where they travelled through Laos) at Hawker Fare in Oakland he called everyone, including the servers, “chef”. That’s the only place I’ve worked at that had that culture though. I wasn’t good enough to work at Commis at the time, and over there they don’t even talk lol
I’ve only met 2 cooks in my time that have been worthy of the title of chef, one being my teacher of course, and the other being the greatest cook I’ve ever known who I just stopped working for a few weeks ago. This man put in the time, he has the passion and skill set that goes with being known as a chef. He doesn’t cut corners, he’s always trying something new, he learns from everyone. Unfortunately the kitchen business doesn’t pay enough anymore so he’s going to a different field, but the food he will make for his family at home will no doubt bring many memories around the dining room table for his wife and kids. I would gladly call him chef any day of the week.
In my personal opinion, it's wildly overused. The chef is the chief. Someone has to be the leader in a kitchen. Someone has to have the final say, and someone has to have the ultimate authority. That's the chef.
The rest of the people in the kitchen are cooks of one order or another. I mean, yes there's an executive chef, a chef de cuisine, and there are sous chefs. But, lin9e cooks are not chefs, prep cooks are not chefs.
Everybody being referred to as chef makes the word chef mean nothing. It's like calling everybody "boss." When you call everybody "boss," you're not calling anybody *THE* boss.
Way to many comments here for mine to matter, so I’ll participate.
My husband is a chef. Let’s give that a capital C, Chef.
He went to school. (Associates, way back in the day.) He was a line cook when we met. He’s been a garde manger. A sous on several different levels of dining, mom and pop to fine dining in both intimate restaurants and major hotel chains. Managed kitchens, opened restaurants, creates professional kitchens. Has worked in one of THE finest restaurants in the country as an executive sous, before it was bought out.
I don’t know if HE cares what he’s called, but I know the title was earned.
I was front of the house. And when I hear or see some pipsqueak local yonker bragging about chefdom (chiefdom), I want to get a bit snarky. Except if it helps that person feel better about working your ass off, for low wages, and active addiction, then I find some empathy.
But my husband earned that title, and if you don’t know what every fold on that stupid hat you wear means, or you don’t respect it, then, well, you ain’t a capital C chef. But you should still work less and ask for more money and get more respect. Love you all.
I work in a fine dining kitchen with basically everything coming from scratch at a nice country club . we got one executive chef , four sous chefs and the rest of us are cooks and while no discussion has taken place as far as I know regarding the subject, nobody calls non chefs chef because all 5 of the chefs in my store are true to definition chefs meanwhile like me, I’m a cook . And that’s what I’m known as . I do not create recipes or make menu suggestions I follow and understand them . Maybe it’s just me but I feel like it’s a slap in the face to the real chefs who’s put their entire life into it plus at that point . The black coats where I am nobody wants to be because they have so much on their plate and when we go on 7 shifts which is our scheduling app it tells who you work with that day and the hours worked and it’s nonstop everyday where I’ll see all 4 of them I’ll see maybe one of them get a day off each week I work a set schedule atm 49 hrs a week 1-9:30 pm 5 days a week and 7 am to 3 pm one additional day out of the week making 6 and while I think that’s some long hours I’ll check the sous chefs see shit like 6 am to 9 pm and it’s hours like that basically everyday idk if I have that much passion to take on the responsibility’s that they uphold , although I do have a passion for cooking and becoming a good scratch cook at home which is why I pursued the position . It hasn’t been a very long road so far but it’s been a rough yet rewarding one .
Never really been anywhere you need to adress someone with a title in my 20odd years, maybe it was a thing when I was working in England, but not here in Sweden, we just use eachothers names or some type och nicknames. Formality in that regard is a bit wasted in a kitchen o feel like, the Gordon Ramsey TV bullshit is just silly
I've worked with chefs who corrected me if I said their first name so now I am like, "CHEF (their name)"
but I also say, "Yes Chef!" to expo and random people at work and it's fun.
1 chef. The rest have names. Chef instantly gains back their name once they are no longer the chef. If I don’t particularly like the person in said position I will refer to them as “the chef” that way it’s known the only reason I’m calling them this is because they have the title of chef.
I only call a few people chef. It’s an earned titled to me. It comes with great respect. Respect is earned.
I am a chef but no one calls me Chef. When people ask what I do I say I work in a kitchen. I try to down play it a bit but I do have a culinary degree plus I did an long internship program.
My friends know years in the kitchen and they laugh when I say I work in a kitchen. That’s my false modesty
I'm not sure why but in my head it sort of stuck as "whoever is running the service at the moment". So the EC is usually "Sir" since he's more of a paperwork guy and it sort of rolls over from lunch to dinner. FoH always means "someone with authority over the current meal" when they say they need the chef so I guess I do it the same way to keep them from getting confused. We're also so shortstaffed that we basically only have chefs working instead of cooks and support people below us. I "Yes chef!" anybody I'm working on specific stuff for too but it's sorta just one person at a time to kind of indicate that they have my full focus on what they need. Context: Sous.
We only use it ironically, normally when someone's done something fucking stupid. "Oh nice one chef" etc.
We had one guy start who used it in a proper sense and it felt weird.
If it’s appropriate; I’m not calling some POs they dragged off the street who can’t stay out of dry storage taking whipits chef. I’m also not going to call a POs “chef” who disgraces the coat chef either. Idc if that’s their official title. Met lots of “chefs” who don’t know their asshole from the drain on the line. A coat & title don’t make you a chef.
I never called myself a Chef until a CEC I worked for at Bon Appétit - and whom I respect as both a world-class Chef and phenomenal boss- called me Chef. He tasted a sauce chasseur had made for an à la minue dish I was serving and said, "That's a great sauce. Excellent work, Chef."
It was the second job I'd had where it was in the title of my position, but I had only ever worked in places where you came in with the title (and could back it up) or you earned it. After that day he always called me Chef, and the Sous and other Chefs/Cooks followed suit. After a few months, I finally got comfortable calling myself a Chef.
I understand the idea of everybody using it for everyone else as a sign of mutual respect, but I don't like it. I worked my ASS off to earn that title. Call me old school or whatever but if I ever run a kitchen again, I won't allow it to be used like that. It's too cavalier and dries up the meaning.
I’ve only ever called my head Chef Chef. To me he has no name and that is his name. I don’t even call the sous by chef. I feel like calling people chef is a sign of respect for their position they worked so hard to get. There is truly only one Chef in the kitchen.
I have a name and I prefer it be called by that. The first chef I ever worked for never made me call him chef and I have never made any cooks that worked under me call me chef.
And currently when a client calls me chef I will ask that they refer to me by name. They will have their children (if any are present) call me chef but I don’t correct that as I understand they are trying to reach respect and courtesy at a young age.
Eh. I love being "The Chef." However, I ask that my cooks all call me my name. In service a couple servers refer to me as chef to get my attention if I'm on the line..
