chef de cuisine

noun

chef de cui·​sine ˌshef-də-kwē-ˈzēn How to pronounce chef de cuisine (audio)
plural chefs de cuisine ˌshef(s)-də-kwē-ˈzēn How to pronounce chef de cuisine (audio)
: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The restaurant’s dinner menu was created by chef de cuisine Lisa Rivera, formerly of The Marine Room in La Jolla, with oversight by culinary director Staci Miller. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025 Oporto, who was the chef de cuisine when La Belle Vie closed and helmed the kitchen at Octo Fish Bar in Lowertown, also developed the excellent burger at DeGidio’s on West Seventh. Jess Fleming, Twin Cities, 17 July 2025 From 2023: Austin Mexican restaurant El Naranjo announces owner's daughter as newest chef de cuisine Crawfish mac ‘n cheese at Hissy Fit One of February's many rainy late mornings sent me in search of comfort at this new all-day brunch spot from the team behind Southern restaurant Fixe. Matthew Odam, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025 The most nominations Cincinnati saw during a single year was 2023 when both Francisco Alfaro, the chef de cuisine at Mid-City Restaurant, Downtown, and Hideki and Yuko Harada, the chef/owners of Kiki in College Hill, were nominated for Best Chef Great Lakes. Keith Pandolfi, The Enquirer, 15 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for chef de cuisine

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, "head of the kitchen"

First Known Use

1798, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chef de cuisine was in 1798

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Cite this Entry

“Chef de cuisine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chef%20de%20cuisine. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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