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

Owner Resnick, all of the cooks (including Bost and chef de cuisine Dusan Todic), pastry chef Madeline Biehl and wine director Savannah Riedler seem to move through the space with a sense of joy and calm. —Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 June 2025

Beran has decided to promote Joyce to chef de cuisine. —Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025

The restaurant remains open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday, with a chef de cuisine at the helm and new items on the menu. —Linda Zavoral, Mercury News, 6 June 2025

Tanner’s was launched by chef Brandon Rodgers, whose culinary background includes serving as chef de cuisine for Corey Lee at Michelin three-star restaurant Benu in San Francisco, and Eric Brandt of Brandt Beef. —Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, "head of the kitchen"

First Known Use

1798, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for chef de cuisine

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