I’m always asked by friends outside of the industry to describe the various roles in a restaurant kitchen. And although Ratatouille does a great job laying them out (the movie is right in pointing out the role of dishwasher as being the most important, IMHO), I’m still asked “what exactly does a Sous Chef do?”. I think most people can sort of wrap their heads around the fact that the Sous Chef is the person just under the executive chef or CDC (chef de cuisine). Sous, in French, translates to under. So that all checks out. But if the chef is responsible for menu development, creativity, mentoring and the all around steering of the ship and the cooks are responsible for executing the chefs vision on a nightly basis, then who is this mysterious person in the shadows. Well, that my friends is the chefs right hand. Their most trusted ally. The Sous Chef.
At the bare minimum, the Sous Chef is someone whom the executive chef trusts to run the show in their absence. Their daily checklist includes; checking in on deliveries in the morning, managing the prep team and ensuring all of the daily tasks are being executed to the chefs standards, working with the cooks to help them finish all of their projects on time, being a point person between front of house and back of house with regards to menu changes, guest notes, item counts, etc. and and making sure service goes smoothly. They’re the first ones in and the last to leave.
I personally have a very close bond with my Sous Chefs, one of whom has been with me for 6 years the other nearly 4. Almost a decade between them. At this point, we have our own language. I can shoot them a look or they can raise an eyebrow and we’ll each know exactly what the other is saying. My Sous Chefs can walk in the front door and handle all of those tasks above just by casual observation and brief conversations with the team. At The Four Horsemen, I’m not looking for the bare minimum. They can do that in their sleep. That isn’t a brag, but more of an appreciation for the caliber of people I get to work beside on a daily basis and who have become individuals I greatly rely on to push forward as a chef.
So what does a Sous Chef at a Michelin starred restaurant in one of the great food capitals of the world (NYC) do? Well…a bit of everything. At our restaurant, I ask a lot of my team in an effort to push their growth and help them become leaders themselves. My Sous Chefs are there to help me make sure that our staff have all the tools they need to execute at the level that I expect them to. They’ve been with me through thick and thin. The good and the bad. They’ve seen me at the highest points and the lowest and have learned my idiosyncrasies. They’ve seen what it takes to manage a team under the daily stressors: broken ovens, flooded basements, fryer oil burns, delivery shortages, frozen walk-in compressors and everything else that comes along with running a restaurant. And more importantly, when it’s their turn to share in that “fun",” they’ve displayed grace under fire, compassion and patience all the while.
They can also jump on any station at any given moment and can make it look like a breeze (something I would likely struggle a bit with at this point!). They have quite a tight connection with the cooks because of this and are looked upon with great reverence from those who are newer to the craft because of their skills on the line. They’re also able to distill whimsical and fragmented ideas babbled by me throughout the day into reality. Something tangible that can be executed nightly by the team. They only need to be told something once and always have an ear perked up in the kitchen in case anything of importance is casually discussed that may need to be readdressed at a later date and time. Constant focus.
They inevitably become sort of a therapist, as well (and vice versa). Or at least a very reliable sounding board. This all goes well beyond just cooking. I think, thanks in part to food media/movies/television, people are aware now more than ever that this is a tough industry. Beyond the physical wear and tear, it is also tough mentally to keep it all together sometimes. It seems dramatic. At the end of the day, we’re just cooking food and not saving lives (so the cliche goes), but there’s still a team involved here. There are people who went to school for their craft and whose careers depend on this. People who look up to you and have rearranged their lives to work at your restaurant. There are also guests paying hard-earned money on a nice meal, those celebrating a milestone moment in their lives or friends and family we love to take care of. And they’re all looking for you to lead the way. We definitely pride ourselves on making a positive and creative work environment for our team as well as a beautiful experience for those dining with us, so it all adds up and it’s good to have people in your corner along the way that can help you stay sane and keep you from becoming overwhelmed by it all.
It sometimes gets a little lonely at the top, when it’s all said and done and the Sous Chef can be a great conduit and ally to keep you in the groove and connected at the restaurant. I’ve done my best at The Four Horsemen to stay very close with my team over the years and I like to think I do a pretty good job of that. After almost a decade, I still really do enjoy going through the front door everyday. However, I think a big part of that is having solid Sous Chefs who understand my personal style of leadership, my palate, my food and can help me not only keep the boat afloat, but can keep the team happy, engaged, excited and positive. And for this I’m very grateful.
So here’s to all of the Sous Chefs out there grinding. We see you. We respect you. We appreciate everything you do for us. It’s a tough job and we’re glad you’re there for us!
(photos by Giada Paoloni)