Monday, June 17, 2024

List of Positions: Brigade de Cuisine a.k.a. Kitchen Brigade a.k.a. Kitchen Staff of Restaurants like The Bear FX / Hulu / Disney+


I've just started watching The Bear. I know. I'm late to the party but let me tell you, I'm hooked. It's edgy and the P.O.V. and cinematography puts me right in the kitchen. The characters are multi-faceted and layered. I'm excited to watch them peel back those layers; like an onion before they chop it, shot cinematically.  

The show is gritty and reminds me of Parts Unknown.

"A critical and cultural hit!" - Kerry Bombe 

"Not since Anthony Bourdain published the exposé-memoir Kitchen Confidential has a storyteller done more to deepen our understanding of restaurant culture than Christopher Storer, creator of the FX on Hulu original series The Bear, and his sister, chef and culinary producer Courtney Storer." - Food & Wine

In one of the first episodes in Season 1 (spoiler) the unruly staff are assigned restaurant positions.  

Then I headed to Wiki for ALL of this below:





This is a comprehensive list of the members of a full kitchen brigade. Only the largest of establishments would have a 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 chef in English as the title for a cook, the word actually means "chief" or "head" in French. Similarly, cuisine means "kitchen", but also refers to food or cooking generally, or a type of food or cooking.

Chef de cuisine (kitchen chef; "chief of the kitchen")
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 (deputy or second kitchen chef; "under-chief")
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 (sauce maker or sauté cook)
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 (senior chef; "chief of the group")
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 (cook)
is an independent position, usually preparing specific dishes in a station; may also be referred to as a cuisinier de partie.
Commis (junior cook / assistant cook)
also works in a specific station, but reports directly to the chef de partie and takes care of the tools for the station.A woman is a commise.
Apprenti(e) (apprentice)
are often students gaining theoretical and practical training in school and work experience in the kitchen. They perform preparatory work and/or cleaning work. An apprenti is a male, and apprentie female.
Plongeur (dishwasher or kitchen porter)
cleans dishes and utensils, and may be entrusted with basic preparatory jobs.
Marmiton (pot and pan washer; kitchen porter)
in larger restaurants, takes care of all the pots and pans instead of the plongeur.
Rôtisseur (roast cook)
manages a team of cooks that roasts, broils, and deep fries dishes.
Grillardin (grill cook)
in larger kitchens, prepares grilled foods instead of the rôtisseur.
Friturier (fry cook)
in larger kitchens, prepares fried foods instead of the rôtisseur.
Poissonnier (fish cook)
prepares fish and seafood dishes.
Entremétier or entremettier (entrée preparer)
prepares soups and other dishes not involving meat or fish, including vegetable dishes and egg dishes. Originally the entremets preparer.
Potager (soup cook)
in larger kitchens, reports to the entremétier and prepares the soups. (Cf. jardin potager)
Legumier (vegetable cook)
in larger kitchens, also reports to the entremétier and prepares the vegetable dishes.
Garde manger (pantry supervisor; "food keeper")
is responsible for preparation of cold hors d'oeuvrespâtésterrines and aspics; prepares salads; organizes large buffet displays; and prepares charcuterie items.
Charcutier (charcuterie specialist)
in larger kitchens, reports to the garde manger and specializes in making prepared meat products, such as terrines, galantines, ballotines, pâtés, and confits, primarily from pork, although confits are mostly waterfowl and terrines and pâtés often include other types of meat.
Tournant (spare hand/roundsman)
moves throughout the kitchen, assisting other positions in kitchen.
Pâtissier (pastry cook)
prepares desserts and other meal-end sweets, and for locations without a boulanger, also prepares breads and other baked items; may also prepare pasta.
Confiseur
in larger restaurants, prepares candies and petit fours instead of the pâtissier.
Glacier
in larger restaurants, prepares frozen and cold desserts instead of the pâtissier.
Décorateur
in larger restaurants, prepares show pieces and specialty cakes instead of the pâtissier.
Boulanger (baker)
in larger restaurants, prepares bread, cakes, and breakfast pastries instead of the pâtissier.
Boucher (butcher)
butchers meats, poultry, and sometimes fish; may also be in charge of breading meat and fish items.
Aboyeur ("barker", announcer/expediter)
takes orders from the dining room and distributes them to the various stations; may also be performed by the sous-chef de partie.
Communard (staff cook)
prepares the meal for the restaurant staff. Garçon de cuisine ("kitchen boy")
in larger restaurants, performs preparatory and auxiliary work for support.
commis de débarrasseur (busser)
clearing tables, taking dirty dishes to the dishwasher, setting tables, refilling




Before I sign off, this podcast released today on Cherry Bombe is a must-listen!

How did @courtney_storer go from working in HR at @ups and @wholefoods to culinary producer of the critically acclaimed @thebearfx? Find out on today’s Radio Cherry Bombe. 🐻
All this month, we’re re-airing our episodes with the cast & crew of The Bear. Catch @kerrybombe’s interview with Courtney from last summer, when they talked about Courtney’s journey from teenage restaurant hostess to her time in HR, culinary school, staging in Paris, and working at @animalrestaurant and Jon & Vinny’s in L.A. to today.
Find out why her motto through it all has been “patience.”



...and what exactly does a Culinary Producer do? Read all about it here.

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