Job Classifications in the Culinary Industry

The culinary arts industry has taken off as the era of celebrity chefs and “foodies” continues. Reality television shows take us behind the scenes of restaurants and bakeries and have created even more interest in culinary careers. But many people still aren’t sure what the different culinary job classifications are or what a culinary job description means.

In general, culinary job classifications can be broken down into entry-level, mid-level and management positions.

Entry-level positions in the culinary industry include:

Short order cook
The short order cook tends to work in smaller kitchens and more casual diners. The food preparation and menu is simpler and less complex than in a fine-dining restaurant. Many short order cooks start out by apprenticing to master the basics of working in a kitchen. Since the hours are long and turnover is high for these positions, there are usually openings for short order cooks in most cities.

Prep cook
A prep cook prepares the food to be cooked, and may be responsible for chopping vegetables, preparing meats and measuring ingredients that will go into finished dishes. Those in this position can eventually move up to line cook.

Fry cook
A fry cook handles all the frying in a kitchen. Important safety measures have to be used in this position because hot oil is one of the most dangerous ingredients in a professional kitchen.

Culinary job classifications at the mid-level range require more training and include:

Line cooks
The culinary job description for line cook can vary from restaurant to restaurant, but, overall, these are the cooks that prepare a large percentage of the food in a busy restaurant. In some restaurants, their job may stay focused and narrow, at least until they learn more. Line cooks typically have training in the culinary arts industry because they have to know food safety, restaurant ovens and stoves and most aspects of food preparation. Saute chef, grill cook, and cooks covering other stations all fall under the heading of line cook.

Sauté Chef
A sauté chef is responsible for food prepared at the kitchen stove, including any meat, fish or vegetables that need sauteing or finishing on a stove. Within the line cook hierarchy, this is considered to be the top slot.

Grill cook
The grill cook is responsible for preparing all food at the grill station, and depending on the size of the restaurant, can either work with assistants or be solely responsible for grilled food. Because they often handle meat at the grill station, they have to have special knowledge of food safety and preparation.

And more specialized culinary job descriptions include:

Pastry Chef
Breads and baked goods are the responsibility of the pastry chef. Some desserts will be the responsibility of the pastry chef as well. 

Dessert Chef
Desserts can be one of the most elaborate parts of a meal, and the dessert chef is in charge of preparing all desserts in the restaurant. 

High-level positions in the culinary industry require years of experience and training, but once a chef has reached this position, they have a number of opportunities and may even start their own restaurant or business.

The two highest levels are:

Sous chef
The sous chef is the cook supervising all the other cooks and reports directly to the executive chef. He makes sure all food leaving the kitchen is prepared according to the restaurant’s standards.

Executive chef
The executive chef is the highest position in the restaurant and is responsible for all aspects of managing the kitchen, including staffing, menus, food sourcing and the food budget. The demands of the position mean most executive chefs do not cook.

Not all restaurants and hospitality kitchens will staff all positions, but there will always be a demand for culinary jobs in the hospitality industry.