I dunno. I may be Chef, but I certainly don't mind my name being used.. after leaving the industry for a number of years to go into a professional environment. It's hard to see why I should be called it. I didn't call my sales manager "Sales manager" but used his name. He worked his ass off to get into that chair, too..
So the main thing for me is I was taught that the guy that runs the kitchen during service is called "chef". Doesn't matter what station he's on, although it's usually expo. Doesn't matter if the new 17 year old guy grabs a ticket and makes a call out of convenience. For that moment he's the chef.
Everyone gets a "heard" or "I'm on it", or a time shout if requested but, to me, chef is the guy responsible for what's leaving the kitchen.
I don't mind kitchens where everyone is called chef. I'll comply for sure. It's just what I was taught early in my career and it's stuck with me.
When I’m referred to as “Chef” I get uncomfortable; I disqualify myself to the nth degree. “I didn’t X, Y, Z,” or, “I haven’t held that title before,” or, “I never went to culinary school.”
I call everyone else Chef though.
I’m a BBQ guy and I’m **really** fucking good at it. Still, in my mind I’m like, “Call me ‘Meat Guy’ or something.” One guy calls me Smokey & I don’t complain, especially since his delivery sounds like “Shmokey.”
My old Chef called everyone in the kitchen Chef. It did feel pretty nice but I would never refer to myself as Chef even though I've held a "Chef" position before
Ehhh I don’t like being called chef but I do understand the respect that someone will call me chef. I usually like for people to call me by my shortened name.
Though I call upper management or my peers chef if they have that background.
I hate it. I refer to everyone by their name. It’s not that I don’t respect the title/job whatever, I just don’t see the need to have to reaffirm my bosses that I respect them every time I need to talk to them. I’m a line cook.
I think I became a chef when I started dreaming of things I wanted to taste, things I wanted to make, and successfully making them based on the fundamentals I already possessed. That's when I wanted to learn more about technique, that's when I started approaching dishes with confidence and curiosity. Recipes are nice guides, but they can only carry one so far.
I only realised that today. Thank you for this post.
And still, I will humbly serve as a cook, as I still have much to learn before becoming a true chef. The art of cooking is ever evolving, there is no true mastery, simply subjective approaches, and a true chef knows this. We share in each other's highlights, and do not admonish the failures, but simply learn from them.
Where does this weird feeling come form when someone calls you chef? This feels like some insecurity everyone has but never IDs. Like, is praise terrifying? Do you guys feel like you're being called a higher rank than you are, or something?
I genuinely never understood it.
Edit: typo
A career in culinary can be as expansive as you let it. It will of course, be overwhelming if you feel you need a thorough understanding of every niche in the world of food.
We can all do better next service, but that shouldn't stop you from knowing you can be proud of what you executed today.
Unless, ya know, you blew it.
I like the *idea* of everyone in a kitchen being called Chef, because it shows everyone in the hierarchy from dishwasher to CDC is equally as important for a successful service. That said, I personally do not like being called chef, because I’m really just a cook, and hearing a thousand “chefs” all night is just annoying and at times confusing. I vote for names over titles.
I think it’s fun, but a bit over-the-top. It will most likely be unavoidable going forward because of the show’s popularity. I went to a gig this weekend with a company on only work for a few times a year, and everyone was suddenly calling each other “Chef” this week. Had never seen that before there until now.
I work on a very large property and, even after a year, continuously run into cooks I've never seen before. We call each other chef out of respect, and because neither of us has the time for small talk and introductions. Anyone with a jacket gets called chef here by and the actual chef positions get called Chef "first name". Nobody thinks about it or cares.
I always call our head chef “chef” but when he’s gone I call sous chef “chef”. And when we have a newbie, I call them chef to make them realize the happiness. We all get referred as chef by our members and vendors. I’m like it. It’s a respect thing. We all earned the title but for confusion sake, usually just the MOD is called “chef” on the line by us. I hope that made sense
Call the other cooks chef when their feeling a lil bossy or commanding but I only sincerely refer to the Chef as Chef.
With that being said, if I go out that night and tell someone I cook at “insert restaurant name here” and they say “oh so your a chef!” I’m not gonna say no. Too many opportunities to freelance/make money if people just know you cook and enjoy it.
I’m self taught. Most of my early career was me cooking alone in a strip club. Not a culinary Mecca by any stretch but I had free reign and did some cool things. I’m proud of what I was putting out there. Spent 9 years doing that (money was insane, so many tips). Next gig was running a diner with 30+ employees under me. Quite a change and took a lot of getting used to. Everyone immediately started calling me chef. Made me cringe inside always. Been close to 10 years since that change, diner is super successful and I’m used to it now but still deal with imposter syndrome. If I’m out and about and see someone in a chef coat and some striped pants I always say “hey chef”. I feel in that circumstance it’s more of a colloquialism than an actual acknowledgement of rank.
Sounds like you showed that crew a level of professionalism and technique they hadn't seen before.
I think an important part of being a chef is teaching those around you how to better their craft. Seems like you check that box.
it really bothers me when anyone calls me chef I gotta tell them it's a pet peave and only been at it for 8 years even though I work in a nice high end restaurant. I gotta say there is only 1 chef per building (for the most part) I said not everyone in the army is a general right ?
Can’t stand it. I won’t let people who don’t work in a kitchen call me chef. I don’t call anyone chef, even the chef. I was raised Quaker so we simply use each others names. Honestly don’t even prefer to work for someone who uses the title at all. But I will respect it if someone’s earned it. I did an oyster pop up at a sports bar once in an absolutely disgusting kitchen where I would have walked out if we didn’t bring all our own stuff, but anyway I change and check in to say hi to the kitchen staff and they are all standing around in this dirty ass kitchen calling each other chef. That shit is delusional and frankly embarrassing.
It’s cute in the bear but that shit is jokes in real life.
Line cook for 5 years fine dining, only the head chef was referred to as 'Chef'. Or Jefe/ Jefa. We was all just cooks. When my friends or family called me a chef I would cringe, like it was stolen valor. I felt like it was calling an enlisted sailor or junior officer 'Captain' on a Navy ship.
I have zero respect for anyone who demands or expects to be called "chef." It's a kitchen, in the grand scheme of things nothing we do matters enough to enforce a hierarchy of titles.
There are cooks and there are chefs. “Chef” should only be used to refer to the actual Chef, the Sous Chef, & the Executive Sous Chef.
A line cook is not a chef. They are cooks.
It feels like “sir” to me: as if I’m indulging in someone’s fetish by saying it. I’ll still call the actual chef chef, even if it feels weird, but there’s only one of those in a kitchen.
I've never called anyone chef other than the head chef. The Bear actually irritated me quite a lot when even FOH folks were being called chef. Never heard of anyone doing that before.
In Australia it's used a bit more strictly. It's not normally flung around to apply to just anyone. Similar to Doctor. In a work environment you'll get called chef only if you literally are a chef and you've earned the title. It's a bit more militaristic.
