Introduction to the Food Service Industry

Vocabulary terms covering the history, major figures, kitchen organization roles, and professional standards of the food service industry.

Boulanger

A Parisian who in 1765 began advertising 'restaurants' or 'restoratives' (soups) on his shop sign and successfully challenged the food production guilds in court.

French Revolution

A historical event beginning in 1789 that abolished the guilds and led many unemployed chefs from noble houses to open restaurants in and around Paris.

Potager

A stove developed in the eighteenth century that provided cooks with a more practical and controllable heat source than an open fire.

Marie-Antoine Carême

A famous chef (1784–1833) who refined and organized culinary techniques, authored the first systematic accounts of cooking principles, and emphasized procedure and order.

Grande Cuisine

The complex and ornamental cuisine of the aristocracy, which was typical during the Middle Ages and later refined by Marie-Antoine Carême.

Georges-Auguste Escoffier

The 'father of twentieth-century cookery' (1847–1935) known for simplifying classical cuisine and reorganizing the professional kitchen.

Le Guide Culinaire

A book by Escoffier that simplified classical cooking by arranging recipes in a system based on main ingredients and cooking methods.

Central Commissary

A facility used by large multiunit operations to prepare food in quantity, which is then packaged, chilled, or frozen before being sent to individual units.

Irradiation

A preservation technique that exposes foods to radioactivity to eliminate organisms causing spoilage and disease.

Genetic Engineering

A controversial technique involving the artificial alteration of a food's gene structure to provide desirable traits like disease or drought resistance.

Fernand Point

The most influential chef of the mid-twentieth century who simplified and lightened classical cuisine at his restaurant, La Pyramide.

Nouvelle Cuisine

A style of cooking from the 1960s and early 1970s that rejected traditional principles in favor of simpler, natural flavors, lighter sauces, and artful plating.

Alice Waters

Founder of the restaurant Chez Panisse in 1971, who emphasized that good food depends on high-quality, seasonal, and locally grown ingredients.

Larry Forgione

A chef who championed local ingredients and cuisine in his New York City restaurant, An American Place.

Fusion Cuisine

The use of ingredients and techniques from more than one regional or international cuisine in a single dish.

Chef

A term derived from the French word for 'chief' or 'head,' reserved for someone in charge of a kitchen or a part of a kitchen.

Executive Chef

A manager in a large establishment responsible for all food production, menu planning, purchasing, costing, scheduling, hiring, and training.

Chef de Cuisine

A head of a kitchen who reports to an executive chef in operations with multiple departments or locations.

Sous Chef

The assistant to the executive chef, directly in charge of production and minute-by-minute supervision of the kitchen staff.

Station Chef (Chef de Partie)

A cook in charge of a particular area of production within a kitchen organized under the classical brigade system.

Saucier

The sauce chef, responsible for sauces, stews, hot hors d'oeuvres, and sautéed foods; typically the highest station position.

Poissonier

The fish cook, responsible for preparing fish dishes.

Entremetier

The vegetable cook, responsible for preparing vegetables, soups, starches, and eggs.

Rôtisseur

The roast cook, responsible for roasted and braised meats and their gravies.

Grillardin

The broiler cook handles broiled items and may also prepare deep-fried meats and fish.

Garde Manger

The pantry chef, responsible for cold foods such as salads, dressings, pâtés, cold hors d'oeuvres, and buffet items.

Pâtissier

The pastry chef, responsible for preparing pastries and desserts.

Tournant

A relief cook or swing cook who replaces other station heads as needed.

Expediter (Aboyeur)

The individual who accepts orders from waiters and passes them to cooks, ensuring plates are finished, plated on time, and inspected.

Working Chef

A chef in charge of operations not large enough for an executive chef, who handles management while also working a production station.

Line Cook

A cook who prepares or finishes hot à la carte items during service in a restaurant.

Short-order Cook

A cook responsible for preparing foods that are made quickly to order, such as those on a broiler, deep fryer, or griddle.

Professionalism

An unwritten code of behavior and set of attitudes for food service workers including positive attitude, staying power, teamwork, and eagerness to learn.