executive chef

noun

plural executive chefs

: the head chef of a professional kitchen or of a group of professional kitchens

the restaurant's executive chef and owner

His résumé was filled with Connecticut restaurants …; at Le Coq Hardi Restaurant in Stamford, he was, variously, … first cook, sous chef, and finally executive chef.

—Michael Ruhlman

Bala Kumanan, a French-trained chef, oversees the quality of the food … as the executive chef of the high-end restaurants that span from Vancouver to Ottawa.

—John French

compare chef de cuisine

Examples of executive chef in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Along the walk sits Stanley, an excellent Chinese spot that conjures a Hong Kong evening parlor and was opened by Louis Tikaram, who made a name on the global culinary stage as executive chef of EP & LP in West Hollywood. — Erin Florio, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Nov. 2026

Now the restaurant and its executive chef, Ryan Carbone, could be in store for another reservation blitz. — Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 8 Nov. 2026

Partenope first opened in downtown Dallas in 2019 by owner Dino Santonicola, who is from Naples, and also served as executive chef previously for Zoli’s and another North Texas favorite, Cane Rosso. — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Nov. 2026

Lowes Foods Greg Garrison, executive chef at Repeal 33 in Savannah, Georgia, who regularly serves different cuts of beef at his restaurant and is an avid griller at home, said Lowes Foods is his preferred grocery store for steak. — Stacey Lastoe, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1902, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for executive chef

• clef
• deaf
• ref