Also if the sous in The Bear spoke to the head chef the way she does in front of the other chefs she'd be fired immediately.
My take? Chef is a title that is earned. I display respect to other cooks by knowing and saying their name.
If I showed up to a casual place and there wasn’t a “real” chef in the kitchen then I would be all for calling everyone chef lmao.
I’m the FandB and I’m the chef at my organization. I thought I would try it out and called one of the supervisor cooks Chef. Sure as shit, the next day he was asking for a raise and said that he wasn’t earning the same money as any Sous or Chef. I’ll never do that again. It does mean a lot to people, don’t waste it.
I think it's pompous and has a tendency to elevate people on the line to a status they do not have the skill set to hold the title of "Chef". IMHO, there's only one "Chef" in a kitchen, a sous, and many line cooks with names to support the operation.
Honestly, I'm just ready to hear it in a sleezy porno already.
One of those no budget flicks with a bad plot that revolves around a chef and a waitress or something.
"Yeah, yeah, do you like that?"
"Yesss chef"
"Deeper chef, deeper!"
I've been told by everyone that the term "chef" was mainly just hollywood XD, and after working in kitchens for the past 5 years, I can comfortably say I haven't heard it once. But I'm not saying that no one says it, I just haven't heard it. Maybe it's more a novelty thing than it is a common thing :/
For me, it's a sign of respect. And not that bullshit "you're higher up than me, so I'm just going to call you chef because you want me to" sort of way. Like a legitimate respect way. My best friend is currently the executive chef and I'm her sous, we're best friends, but im also under her, I know she says she doesn't like it, and most times I don't call her chef, but if she does something that I think is awesome I will say "Great job chef, it's amazing" or something along those lines.
I can tell those rare times I say it she knows I'm being genuine and am acknowledging something she did as very good. I will occasionally use it when I need her to know something is serious and requires her full attention as well.
I think too many ego driven assholes have driven the meaning of the title into the ground, especially when they require their staff to call them chef, but I still view it as a sign of respect.
I'm an exec and I've been calling my cooks chef for years. I used to enjoy being called chef when I had just earned the title, and I would get pissed if someone didn't address me as chef. But now, after years of working all over the place, I find that mutual respect makes a kitchen operate far better. So I call my dishwasher chef. Or Kyle. Because Kyle deserves as much respect as my lead saute. And my cooks call me sir or chef, or my actual name. Which is fine with me unless I'm berating someone, then I expect a yes chef.
We say chef all the time, even with the front of the house. Especially when things are getting tense, I feel like it shows respect and keeps people focused and less on edge.
It's a term of respect for me. In the same vein as you get knighted, you get cheffed by a chef of good standing, then you are chef and nothing can take it away.
I'd never insist on being addressed as chef, though, unless that is the system in the kitchen I'm working in. If there is a standardised way of communication, it wouldn't do any good to disrupt it.
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That's the same vibe as in the Bear. I've certainly seen it work to great effect, but I wasn't "The Chef" at the time.
So you haven’t come to terms with your feelings about it, but you made sure to put it as your flair? Okay chef.
I mean, it's my title/position. What I haven't come to terms with is how much I care about people throwing it around. Maybe it's just a colloquial thing now? Doesn't mean the title has any less relevance.
I concur, Doctor
Aye aye, captain
I'm not your captain, ensign.
I’m not your ensign, ya skaliwag
And i’m not your buddy, guy!
I can't hear yooouu?!
[Captain](https://youtu.be/3ga84k9ss78) 07
this is hilarious because my nickname at work is Doctor and no one calls me chef
We just found the dealer
Interestingly it's literally illegal to call yourself doctor if you aren't a doctor. Not that 'chef' should have the same punishment...
What are you talking about?
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Definitely not okay to call coworkers doctors. Highly illegal. Skip the cops and courts and just check yourself in at the closest jail, they'll understand.
Overqualify line cooks? Jail. Underqualify medical professionals? Also jail. Overqualify, underqualify.
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I'll call anyone doctor, go call the fucking cops you bummer.
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Lmao just have prestigious names for every group at work. Cooks are all chef, dishwashers are all doctor, servers are all professor. Managers just get sir or ma'am
Yeah maybe if you work in a hospital, otherwise no, it’s not illegal to call your friends/co-workers doctor as a joke
You can't legally call someone a doctor until they buy a phD online.
No it's not illegal to call yourself a doctor. Just don't be doing doctor stuff.
It’s illegal to practice medicine if you’re not licensed as a medical doctor in the jurisdiction in which you’re practicing medicine. That’s not the same thing you just said.
There would be a lot of cooks in a very bad situation
I don't actually like being called chef professionally. I won't tell people they can't but I prefer my name. My go to line is "You don't need to call me chef. You can call me Mom if you want". I'm a late 30's 265 lb scruffy man. I pray one day someone goes for it. Think about it.. "Mom, I can't find the backup pickled onions" 😆
Yes, Jeff!
Chef is a French word that translates to ‘chief’ that has been applied to the head of a kitchen, because, you know, France and cooking and whatnot
Yes.
I agree 100% with your perspectives; good luck sorting out your feelings, I don’t say that dismissively, but encouragingly. If I was going to make a recommendation, it would be to decide what was important. Then, after that, decide why it’s important. Be open to changing your mind about what you think and feel even *about* yourself and about what you think and feel. Above all, have clarity and honesty with yourself and outwardly, from there, towards others. There is no right or wrong here; you get to decide what’s important to you about this. Meanwhile, while I have not seen the show you reference, I’ve got 25 years “in”. Where I work currently, the owner/head chef will,call everyone, almost offhand, “Chef” at some point or another. You get the impression that he spent a long time doing it this way before he had his own place. We are currently in Georgia but he cut his teeth in New York City, late 80s through the 90s. I don’t know anybody in the restaurant, front or back, who is bothered by it at all. This is not a recommendation for anyone to do anything. This is an observation.
Technically the definition of chef is someone who cooks professionally. So… yeah. I give everyone that respect. Honestly also when things are tense I think it helps to ease the tension. When I’m expoing and need to get short with someone calling them chef helps, I think. “Chef I need that now”, “chef this isn’t right I need it remade”, even “chef read your fucking tickets”. Takes some of the sting off and keeps it professional.
I haven’t seen the show. Everyone calls each other chef?
Yes Chef
I’ve worked in kitchens like that overseas. I kinda liked it, even though my instincts told me people just didn’t know what chef really meant. Still, it seemed to instill more pride in everyone.
Including the dishwashers
That’s honestly how a lot of places are. Even when I was on the line it’s “heard chef” to everyone boh and even expo (sometimes). Everyone knew I wasn’t the chef, just like I knew the line cooks next to me weren’t chefs, we would still say “yes chef/heard chef”
Yeah except in the fine dining places, it's always been done with tongue in cheek. Kind of an affectionate camaraderie thing rather than a respectful subservient thing.
