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ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE IN THE KITCHEN

ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE IN THE KITCHEN

2.1 Kitchen organization

Different kind of establishment which are required to produce large amount of food to be served at the same time , include schools , hospitals , Industrials establishments etc. staffs have to be well organized and specialized with large scale preparation and production equipment and means finishing dishes quickly. To enable this to happen satisfactory preparation and production cycle have been developed enabling staff to be involved in simple reaching or finishing the goods/ foods. The requirement of kitchen has to be clearly identified with regards to the types of equipment available must be fully justified and the organization of the kitchen personnel must also be planned at the same time.

The organization of kitchen will vary, mainly due to the size and the type of the establishment. Obviously , where a kitchen has hundred chefs preparing for banquets for up to 1000 people and a lunch and dinner service for 300-400 customers with a la carte menu , the organization will be quite different from a small restaurant doing thirty table –d’hôte lunches or a hospital diet kitchen preparing diets.

Many kitchens use fresh food , ready to cook and sometimes ready to serve . These speeds and the preparation and cooking times . The kitchens have become smaller and cook more versatile.

2.2 Section of kitchen

Sauce Section

The sauce section is responsible for providing all meat, poultry game and offal dishes with the exception of those that are plain roasted or grilled . All the meat dishes are cooked and garnished.

The party will also provide all basis and finished sauces served hot, they are normally required by the various partie in the kitchen . Normally, one first commences early duty to cover the preparation and cooking of dishes as ‘plat-de- jour’ as these often require a cooking time of 3-4 hours. Braising , boiling , pealing is also done in this section.

Mise-en-place of banquet is also here. The chef sucier does important work as he assembles the dishes which have an impact on the customers.

Soup Section

Has the responsibility of this section to prepare soups such as consommés ,creams , eloutes, purees, broths, bisques and many special international soup. All basic stocks are also prepared here. The cold soups are passed to the larder for service. The garnishes comes from the larder and vegetable section.

Roast section

Roast section is responsible for providing all roast dishes of meat, poultry and game, It is responsible for all grilled dishes of meat, chicken , offal’s and fish and this day is often delegated to the grilled cooks. The section is also responsible for the preparation of the number of dishes and the deep frying of food items. Its also prepares and finishes any savories that are required.

Fish section

This section is responsible for the provision of all dishes with the exception of those that are plain grilled or deep fried . The cleaning , decaling , filling , crumbing is done by the fish-monger in larder.

Generally as a large section of fish are offered an extensive ‘mis – en –place’ is required.

At each service period the following basis sauces are made ready for service ; béchamel, white wine sauce, fish volute, hollandaise and melted butter , Further a number of garnishes are prepared in variety of fish dishes particularly the poached and meuniere types can be done. Grilling is done by the grill cook or commis.

Vegetable Section

An entrement course in French was the responsibility of the entrement of vegetables , which could be served as aseperate course . An extrement was originally something sent to the table between the course in French.

During the period before service each day various qualities of vegetables, who skillfully prepared, cooked, refreshed and placed into refrigerator . Semi-skilled workers do peeling cleaning and finished to varying degrees , kept ready when service begins.

Vegetables garnishes and are prepared here and given to other.

Indian Section

This section is responsible for the preparation of all Indian dishes. The work is subdivided in subsection such as : Indian ( Bread and rice, Pulaos, biryani, chappatis, puries, bhaturas etc.)e

Vegetables ( bhajees, curries) meat (including, egg and fish), tandoor (( seekh kababs, tandoor chicken, boti kababs), Indian sweets ( jalabis, rasgullas, rabri etc.)

Every day a variety of dishes are prepared according to menu requirements.

Pastry section

The work of this section is normally separated from the main kitchen and is self-contained in the matter of cold storage. The function of this section is to prepare hot and cold sweets, for lunches, dinners and pastries for tea-time and other occasions . It also prepares like short and puff pastry, frying butters for making noodles for supply to other corners of the kitchen.

Sorbets and water ice like items are made in pastry section. The services of ices and those sweets , which are based on ice-creams are prepared and assembled in patisserie. They also include the wet omlette au surprise and soufflé surprise, melbas etc.

decorative centre pieces , work with fondant and icing sugar, gum pastes , fashioning of praline into decorative. Objects.

