variants
or sous chef
plural sous-chefs or sous chefs
: the top assistant in a professional kitchen
The typical restaurant kitchen is set up so the absence of the head chef is not felt in the dining room. It is the assistant, the sous-chef, who is usually in charge of production, with the head chef the administrator and creative force.—
Florence Fabricant
Florence FabricantThe relationship between chef and sous-chef can be a particularly intimate one, for instance, and it's nice to have someone with a similar background and world-view when you're going to spend almost every waking hour together.—Anthony Bourdain
Anthony BourdainExamples of sous-chef in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The chefs then go to meet Tom, Kristen, and their sous-chefs.
—Caroline Framke, Vulture, 13 June 2025
Her sous-chef, Fida, outfitted in black, has prepped a huge pile of onions in a neat julienned stack for bistec encebollado con mandioca – a dish of seasoned beef with sautéed onions served with yuca.
—Kendra Nordin Beato, Christian Science Monitor, 26 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, chef Aisha Ibrahim and her wife, sous-chef Samantha Beaird, are departing with plans of opening their own spot in a bigger market.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 5 Feb. 2025
Andy is portrayed with all-singing, all-dancing verve by the frankly inexhaustible Georgie Buckland (impressively making her West End debut), while Nate, a sous-chef, is played with equal all-singing, all-dancing verve by the frankly scrumptious Rhys Whitfield.
—Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 6 Dec. 2024
Breznik’s husband, Matjaž, a reserved and soft-spoken man, is her sous-chef.
—Ellen Ruppel Shell, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Nov. 2024
Her background is as an executive chef at Birmingham’s Hippodrome theatre, having previously worked as a sous-chef at Marriott hotels.
—Adam Crafton, The Athletic, 4 Aug. 2024
And her Sydney, a sous-chef at one of the most hectic, anxiety-inducing restaurants in Chicago, would know.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 27 June 2024
Along with being the namesake, Purdie is the head chef, sous-chef, host, captain, busser, and dishwasher.
—Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2024
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Caroline Framke, Vulture, 13 June 2025
Her sous-chef, Fida, outfitted in black, has prepped a huge pile of onions in a neat julienned stack for bistec encebollado con mandioca – a dish of seasoned beef with sautéed onions served with yuca.
—Kendra Nordin Beato, Christian Science Monitor, 26 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, chef Aisha Ibrahim and her wife, sous-chef Samantha Beaird, are departing with plans of opening their own spot in a bigger market.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 5 Feb. 2025
Andy is portrayed with all-singing, all-dancing verve by the frankly inexhaustible Georgie Buckland (impressively making her West End debut), while Nate, a sous-chef, is played with equal all-singing, all-dancing verve by the frankly scrumptious Rhys Whitfield.
—Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 6 Dec. 2024
Breznik’s husband, Matjaž, a reserved and soft-spoken man, is her sous-chef.
—Ellen Ruppel Shell, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Nov. 2024
Her background is as an executive chef at Birmingham’s Hippodrome theatre, having previously worked as a sous-chef at Marriott hotels.
—Adam Crafton, The Athletic, 4 Aug. 2024
And her Sydney, a sous-chef at one of the most hectic, anxiety-inducing restaurants in Chicago, would know.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 27 June 2024
Along with being the namesake, Purdie is the head chef, sous-chef, host, captain, busser, and dishwasher.
—Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Sous-chef.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sous-chef. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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