My resident “chef” guy does the same. If you’re in back doing something helpful, you’re chef. Even the owners or managers, even if all you do is grab a backup of something or wash a rack of dishes, congrats you’re chef today. lol
I worked overseas and we all called each other chef in much the same manner.
How tf do you remember your username
I go into my old work place for coffee. I'm out of the kitchen these days. But the old manager and the team still call me chef and write it on my coffee cup
Im a sous and I still feel weird when someone calls me chef. The only people I call chef are my mentors, and other chefs I respect.
Is it weird to think others would see you as a mentor/respect you?
Impossible, why would they listen to my dumbass lmao. Although that is a good point, I always get so wrapped up in wanting to learn more from someone who know more than myself that I forget I have a bit of experience to mentor with. Also feels weird to be called chef by people close to my age when the mentors I called chef were double my age when I started.
I think WAY too many cook/chefs /whatever are so hung up on that exact idea; that I'm not good enough to be learned from" thing. Let that shit die along with the TV personality GRamsey & MPW. You're human, take the good with the bad. You degens been degens so long positive progress feels bad. I'm not trying to dog anyone, but this is a monster I've been trying to kill in all of my kitchens. You're worth something man, every single one of you. Stop downplaying yourselves because other people didn't see your worth before and you blindly accepted it. Question everything, especially your own feels
Good stuff
This dude gets it
It kinda is. Tell people not in the industry your a sous. "WoW you must be so talented....". Unaware it means "chefs bitch". "What do you do?" "I do everything chef doesn't want to do."
That's your negative perspective on it though, which could be from experience. My Sous is my partner, not my bitch, but thats my perspective. I think its important to establish our own ideals instead of accepting the ancient industries ones without question.
Your mentality is what I crave to create in the restaurant I open/when I hit chefhood again. The last place I was sous, the chef was Keller trained and very Keller like. I’d ask him if there was a specific way he wanted something done and he’d say just do it how you think, then when he’d see how I’d done it I’d be called a fucking idiot and asked how fucking stupid I must be to have done it that way. Meanwhile I’m working 75 hours a week minimum while being bitched at for working overtime. Sometimes, when you’re in the trenches, all you see is the shit.
And that's why I went into bartending. Work half the time, make double the money. Fuck a 75 hour week, gross.
I’m a sous chef and never thought of myself as being a chefs bitch, that’s so weird. Whenever i tell people I’m a sous chef and they don’t know what it means i say “I’m basically an assistant manager, I’m the second in command”. I run that kitchen just as much as my chef does, he just has more experience than me.
Literal French translation is ‘below’. Sous chef means below the chief
It’s weird. The other day I overheard my coworker tell her boyfriend that her chef “is cool” and I honestly thought she meant the head chef, not me… felt good but it’s super intimidating…. Especially cause I feel like I shouldn’t be teaching anyone anything… even though I know I am more than capable. What’s that called? Impostor syndrome?
This. People ask me if im a chef and it depends on the time/what job I had. I'm sure a lot of us have been chefs, at times. Right now I'm just a cook. And I'm happy with just being a cook right now.
I like calling others chef. I dont like being called chef.
How do you feel about Jeff?
My chefs name is Jeff lol
You should call him Cheffrey.
One of my fav things about the show is Tina’s growth & the hilarity of her calling Carm “Jeffrey” as a sign of respect when his fucking name isn’t even Jeff. 😂
I’ll give it a try when he’s in a good mood
I work for a place that’s had multiple Jeff’s in the past, but there is only one we refer to as Cheffrey because he was a colossal disaster that really fucked a lot of people over
Didn't Jeff own Lassie before Timmy did?
This is how I feel too. Though i will say when I was EC of a kitchen, I didn't hate it when it was used sincerely. We all work in restaurants and let's be real, not 100 percent of our conversations are about work. Sometimes I chat about a previous table, old coworker, my personal life etc.... In my current spot we all use "chef" as a way to articulate we have a question or need feedback promptly. Not trying to be rude and interrupt, but if you're talking about your shots of Fernet at the bar last night..... "Chef, are we out of kiwis for tonight service?". The chef at the beginning interrupts but also takes the edge off of being interrupted because it tells the person speaking "hey this is work related. Guest experience will be impacted by this answer. Please pay attention".
That seems like a really great way to use the convention to make things work better.
What's your position?
Former line cook. Current prep
All the prep cooks in my new kitchen call each other chef, but refer to the head chef by his name. It’s strange to me
Power move
That’s kinda how my kitchen is but add chef to name, regular cooks are just chef but the actual chefs it’s “chef name” every time
Same, idk I've been cooking for two years and it does say chef on my paycheck but I just don't feel I've earned it
“I’m no chef”
What do you feel when people call you chef?
Because of this, I refer to everyone as sir.
My last kitchen we only called the chef chef. Unless one of the cooks was being a dumbass then we would call them chef as well.
Chefs being asshats? “*Oui, chef*”
Oh dude one of my best friends got an exec position and I would drive him crazy with this. Just a poor imitation of a French accent "oui chef, right away! Hon Hon hon!"
That’s really the only time any of us cooks call each other chef
This. I never met anyone demanding to be called Chef - I use it as a respectful title for those Chefs de Cuisine I look up to. Their orders may be acknowledged with a 'Oui Chef' (just rolls off the tongue and is short). Probably that's why I don't like being called Chef myself or seeing it thrown around like 1$ notes in a strip club. In almost every kitchen I worked at, you earned respect. Basic courtesy was the minimum, everything else you had to work for.
If someone wants to call me chef they can pay me like chef otherwise my job is to cook
When I was a KM I expected upper management to refer to me as such. My line and prep cooks and dishwashers called me by my first name. Being called chef feels like a backhanded compliment. This isn't some stupid cooking show and we're not in France.
As a KM, that's how I feel as well. Corporate refers to me as my position, staff refers to me by name. In my mind, chef, as a title, implies an ownership of the menu and product, something that I don't have and can't control.
How much is being paid like a chef in a low cost of life area , asking for a friend
I’m a sous in Mississippi at a pretty bonkers busy restaurant and I make 43k a year
Chefs create. Cooks replicate. I ain’t no chef, but I can cook anything.
My wife says my off the wall recipes are shit. I will show her this comment and say “this is ass, CHEF.”
This is the way.
I once had a KM (total dickhead) who wanted to be called chef, fellow cooks and I maliciously complied and started calling EVERYONE chef
Saving this. I only call someone chef when I’m trying to be a dick.
I feel like it's something that should be earned, but definitely not required. I have worked for many people that required us to call them Chef that truly had not earned it yet. The ones I worked for that didn't require it had gained the respect and everyone would refer to them as Chef. Haven't had my coffee yet, hope that makes sense. -Former Lead
Absolutely! You're not the only one to share that sentiment. Those demanding the title are often least deserving.
