As the title of this position suggests, an assistant chef provides support to the lead chef where food preparation is concerned.
The lead chef usually gets the entire credit for a super meal that he has concocted but it is not his effort alone – assistant chefs often put in a lot more physical work than main chefs do.
Assistant Chef Job Description
Assistant chefs are lead chefs in the making. They possess deep knowledge of food preparation activities, ingredients, and food combinations and use this knowledge to assist the chef in preparing exceptional meals.
The main duty of an assistant chef is to make sure that all ingredients are available for the chef so that he can cook without any hindrances or delays.
The culinary world depends highly on customer satisfaction so it is important to do everything on time and assistant chefs make sure it does.
Typically, assistant chefs ensure clean cooking utensils, chopped ingredients, and clean work areas so that the chef can get right down to work.
Another part of their work is to make sure that order plates are aesthetically arranged and that the portions are accurate.
Assistant Chef Duties and Responsibilities
• Refer to the list of needed ingredients on a day-to-day basis and check inventory.
• Acquire ingredients not available in storage prior to the start of the day.
• Inform the kitchen staff of their schedules and delegate appropriate duties.
• Prepare ingredients by chopping vegetables and meats.
• Assist head chef in cooking dishes according to set recipes.
• Monitor food budgets and make sure that all supplies are bought within the set budget.
• Make arrangements to store food items in a safe and orderly manner.
• Rotate frozen food items as standardized in the kitchen rule book.
• Hand ingredients and utensils to head chef during food preparation activities.
• Maintain kitchen order by ensuring the cleanliness of tables, counters, and work areas.
• Oversee cleanliness and maintenance of kitchen equipment and utensils.
• Operate kitchen equipment such as ovens and grills for cooking purposes.
• Maintain knowledge of all recipes so that the head chef’s place can be filled effectively in case of absenteeism.
• Set prepared dishes so that they look aesthetically pleasing.
• Make certain that appropriate portions have been dished out.
• Deal with customers’ complaints and/or suggestions.
Position Requirements
To work in this position, one has to possess exceptional culinary insight.
Knowledge of standard food preparation and storage techniques is considered a plus point and the ability to work in a high volume environment (restaurants are usually busy places) is a plus point.