Where hotel operates a bakery section , the one commis will commence early duty each day to provide the mise-en-place required by the various sections.

The section needs workers with skill, imagination and experience.

2.3 TYPES OF CATERING ESTABLISHMENTS

The economic health of a nation is reflected by the food served in the home and in the eating establishments of the country. With full employment, businesses boom; with the expansion of overseas tourism, the catering industry also expands. Initial employment is usually in usually in one of four areas; food preparation, food service, housekeeping or reception.

The various types of catering establishments are listed in the table below.

VARIOUS TYPES OF CATERING ESTABLISHMENTS

HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Hotel/motels
Restaurants
Cafés
Clubs
Public houses
Wine bars
specialty restaurants
fast foods
take-away
departmental stores
chain store cafeterias
ethnic

WELFAIR & INDUSTRIAL
Hospitals
Nursing homes
Army
Military
Public houses

TRANSPORT
Railways Contract
Motorways
Cruise
Flight Catering

2.4 ORGANIZATION CHART IN KITCHEN

2.5 DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF EXECUTIVE CHEF & VARIOUS CHEFS

EXECUTIVE CHEF

In large establishments the duties of the ‘chef de cuisine’. Head chef or person in charge are mainly administrative only in small establishments would it be necessary for the chef to be engaged in handling of food.

Food production in the high-class kitchen is a complex affair. The function of the ‘chef de cuisine’ have gone many changes over the past forty years, through preparing menus and making orders for food supplies is still his foremost responsibilities. Other responsibilities include checking the quality of food and ensuring that supplies conform to the standard specification laid down at the time of signing the contract for supplies of meat, fish, vegetables and fruits. Compiling menus and sampling and standardizing recipes are also the job of the executive chef.

Profitability is the key word in the catering business and it all being in the kitchen. Standard recipes help ensure that the required cost of food does not exceed the limit set.

Leadership qualities are as important in an executive chef as his culinary abilities. He has to lead a kitchen brigade in which cooks prepare various items in several ways depending on the cuisine under his supervision.

In large hotel, the executive chef has a clerk attached to his office to assist him in his day to day administration of personnel involving the preparation of duty roaster, sanctioning leave, making staff appraisals reports and handling inter – departmental correspondences.

To assist him in food cost control the food and beverage controller provides all information required en the daily cost and sales of food based on this information, he may take timely corrective action if need, after consulting the food and beverage manager.

However as, the head of a department that takes pride in its culinary art, a few jobs he does himself are tasting and checking the quality of food, presenting dishes, and developing new dishes to appeals to the palates of gourmets.

He often teaches young chefs some secrets of cooking particular dishes. In short his function is –

a. To organize the kitchen.

b. To compile the menu.

c. To order the food stuff.

d. To show the required profit

e. To engage the staff

f. To supervise the kitchen

g. To advise on purchase of foodstuff as well as equipments and in many cases to be responsible wholly or partially for the stores, still room and the washing up of silver, crockery etc.

SOUS CHEF

He is assistant to the executive chef and helps coordinate between the chef de parties and executive chef; to ensure production schedules are met.

He also ensure that the required staff is in position at all times – more staff may be required during banquets and the absence of employees on leave or on their day off may have to be made up.

Being an assistant to the executive chef, he should be equally competent in handling staff. He has to take over the responsibilities of the executive chef during his days off.

Traditionally the sous chef takes on the role of a sauce cook, chef saucier; He generally rise from the post of chef de partie and has many years of experience in various sections of all kitchens. Therefore, cooking is almost always his strong point. The sous chef may be required to prepare sauces for various savory dishes and prepare entrees.

CHEF DE PARTIES

The chef de partie is in charge of a section of the work in the kitchen. Usually the chef in charge of the sauce partie is next in status to the saus – chef and the larder chef being responsible for the perishable foods is often considered of a higher status than the other chefs except the pastry chef. This is the job of the specialist. The chef de parties organize his own section, delegates the work to his assistant and is in fact the backbone of the kitchen.