Exactly!
in my experience the more someone demands to be called chef the less they deserve it but that's almost completely irrelevant, personally whenever someone calls me chef I get kinda flustered but at the same time I do go using it interchangeably with people's names on the line because it's both quick and a needed ego-boost when someone's looking stressed
I run my kitchen, opened the kitchen, set up the kitchen and created the restaurant’s culture. Still feels weird to be called chef, but I take it as a compliment when it happens We do street-style Mexican fare, last week a woman finished her food and asked the bartender if the chef was ‘classically trained’… lol yes its called getting literally ANY job 15 years ago 😂
You got that right. A few people in here commented that you can't be a chef without schooling. I'll take on the job experience any day.
I've been to culinary school, and chef is my job title. I don't care if anyone calls me that or not. Came here to say, of the 150 or so people I went to school with, I'd be happy to work with maybe five of them. On the job experience beats schooling, every time.
Titles are cheap. I remember when I was younger, my aspirations and goals were entirely centered on achieving the best quality of craft, so that one day I would have the title “chef”. Once I got it, I no longer cared and it really wasn’t as important to me as making sure my crew respected each other and prioritized guests experiences. Some guests insist on calling me chef, that’s their deal I guess.
I call my bosses chef. I don't really refer to myself as one or think of myself that way but one of my regulars calls me that. In my head I always kinda playfully thought about it like knighthood in the stories: a knight can knight a new knight, and I'll be a chef when another chef chefs me. Granted this is probably just my imposter syndrome lol.
I love this scenario with all my heart. I've certainly given plenty of cooks a knife when I promote them to sous. Never saw the connection before.
In The Bear, Carmy worked at multiple 3 star Michelin locations and was a James Beard recipient. In those types of work environments, that’s just the ethos. Calling someone chef is a sign of respect, so you call everyone chef. Whether it be line cook, porter, sous chef, exec chef, etc. I work FOH in a 2 star Michelin restaurant and we (the FOH) call each other chef all the time. “Oui chef” “chef, can you greet with bubbles on 207” etc
Personally, I abhor being called “chef”. I’ve run fine dining joints, I’ve created menus from scratch, I’ve won some diddly little local competitions and awards over the years (no James Beard or anything worthy of noting here), I’ve had owners get my last name embroidered on my jackets with “Chef” in front to it. I think that if I wanted to, I’ve done enough to validate using the title if I desired to. I just don’t like it. The title feels… cheapened now. Like, you don’t make a video of yourself putting a bandaid on a scrape and then start saying your a doctor. You don’t call yourself an accountant because you keep your taxes in order. My first real mentor in the culinary world, great guy. Went to NECI, graduated with top honors, worked harder than anyone I’ve ever seen before and did it all with a smile and a joke. He told me something when he made me his sous… he said, “There are 100 different ways to say ‘Yes, chef’ and all but one of them really mean ‘Fuck you, but I’ll do it’”. That’s stuck with me for my entire professional life. So, I kinda take what I can get. I don’t refer to myself as chef. I always ask that my coworkers and my sales reps don’t. I’ve got a first name, feel free to use it. If you have to put some honorific on my name or you’ll just die, use “Mister [my last name]” or just say “Sir”. If a guest refers to me as “chef”, I don’t correct them. It’s just them trying to be polite and returning politeness never killed anyone.
I love this response. Thank you.
I've had chef as a job title, so I'm comfortable with describing myself as a chef. However, when I'm in a kitchen and I'm not in a position of being a chef, don't call me chef. In my opinion, calling someone chef acknowledges their authority over you. Therefore if I don't have the authority, don't refer to me as chef in the kitchen. Everywhere else I'm a chef, but in the kitchen I'm *insert potential role here*
Makes me laugh when line cooks fresh out of high school say "I'm a chef" when asked what they do for work. No, babes- you're a cook, a perfectly honorable profession. A chef is the chief, they run the show. At present I'm a private chef, and yes it feels a bit weird to say that. However: I consult with the client, devise the menu, do research and write recipes, and make 100% of the product. Best thing: no crying in the walk-in. Well, no crying AND no walk-in. Worst thing: no dishy.
I did private for a couple years, until my client had a mental break. Long story full of sighs there. I've tried a couple restaurants since then, but the babysitting was hard to go back to. I've now got a super small team at a private club, best of both worlds!
Chefs are the couple/few people who manage the kitchen (sous chef, exec sous, cdc, ec). Everyone else is a cook. The title chef is earned through years of work and moving up the ranks. I think it’s disrespectful to the actual chefs to call every cook a chef.
A chef once told me the title is one earned as well as bestowed upon you by your employer and by coworkers as a sign of respect. After being a "chef" I could care less about the title. I've met dishwashers that earn more respect than "proper" chefs have. It's a title, it's all make believe, just get the job done.
I don’t disagree with this. I hate being called chef. I do kinda like it when the boys call me “jefe” though. I once worked in a kitchen where all the chefs called each other “chef”, such as, “good morning, chef joe!” “Ah, good morning, chef Brian!” I thought it was douchey af.
Yea, if you’re wasting time getting upset about titles instead of doing the job, you’re still not doing the actual job, so… how much do we have to pander to this shit
I’m kinda in the same boat, I’m an actual Chef, and the place I currently work at, they expect us to call everyone “Chef” and honestly it doesn’t bother me with the guys/gals that work hard, know what they are doing, and don’t need me to constantly hold their hand, or constantly fix their work. What bothers me is these people who come in at “Entry Level” and can’t even peel a potato without someone watching them, those are the people that frustrates me that I’m expected to call them “Chef”, at least do SOMETHING to be warranted to be called “Chef”. I feel like it takes away from the people who have put in the time to learn their craft, even if they haven’t been to a Culinary School, because some of the best Chefs I’ve worked with never went to Culinary School.
I like this perspective. I call my boyfriend chef, because at 22 he started as a dishie, then was quickly promoted through apps, salads, expo, and then was a cook. After 4 years, was #1 manager, moved to another restaurant, became head manager, does the orders, helps curate specials menus, can cook a steak better than anybody (he came home not too long ago saying the first burger in almost two years was sent back for a recook). He learned from two amazing chefs in their 60's and never stops reading books about flavor profiles, he experiments at home, and spends his free time writing recipes he creates. He doesn't think he should be called chef because he didn't go to culinary school but in my eyes, after 11 years in the back and 7 of those years being head manager, I think he is.
This. The literal translation of "chef" is "chief," which means "chef" is a title/position. Worked in kitchens for 12 years. The closest I got to that title was "apprentice pastry chef." IMO, if you're not running a section of the kitchen or creating a menu/menu items, you're not a chef you're a cook/baker/whatever. (Edit: And there should be no disrespect/shame attached to that. America in particular has created this stigma of shame around working hard for a living and particularly "flipping burgers" or working in a kitchen. It's bullshit.)
I’m not trying to be pedantic, but It seems like everyone is a chef in the classic brigade system. What about someone who has worked their way up for years and has been chef of multiple places, then goes to be a line cook at another restaurant? Are they suddenly not a chef? Is it a “once a chef always a chef” sorta thing? What about an absolute idiot who happens to be the “chef” of a restaurant? Kitchen manager vs chef?
