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

This may explain chef de cuisine Nick Vollono’s unusual recommendation at Bar Crenn. —Tim Carman, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023

Pruner was most recently The Bank’s chef de cuisine, and previously the executive chef at Allora in East Sacramento and chef de cuisine at Mother during the all-vegetarian spot’s downtown era. —Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 8 Mar. 2024

The five-course menu created by chef de cuisine Brent Davis features pours and cocktails of J. Henry & Sons whiskeys, including Small Batch, Patton Road Reserve Cask Strength, Four Grain Rye, Limited Edition 2023 Anniversary Blend and La Flamme Armagnac Finished. —Kristine M. Kierzek, Journal Sentinel, 25 Jan. 2024

The 2024 pop-up served nonalcoholic beverages along with shareable bites from Notre Ferme, a catering company run by sober chef Allyson Harvie, formerly the chef de cuisine at The Kitchen. —Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 23 Feb. 2024

Zuccarini added that the chef de cuisine of Stella is a woman. —Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2024

Advertisement Whitener was formerly chef de cuisine at Animal and had cooked at restaurants including Le Louis XV in Monte Carlo and Mirazur in Menton, France. —Betty Hallock, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2024

Here, chef de cuisine Rachel Saxton and executive pastry chef Sara Figueiredo take Colorado ingredients through an international tour of flavors: wagyu tartare spiked with Gochujang, bison burger patties stuffed into hearty pretzel rolls, and fresh pasta made by hand daily. —Chadner Navarro, Travel + Leisure, 3 Feb. 2024

The chef de cuisine’s background is fine dining, but her passion is Mexican, says McCandless, who shares that Bindle was known for whipping up Mexican food for staff meals at Tail Up Goat. —Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 24 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, "head of the kitchen"

First Known Use

1798, in the meaning defined above