chef de cuisine

noun

chef de cui·​sine ˌshef-də-kwē-ˈzēn 

plural chefs de cuisine ˌshef(s)-də-kwē-ˈzēn 

: a chef who manages a professional kitchen

… chefs need chefs de cuisine to run their kitchens, from hiring and firing to choosing between chives and chervil as the garnish for a new dish. And some do a great deal more than that.

—Julia Moskin

And the titles change with each restaurant. The top chef might be called an executive chef or chef de cuisine. The second in command might also be known as chef de cuisine (if there's an executive chef) …

—Phil Vettel

Tony Bilson, who has had a succession of artistically successful but financially rocky restaurants in Sydney, has his name on the door, but Manu Feildel, the young chef de cuisine from France, does the day-to-day cooking, and he is good.

—Harvey Steiman

compare executive chef

Examples of chef de cuisine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The pair of Plaza Midwood restaurants are Hai Hospitality’s first foray into the Carolinas, bringing James Beard Award-winning chef and sushi master Tyson Cole’s vision for non-traditional Japanese cuisine to life via chef de cuisine Shaun King and his team. —Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 10 Mar. 2026

Reed Palmer, chef de cuisine at Folia Bar & Kitchen in Appellation Healdsburg, speaks passionately about the upcoming Pigs & Pinot. —Nora Heston Tarte, Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2026

The partners sold the restaurant to longtime chef de cuisine, Ryan Samson, who's been with Vespaio for more than 25 years, and former general manager Daniel Brooks of Licha's Cantina in 2018. —Matthew Odam, Austin American Statesman, 27 Feb. 2026

The Heidaris worked to keep Urbano’s staff, including chef de cuisine Oseas Lopez and general manager Kevan LaTorre, both of whom have been with the restaurant since 2011. —Claire Ballor staff Reporter, Dallas Morning News, 23 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, "head of the kitchen"

First Known Use

1798, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for chef de cuisine

• acetylene
• adenosine
• amphetamine
• anthropocene
• antipyrine
• apomorphine
• apoprotein
• aquamarine
• arsphenamine
• azobenzene
• buprenorphine
• chlorobenzene