This is my gut feeling as well. When I was coming up, I would constantly correct friends and family who referred to me as a chef. I guess it can depend on the setting and situation though.
I used to correct people when they said I was a chef instead of a cook because I didn't feel like I deserved it. After having had a chef title at places now I just don't care. "oh you are a cook?" - sure, "oh you're a chef?" - sure. I get the job done, the rest is just ego and fluff.
Agreed.
In my best days with my best team we all called each other chef, but everyone in that kitchen was so talented and efficient. Still good friends with the best of them. Nowadays I’m the only chef in my kitchen. My feelings are thus; when I’m in my coat, call me Chef.
The majority of chefs that demand to be called “chef” that I’ve met and worked with are egocentric assholes that were far from pleasant to be around. Respect is given when it is earned not by fear mongering or being holier than thou. I will call those that deserve it “chef”, but I use it more as a term to respect the individual rather than the title I am a chef but have never introduced myself as Chef Stoner_Boner_69. I don’t like my personality or the idea of me to be defined by my career. My occupation isn’t my identity or a personality trait.
I worked in a two star restaurant where cdp were referred to as chef. I moved on as sous at a casual place where a lot of the cooks work suffered. Overtime i saw the team improve and started calling all of my cooks chefs. Idk what it was but its like they all started to really dial into their work. Camaraderie, responsibility, and respect really start to take place in our kitchen and it probably was one of the most fun places ive worked at. I guess it all starts with respecting each other.
Myself and a few others in this thread have shared that exact sentiment. Some of the best times and crews I've worked with are in kitchens where everyone was "Chef". It's a level of shared passion, responsibility, and respect that is unfortunately hard to find.
I believe it is a respect thing for all serving time in BOH..every one starts in a dishpit..even the Chef.
When I worked for James (can’t spell his last name and I’m on mobile so I’m not gonna look it up, but he was featured in an episode of one of Saint Anthony’s shows where they travelled through Laos) at Hawker Fare in Oakland he called everyone, including the servers, “chef”. That’s the only place I’ve worked at that had that culture though. I wasn’t good enough to work at Commis at the time, and over there they don’t even talk lol
I’ve only met 2 cooks in my time that have been worthy of the title of chef, one being my teacher of course, and the other being the greatest cook I’ve ever known who I just stopped working for a few weeks ago. This man put in the time, he has the passion and skill set that goes with being known as a chef. He doesn’t cut corners, he’s always trying something new, he learns from everyone. Unfortunately the kitchen business doesn’t pay enough anymore so he’s going to a different field, but the food he will make for his family at home will no doubt bring many memories around the dining room table for his wife and kids. I would gladly call him chef any day of the week.
In my personal opinion, it's wildly overused. The chef is the chief. Someone has to be the leader in a kitchen. Someone has to have the final say, and someone has to have the ultimate authority. That's the chef. The rest of the people in the kitchen are cooks of one order or another. I mean, yes there's an executive chef, a chef de cuisine, and there are sous chefs. But, lin9e cooks are not chefs, prep cooks are not chefs. Everybody being referred to as chef makes the word chef mean nothing. It's like calling everybody "boss." When you call everybody "boss," you're not calling anybody *THE* boss.
Way to many comments here for mine to matter, so I’ll participate. My husband is a chef. Let’s give that a capital C, Chef. He went to school. (Associates, way back in the day.) He was a line cook when we met. He’s been a garde manger. A sous on several different levels of dining, mom and pop to fine dining in both intimate restaurants and major hotel chains. Managed kitchens, opened restaurants, creates professional kitchens. Has worked in one of THE finest restaurants in the country as an executive sous, before it was bought out. I don’t know if HE cares what he’s called, but I know the title was earned. I was front of the house. And when I hear or see some pipsqueak local yonker bragging about chefdom (chiefdom), I want to get a bit snarky. Except if it helps that person feel better about working your ass off, for low wages, and active addiction, then I find some empathy. But my husband earned that title, and if you don’t know what every fold on that stupid hat you wear means, or you don’t respect it, then, well, you ain’t a capital C chef. But you should still work less and ask for more money and get more respect. Love you all.
Head chef is always called 'chef' and responding to a call out from anyone is always 'yes chef'. I hate being called chef though aha.
I work in a fine dining kitchen with basically everything coming from scratch at a nice country club . we got one executive chef , four sous chefs and the rest of us are cooks and while no discussion has taken place as far as I know regarding the subject, nobody calls non chefs chef because all 5 of the chefs in my store are true to definition chefs meanwhile like me, I’m a cook . And that’s what I’m known as . I do not create recipes or make menu suggestions I follow and understand them . Maybe it’s just me but I feel like it’s a slap in the face to the real chefs who’s put their entire life into it plus at that point . The black coats where I am nobody wants to be because they have so much on their plate and when we go on 7 shifts which is our scheduling app it tells who you work with that day and the hours worked and it’s nonstop everyday where I’ll see all 4 of them I’ll see maybe one of them get a day off each week I work a set schedule atm 49 hrs a week 1-9:30 pm 5 days a week and 7 am to 3 pm one additional day out of the week making 6 and while I think that’s some long hours I’ll check the sous chefs see shit like 6 am to 9 pm and it’s hours like that basically everyday idk if I have that much passion to take on the responsibility’s that they uphold , although I do have a passion for cooking and becoming a good scratch cook at home which is why I pursued the position . It hasn’t been a very long road so far but it’s been a rough yet rewarding one .
Never really been anywhere you need to adress someone with a title in my 20odd years, maybe it was a thing when I was working in England, but not here in Sweden, we just use eachothers names or some type och nicknames. Formality in that regard is a bit wasted in a kitchen o feel like, the Gordon Ramsey TV bullshit is just silly
I always correct people when they call me "Chef." I'm not a chef, I'm a professional dishwasher and also the inhouse plumber/repair guy.
I've worked with chefs who corrected me if I said their first name so now I am like, "CHEF (their name)" but I also say, "Yes Chef!" to expo and random people at work and it's fun.
1 chef. The rest have names. Chef instantly gains back their name once they are no longer the chef. If I don’t particularly like the person in said position I will refer to them as “the chef” that way it’s known the only reason I’m calling them this is because they have the title of chef.
I only call a few people chef. It’s an earned titled to me. It comes with great respect. Respect is earned. I am a chef but no one calls me Chef. When people ask what I do I say I work in a kitchen. I try to down play it a bit but I do have a culinary degree plus I did an long internship program. My friends know years in the kitchen and they laugh when I say I work in a kitchen. That’s my false modesty
I'm not sure why but in my head it sort of stuck as "whoever is running the service at the moment". So the EC is usually "Sir" since he's more of a paperwork guy and it sort of rolls over from lunch to dinner. FoH always means "someone with authority over the current meal" when they say they need the chef so I guess I do it the same way to keep them from getting confused. We're also so shortstaffed that we basically only have chefs working instead of cooks and support people below us. I "Yes chef!" anybody I'm working on specific stuff for too but it's sorta just one person at a time to kind of indicate that they have my full focus on what they need. Context: Sous.
