Brigade de cuisine is a system of hierarchy found in restaurants and hotels employing extensive staff, commonly referred to as "kitchen staff" in English-speaking countries. The concept was developed by Georges Auguste Escoffier. This structured team system delegates responsibilities to different individuals who specialize in certain tasks in the kitchen.
This is a comprehensive list of the different members of the kitchen brigade. Only the largest of establishments would have an extensive staff of this size. As noted under some titles, certain positions are combined into other positions when such a large staff is unnecessary. Note: Despite the use of ' in English as the title for a cook, the word actually means "chief" or "head" in French. Similarly, ' means "kitchen", but also refers to food or cooking generally, or a type of food or cooking. ;Chef de cuisine : is responsible for overall management of kitchen; supervises staff, creates menus and new recipes with the assistance of the restaurant manager, makes purchases of raw food items, trains apprentices, and maintains a sanitary and hygienic environment for the preparation of food. ;Sous-chef de cuisine : receives orders directly from the chef de cuisine for the management of the kitchen, and often serves as the representative when the chef de cuisine is not present. ;Saucier : prepares sauces and warm hors d'oeuvres, completes meat dishes, and in smaller restaurants, may work on fish dishes and prepare sautéed items. This is one of the most respected positions in the kitchen brigade. ;Chef de partie : is responsible for managing a given station in the kitchen, specializing in preparing particular dishes there. Those who work in a lesser station are commonly referred to as a demi-chef. ;Cuisinier : is an independent position, usually preparing specific dishes in a station; may also be referred to as a cuisinier de partie. ;Commis : also works in a specific station, but reports directly to the chef de partie and takes care of the tools for the station. ;Apprenti : are often students gaining theoretical and practical training in school and work experience in the kitchen. They perform preparatory work and/or cleaning work. ;Plongeur : cleans dishes and utensils, and may be entrusted with basic preparatory jobs. ;Rôtisseur : manages a team of cooks that roasts, broils, and deep fries dishes. ;Poissonnier : prepares fish and seafood dishes. ;Entremetier : prepares soups and other dishes not involving meat or fish, including vegetable dishes and egg dishes. ;Garde manger : is responsible for preparation of cold hors d'oeuvres, pâtés, terrines and aspics; prepares salads; organizes large buffet displays; and prepares charcuterie items. ;Tournant : moves throughout the kitchen, assisting other positions in kitchen. ;Pâtissier : prepares desserts and other meal-end sweets, and for locations without a boulanger, also prepares breads and other baked items; may also prepare pasta for the restaurant. ;Boucher : butchers meats, poultry, and sometimes fish; may also be in charge of breading meat and fish items. ;Aboyeur : takes orders from the dining room and distributes them to the various stations; may also be performed by the sous-chef de partie. ;Communard: prepares the meal served to the restaurant staff. ;Garçon de cuisine : in larger restaurants, performs preparatory and auxiliary work for support.
