Chef vs Cook
Anybody in the business that works the line wants to be called a cook, not a chef. Why's that?I think it has to do with the connotation of the word chef, rather than cook. Looking the words up in the dictionary, both have pretty much the same meaning, the guy who sits around and prepares the food. But if you look at the context, you get a much more revealing view. In the hiearachy of the kitchen, at its most basic levels, there are four positions:
- Executive Chef
- Sous Chef
- Line Cook
- Pantry Cook
Notice the two lowest rungs on the ladder are cooks, the two highest are chefs. What comes along with going higher up on that ladder? You become further and further removed from the food. In the end, anyone who is a chef or a cook is most at home being on the line, cooking good food, and ejoying the banter of his fellow cooks.
In the end the restaurant industry is a blue collar business and the people in it take pride in that. Besides, when you make food you don't chef. You cook.
1 Comments:
As a Current Exec Chef, and former REstaurant owner, and "cook" now and in many years past... I don't totally disagree, because many Execs are not that connected to the food.. .but for me.. I cook every day, I smell of food, I cut fish, I execute dishes every day...
I have a podcast that is just started on iTunes called CHEFLIFE and here
(http://cheflifetony.blogspot.com/)
my new blog...let's chat...
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