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 renowned chef worked at the French Laundry for 13 years, including four years as the chef de cuisine. —Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 25 July 2024

Taher brought in James Beard Award-winning chef Tim McKee to consult, and the executive chef will be Jeremy Wessing, whose résumé includes opening chef de cuisine at Baldamar and stints at the Dakota and Sea Change among others. —Jess Fleming, Twin Cities, 18 July 2024

Elsewhere, Adam Shapiro, Ever’s chef de cuisine, pulls Sydney aside for a temperature check. —Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 29 June 2024

The executive chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph and his chef de cuisine, Karla Espinosa, will play with sweets, but also acidic, bitter, and umami flavors to ensure the dishes are not overly saccharine. —Tori Latham, Robb Report, 27 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, "head of the kitchen"

First Known Use

1798, in the meaning defined above