What Is a Trainee Chef Called? Understanding the Role of a Junior Chef

The Basics of a Commis Chef

A junior chef, also called the commis chef, works with station chefs to learn about the kitchen environment. Commis chefs are like prep cooks, but they are training or studying culinary techniques to advance through the chef hierarchy. A stagiaire, or stage for short, is an unpaid kitchen intern.

The commis chef assists a section chef. The role involves assisting in:

  • Food preparation
  • Cooking
  • Preparing elements of high-quality dishes

The commis chef apprenticeship typically lasts 12 months. The learning journey should allow an apprentice to understand the basics to progress to any future senior chef role.

Gaining Experience

In many cases, the chef trainee will perform a variety of kitchen tasks, including cleaning and maintenance. As the trainee gains more experience, he or she may be given more responsibility for preparing menu items and developing his or her own recipes. Eventually, this could lead to assuming a chef role or finding a more advanced position elsewhere. While culinary schools teach foundations of cooking, real-world experience is crucial for being a professional chef.

Building a Culinary Career

In order to be a successful chef, you will also need a solid grounding, acquiring fundamental techniques, and adaptability to different working environments. This comes with training at either a culinary school or a modern restaurant. As a culinary instructor, your job duties include preparing lesson plans and demonstrating cooking techniques.

A demi chef is an assistant chef who mostly works in food preparation on their designated station and is supervised by the chef de partie.

Trainee Terminology

The term for a trainee chef originates from the French word stagiaire meaning trainee, apprentice or intern.

A junior chef’s job is to assist the more experienced chefs and to absorb their knowledge and techniques. The commis chef is the lowest level chef job within an establishment and the salary reflects this. Even after finishing culinary training, the commis will be starting on the basic salary.

A chef trainee, also known as a commis chef, is an entry-level position in a professional kitchen. Trainees work under the supervision of more experienced chefs and learn:

  • Basics of food preparation
  • Cooking
  • Kitchen management

Chef trainees typically work full time, which may include evenings, weekends, and holidays. The work can be physically demanding.

A Commis chef is used to describe a trainee chef or a qualified chef that hasn’t yet progressed up the career ladder. Different kitchens use different terminology regarding the hiring process for commis chefs.

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