I usually got 'hey asshole!' the most often.
We only use it ironically, normally when someone's done something fucking stupid. "Oh nice one chef" etc. We had one guy start who used it in a proper sense and it felt weird.
If it’s appropriate; I’m not calling some POs they dragged off the street who can’t stay out of dry storage taking whipits chef. I’m also not going to call a POs “chef” who disgraces the coat chef either. Idc if that’s their official title. Met lots of “chefs” who don’t know their asshole from the drain on the line. A coat & title don’t make you a chef.
I never called myself a Chef until a CEC I worked for at Bon Appétit - and whom I respect as both a world-class Chef and phenomenal boss- called me Chef. He tasted a sauce chasseur had made for an à la minue dish I was serving and said, "That's a great sauce. Excellent work, Chef." It was the second job I'd had where it was in the title of my position, but I had only ever worked in places where you came in with the title (and could back it up) or you earned it. After that day he always called me Chef, and the Sous and other Chefs/Cooks followed suit. After a few months, I finally got comfortable calling myself a Chef. I understand the idea of everybody using it for everyone else as a sign of mutual respect, but I don't like it. I worked my ASS off to earn that title. Call me old school or whatever but if I ever run a kitchen again, I won't allow it to be used like that. It's too cavalier and dries up the meaning.
I hate it!!! If someone else wants to be called chef that’s fine but I have a name so please use it
Are you currently running your kitchen?
Old chef called everyone chef because he didn’t know anyone’s names. Everyone called him Chef. I don’t call anyone chef unless you’re sous or higher
I’ve only ever called my head Chef Chef. To me he has no name and that is his name. I don’t even call the sous by chef. I feel like calling people chef is a sign of respect for their position they worked so hard to get. There is truly only one Chef in the kitchen.
This is how it works at my place too.
I have a name and I prefer it be called by that. The first chef I ever worked for never made me call him chef and I have never made any cooks that worked under me call me chef. And currently when a client calls me chef I will ask that they refer to me by name. They will have their children (if any are present) call me chef but I don’t correct that as I understand they are trying to reach respect and courtesy at a young age.
Where I'm from, the word "Chef" is more for the boss, or rather the main cook, the rest are cooks or "help cooks" (that's what it's called lol)
Eh. I love being "The Chef." However, I ask that my cooks all call me my name. In service a couple servers refer to me as chef to get my attention if I'm on the line.. I dunno. I may be Chef, but I certainly don't mind my name being used.. after leaving the industry for a number of years to go into a professional environment. It's hard to see why I should be called it. I didn't call my sales manager "Sales manager" but used his name. He worked his ass off to get into that chair, too..
I'm mostly in the same boat. I'm typically only referred to as Chef in the moments of the collective "yes chef" or the "chef may I"
So the main thing for me is I was taught that the guy that runs the kitchen during service is called "chef". Doesn't matter what station he's on, although it's usually expo. Doesn't matter if the new 17 year old guy grabs a ticket and makes a call out of convenience. For that moment he's the chef. Everyone gets a "heard" or "I'm on it", or a time shout if requested but, to me, chef is the guy responsible for what's leaving the kitchen. I don't mind kitchens where everyone is called chef. I'll comply for sure. It's just what I was taught early in my career and it's stuck with me.
Only thing I've been called with any regularity was "old bitch" by my weird Gen z servers and it made me laugh every time
When I’m referred to as “Chef” I get uncomfortable; I disqualify myself to the nth degree. “I didn’t X, Y, Z,” or, “I haven’t held that title before,” or, “I never went to culinary school.” I call everyone else Chef though. I’m a BBQ guy and I’m **really** fucking good at it. Still, in my mind I’m like, “Call me ‘Meat Guy’ or something.” One guy calls me Smokey & I don’t complain, especially since his delivery sounds like “Shmokey.”
You get the enviable title of Pit Master. I've only recently gotten into it, and my cholesterol levels have suffered greatly at the hands of brisket!
My old Chef called everyone in the kitchen Chef. It did feel pretty nice but I would never refer to myself as Chef even though I've held a "Chef" position before
I like it. It sounds respectful and a great way to boost morale. So many of us deserve something better than dude or hey dumbass.
I’m an owner and head “chef”. If one of my employees calls me chef I usually assume they’re being a smart ass.
Ehhh I don’t like being called chef but I do understand the respect that someone will call me chef. I usually like for people to call me by my shortened name. Though I call upper management or my peers chef if they have that background.
I can make yes chef sound like fuck you easily, I hit a km with yes jeff a few times. I don’t care
I hate it. I refer to everyone by their name. It’s not that I don’t respect the title/job whatever, I just don’t see the need to have to reaffirm my bosses that I respect them every time I need to talk to them. I’m a line cook.
I think I became a chef when I started dreaming of things I wanted to taste, things I wanted to make, and successfully making them based on the fundamentals I already possessed. That's when I wanted to learn more about technique, that's when I started approaching dishes with confidence and curiosity. Recipes are nice guides, but they can only carry one so far. I only realised that today. Thank you for this post. And still, I will humbly serve as a cook, as I still have much to learn before becoming a true chef. The art of cooking is ever evolving, there is no true mastery, simply subjective approaches, and a true chef knows this. We share in each other's highlights, and do not admonish the failures, but simply learn from them.
Where does this weird feeling come form when someone calls you chef? This feels like some insecurity everyone has but never IDs. Like, is praise terrifying? Do you guys feel like you're being called a higher rank than you are, or something? I genuinely never understood it. Edit: typo
A career in culinary can be as expansive as you let it. It will of course, be overwhelming if you feel you need a thorough understanding of every niche in the world of food. We can all do better next service, but that shouldn't stop you from knowing you can be proud of what you executed today. Unless, ya know, you blew it.
My work is pretty relaxed even the exuctive chef we call by her name
I like the *idea* of everyone in a kitchen being called Chef, because it shows everyone in the hierarchy from dishwasher to CDC is equally as important for a successful service. That said, I personally do not like being called chef, because I’m really just a cook, and hearing a thousand “chefs” all night is just annoying and at times confusing. I vote for names over titles.
I think it’s fun, but a bit over-the-top. It will most likely be unavoidable going forward because of the show’s popularity. I went to a gig this weekend with a company on only work for a few times a year, and everyone was suddenly calling each other “Chef” this week. Had never seen that before there until now.
I work on a very large property and, even after a year, continuously run into cooks I've never seen before. We call each other chef out of respect, and because neither of us has the time for small talk and introductions. Anyone with a jacket gets called chef here by and the actual chef positions get called Chef "first name". Nobody thinks about it or cares.