SAUCIER (SAUCE COOK)

The sauce cook is usually the “star” party because his job is most complex. The chef saucier will be sous chef in the making and will eventually rise to chef de cuisine. It is here that all the sauses, meat, poultry; entrees are prepared together with the necessary garnishes. He prepares his own mise-en-place, for many items he will receive like steaks prepared from larder, etc. The sauces prepared must be distinctive but not overpowering.

CHEF ROTTISEURE (ROAST COOK)

He is responsible for the production of all roasts and grills of meat, poultry and game, grilled and deep-fried fish, deep fried vegetables, potatoes and savouries. He prepares sauce, accompaniments and garnishes for roast and grills. In large establishments, grilled

CHEF GARDE MANGER (LARDER COOK)

items are the responsibility of the grillaedian or grill cook. It is usual for the grill cook to work under the supervision of the roast cook.

CHEF POISSONNIER (FISH COOK)

The fish cook prepares all the fish entrees and the roast cook deals with all roasts and deep fried foods. The fish prepared comes from the larder and the chef does the cooking, garnishing, saucing and the dishing of fish. The repertoire of fish dishes and their accompanying sauces is very extensive training and challenging and judgment are required from this chef.

SOUP CHEF POTAGER ( COOK)

The soup cook prepares all types of soups, and is responsible for the garnishes accompanying the soups. The chef sometimes beings work early; the work of the potager is important as soup gives an impression of the meal to follow.

The larder cook is the most spectacular and the busiest, because the work is never ending. Besides feeding the main kitchen with prepared foods for processing, he has to keep the cold buffet supplied. It is a cold section and is the storehouse of the kitchen where all perishable food is kept. He has a wide range of work to do, as the larder has various subsections such as hour d’ oeuvre, a salad section and a butchery section. The cold buffet work, sandwiches, canapés are also his responsibility.

CHEF ENTREMETTIER (VEGETABLE COOK)

The vegetable cook is responsible for the production of vegetables and potatoes.

CHEF PATISSIER (PASTRY COOK)

The pastry cook has a different status but certainly not less then the sauce cook and the larder cook. His work is specialized, and he prepares hot and cold puddings, cakes, pastries, breads, etc. He is also responsible for special display work and the supply to the main kitchen of items of pastry.

CHEF TOURANT (RELIEF COOK)

He is relief chef de partie. He takes over a section when its chef goes on leave or has an off day. Chef is usually a senior, capable commis as he has the knowledge of the various sections.

CHEF DE PETIT DE JEUNER (BREAKFAST COOK)

He commences his duty vary early. He does not rank as a chef de partie but nevertheless needs to be of good skill, within his limited field. He is responsible for the complete breakfast service. Afterwards he has to complete his mis-en-place for the following morning. Sometimes he assists the soup or vegetable cook.

CHEF COMMUNAR (STAFF COOK)

In small establishment, different chef de partie prepares the staff food. In large establishment, a separate section or a separate kitchen prepares the staff meals. Chef Communar ordinarily prepares meals for lower or supervisory staff as the executives eats their meals usually in restaurants.

ASSITANT COOKS / COMMIS

The chefs de Parties is assisted by commis or assistants, the number varying with the amount of work done by the party e.g. the vegetable partie is larger than the fish partie, due to quantity of work to be prepared so there are more assistants o that partie. The first commis are usually capable of taking over a great deal of the responsibilities and in some cases will take charge of the partie when the chef is off duty.

APPRENTICES

The apprentice is learning the trade and is moved to each of the partie to gain knowledge of all the sections in the kitchen.

2.6 CO-ORDINION OF KITCHEN WITH OTHER DEPARTMENT

1. FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICE DEPARTMENT: Food served by food and beverage service staff, and prepared by kitchen department. Menu planning is the responsibility of executive chef who consults with food and Beverage manager for the some, so co-ordination with food and beverage service department is most important.

2. HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT: Housekeeping department is responsible for the supply of fresh and dry cleaned uniforms of staff as per the everyday requirements.

3. MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT: Many types of equipment operated by electricity or, manually require routine services repairs by skilled maintenance staff.

4. PURCHASE DEPARTMENT: Perishables / non-perishable are required by kitchen on daily basis so chefs. Must contact & consult to purchasing officer requisition of kitchen fulfilled by stores department.