What does chef de partie mean?
A chef de partie is the chef in charge of one station in the kitchen. The French means "chef of a section"; in English they are also called a station chef or line cook lead, and job listings often shorten it to CDP. In the kitchen brigade they sit below the sous chef and above the commis.
What does a chef de partie do?
- Prepares the station: writes and completes the mise en place list before service.
- Runs service: responsible for the temperature, portion and timing of plates from the station.
- Holds the recipe standard: makes sure each plate follows the recipe exactly.
- Leads the team: gives work to, and teaches, the commis and demi chef de partie.
- Tracks stock and waste: tells the sous chef what the station needs and follows yield and storage temperatures.
Chef de partie vs demi chef de partie and commis
| Title | Responsibility | Independence |
|---|---|---|
| Chef de partie | The whole station | Runs the station alone |
| Demi chef de partie | Assists the station chef, holds the station on a shift | Runs it under supervision |
| Commis | Prep and support | Works under direction |
What are the stations?
| Title | Station |
|---|---|
| Saucier | Sauces and sauté |
| Poissonnier | Fish |
| Rôtisseur | Roast |
| Grillardin | Grill |
| Entremetier | Vegetables, soups, sides |
| Garde manger | Pantry, cold kitchen |
| Pâtissier | Pastry |
Most modern restaurants merge these and use simpler names such as "hot line", "cold line" and "pastry".
What does it take to become a chef de partie?
How long it takes depends on the business and the person. What decides it is the ability to run a station alone rather than time served. Being able to say yes to three questions is a good test:
- 1Can you hold the station through a busy service without help?
- 2Do you know the cost and yield of your ingredients?
- 3Can you teach a commis the job so that it is done correctly?
For businesses, tying this level to written competency standards also helps retention, as covered in kitchen talent retention and careers. For on-site set-up, see kitchen team training and kitchen consulting.
For what this level earns, see our chef salary data. For the routes in, see how to become a chef.