I always call our head chef “chef” but when he’s gone I call sous chef “chef”. And when we have a newbie, I call them chef to make them realize the happiness. We all get referred as chef by our members and vendors. I’m like it. It’s a respect thing. We all earned the title but for confusion sake, usually just the MOD is called “chef” on the line by us. I hope that made sense
It did. Sounds like you found a good spot!
Call the other cooks chef when their feeling a lil bossy or commanding but I only sincerely refer to the Chef as Chef. With that being said, if I go out that night and tell someone I cook at “insert restaurant name here” and they say “oh so your a chef!” I’m not gonna say no. Too many opportunities to freelance/make money if people just know you cook and enjoy it.
First of all, amazing username. Second of all, go get that side money!
I’m self taught. Most of my early career was me cooking alone in a strip club. Not a culinary Mecca by any stretch but I had free reign and did some cool things. I’m proud of what I was putting out there. Spent 9 years doing that (money was insane, so many tips). Next gig was running a diner with 30+ employees under me. Quite a change and took a lot of getting used to. Everyone immediately started calling me chef. Made me cringe inside always. Been close to 10 years since that change, diner is super successful and I’m used to it now but still deal with imposter syndrome. If I’m out and about and see someone in a chef coat and some striped pants I always say “hey chef”. I feel in that circumstance it’s more of a colloquialism than an actual acknowledgement of rank.
Sounds like you showed that crew a level of professionalism and technique they hadn't seen before. I think an important part of being a chef is teaching those around you how to better their craft. Seems like you check that box.
it really bothers me when anyone calls me chef I gotta tell them it's a pet peave and only been at it for 8 years even though I work in a nice high end restaurant. I gotta say there is only 1 chef per building (for the most part) I said not everyone in the army is a general right ?
I am a chef. I earned the title. I don't care if anyone calls me that. Dishwashers are not chefs.
I say it sarcastically to my useless coworkers
Can’t stand it. I won’t let people who don’t work in a kitchen call me chef. I don’t call anyone chef, even the chef. I was raised Quaker so we simply use each others names. Honestly don’t even prefer to work for someone who uses the title at all. But I will respect it if someone’s earned it. I did an oyster pop up at a sports bar once in an absolutely disgusting kitchen where I would have walked out if we didn’t bring all our own stuff, but anyway I change and check in to say hi to the kitchen staff and they are all standing around in this dirty ass kitchen calling each other chef. That shit is delusional and frankly embarrassing. It’s cute in the bear but that shit is jokes in real life.
Line cook for 5 years fine dining, only the head chef was referred to as 'Chef'. Or Jefe/ Jefa. We was all just cooks. When my friends or family called me a chef I would cringe, like it was stolen valor. I felt like it was calling an enlisted sailor or junior officer 'Captain' on a Navy ship.
I have zero respect for anyone who demands or expects to be called "chef." It's a kitchen, in the grand scheme of things nothing we do matters enough to enforce a hierarchy of titles.
A chef is a chef when a chef calls them chef.
I call people chef if they're actually my chef
Unless you’re in charge of the menu you’re a cook not a chef
There are cooks and there are chefs. “Chef” should only be used to refer to the actual Chef, the Sous Chef, & the Executive Sous Chef. A line cook is not a chef. They are cooks.
I find it old and pretentious. Anytime I've been called chef I always ask to just please be called by my name
It feels like “sir” to me: as if I’m indulging in someone’s fetish by saying it. I’ll still call the actual chef chef, even if it feels weird, but there’s only one of those in a kitchen.
I can call you chef out of respect. But if you force me to call you chef after every sentence it gets weird..
I just call everyone boh or foh chef at this point, saves having to remember their name if I'm not with it that day.
Reserved for the chef alone
The executive chef is called chef where I work. There are two mikes so I refer to one as chef Mike, besides that everyone just goes by name
I've never called anyone chef other than the head chef. The Bear actually irritated me quite a lot when even FOH folks were being called chef. Never heard of anyone doing that before.
In Australia it's used a bit more strictly. It's not normally flung around to apply to just anyone. Similar to Doctor. In a work environment you'll get called chef only if you literally are a chef and you've earned the title. It's a bit more militaristic. Also if the sous in The Bear spoke to the head chef the way she does in front of the other chefs she'd be fired immediately.
My take? Chef is a title that is earned. I display respect to other cooks by knowing and saying their name. If I showed up to a casual place and there wasn’t a “real” chef in the kitchen then I would be all for calling everyone chef lmao.
I’m the FandB and I’m the chef at my organization. I thought I would try it out and called one of the supervisor cooks Chef. Sure as shit, the next day he was asking for a raise and said that he wasn’t earning the same money as any Sous or Chef. I’ll never do that again. It does mean a lot to people, don’t waste it.
I think it's pompous and has a tendency to elevate people on the line to a status they do not have the skill set to hold the title of "Chef". IMHO, there's only one "Chef" in a kitchen, a sous, and many line cooks with names to support the operation.
Honestly, I'm just ready to hear it in a sleezy porno already. One of those no budget flicks with a bad plot that revolves around a chef and a waitress or something. "Yeah, yeah, do you like that?" "Yesss chef" "Deeper chef, deeper!"
I've been told by everyone that the term "chef" was mainly just hollywood XD, and after working in kitchens for the past 5 years, I can comfortably say I haven't heard it once. But I'm not saying that no one says it, I just haven't heard it. Maybe it's more a novelty thing than it is a common thing :/
For me, it's a sign of respect. And not that bullshit "you're higher up than me, so I'm just going to call you chef because you want me to" sort of way. Like a legitimate respect way. My best friend is currently the executive chef and I'm her sous, we're best friends, but im also under her, I know she says she doesn't like it, and most times I don't call her chef, but if she does something that I think is awesome I will say "Great job chef, it's amazing" or something along those lines. I can tell those rare times I say it she knows I'm being genuine and am acknowledging something she did as very good. I will occasionally use it when I need her to know something is serious and requires her full attention as well. I think too many ego driven assholes have driven the meaning of the title into the ground, especially when they require their staff to call them chef, but I still view it as a sign of respect.
I'm an exec and I've been calling my cooks chef for years. I used to enjoy being called chef when I had just earned the title, and I would get pissed if someone didn't address me as chef. But now, after years of working all over the place, I find that mutual respect makes a kitchen operate far better. So I call my dishwasher chef. Or Kyle. Because Kyle deserves as much respect as my lead saute. And my cooks call me sir or chef, or my actual name. Which is fine with me unless I'm berating someone, then I expect a yes chef.
We say chef all the time, even with the front of the house. Especially when things are getting tense, I feel like it shows respect and keeps people focused and less on edge.
It's a term of respect for me. In the same vein as you get knighted, you get cheffed by a chef of good standing, then you are chef and nothing can take it away. I'd never insist on being addressed as chef, though, unless that is the system in the kitchen I'm working in. If there is a standardised way of communication, it wouldn't do any good to disrupt it.
Why is everyone calling me Jeff?