Kitchen Chef Job Roles: From Brigade to Modern Kitchen

This ultimate guide to kitchen chef job roles covers every position in the professional kitchen hierarchy — from Executive Chef to Kitchen Porter — with a specific focus on how these roles work in Ireland and the UK. ConnollyCove, the Ireland-based travel and culture platform, has explored food culture across Belfast, Dublin, and beyond, and this guide reflects what we have seen in some of the island’s finest kitchens. Whether you are considering a career in hospitality or simply want to understand what goes into the meal arriving at your table, the brigade system is fascinating once you know how it works.

Ireland has one of the most dynamic food scenes in Europe, built on a long tradition of hospitality that goes well beyond the tourist trail. The professional kitchen is the engine of that culture — a structured, fast-moving environment where every role has a purpose, and every person in the brigade contributes to the experience on the plate. Understanding those roles adds a new layer of appreciation, whether you are dining in a Michelin-starred restaurant in Dublin, a gastropub in Galway, or a celebrated food venue in Belfast.

The Evolution of the Kitchen Hierarchy

The modern kitchen hierarchy traces directly to one figure: Georges-Auguste Escoffier. Working at the Savoy in London during the 1890s, Escoffier formalised what became known as the Brigade de Cuisine — a military-style system of clearly defined roles designed to bring order to the chaos of a busy professional kitchen.

Auguste Escoffier and the Birth of the Brigade

Escoffier’s Brigade divided kitchen work into specialist stations, each with a Chef de Partie responsible for a defined area of production. This created accountability, speed, and consistency at a scale that had not been possible before. The system spread rapidly from London’s grand hotels through France, Ireland, and across the world. Many of the French titles — Saucier, Garde Manger, Patissier — remain in daily use in Irish and British kitchens today, even where the brigade has been adapted for smaller teams.

Why the Hierarchy Still Matters in 2026

The brigade system has evolved considerably since Escoffier’s day. Modern gastropubs, pop-up residences, and dark kitchens (delivery-only operations that have grown significantly in Dublin and Belfast) often run with smaller, more fluid teams where one chef covers multiple stations. The titles and responsibilities remain broadly consistent, but the rigid 19th-century structure has given way to practical flexibility. Understanding both the traditional system and its modern adaptations is essential for anyone entering the industry — or dining in it.

The Chef Hierarchy at a Glance

Cleanliness, preparation support, and dishwashing	Also Known As	Key Responsibility	Approx. UK/Ireland Salary Range
Executive Chef	Group Chef / Chef de Cuisine	Oversees multiple outlets; management role	£50,000 – £80,000+
Head Chef	Chef de Cuisine	Controls entire kitchen; menu, staff, inventory	£35,000 – £55,000
Sous Chef	Second Chef	Day-to-day kitchen operations; deputises for Head Chef	£28,000 – £42,000
Chef de Partie	Station Chef / Line Chef	Manages one production station	£24,000 – £32,000
Commis Chef	Junior Chef / Apprentice	Supports Chef de Partie; learning role	£18,000 – £24,000
Kitchen Porter	KP / Kitchen Assistant	Cleanliness, preparation support, dishwashing	£16,000 – £22,000

The Core Kitchen Roles Defined: Senior Leadership

The senior leadership of any professional kitchen sets the tone for everything that follows. These are the roles responsible for creativity, consistency, financial management, and the well-being of the entire brigade.

Executive Chef (Chef de Cuisine)

The Executive Chef is the highest-ranking position in a kitchen hierarchy, and in larger establishments — hotel groups, multi-outlet restaurant companies — it is a management role rather than a cooking role. The Executive Chef rarely works the line directly; instead, they oversee Head Chefs across multiple sites, guide menu direction, manage supplier relationships, and control costs at a group level. In Ireland, this role is common in the major hotel groups operating across Dublin, Cork, and Belfast. In smaller, single-site restaurants, the Executive Chef and Head Chef are often the same person — particularly in independent Irish restaurants where the owner-chef model is prevalent.

Head Chef: The Engine of the Kitchen

The Head Chef is responsible for everything that enters and leaves the kitchen. Menu creation, staff management, ordering, quality control, and service performance all fall within their remit. In Ireland’s food culture, Head Chefs often carry deep connections to regional produce. The farm-to-table movement has shaped how many Irish kitchens approach sourcing, and the Head Chef is the person who builds those supplier relationships and translates them into a menu. For food-curious travellers visiting Ireland, asking about a restaurant’s approach to sourcing is often the quickest way into a fascinating conversation about Irish food culture.

Sous Chef: The Second-in-Command

A Sous Chef is the second-in-command in a kitchen, responsible for day-to-day operations and deputising for the Head Chef during their absence. In French, ‘sous’ means ‘under.’ Larger kitchens — a five-star hotel in Dublin or a high-volume restaurant in Belfast — may employ both senior and junior Sous Chefs, creating an additional layer of supervision. In smaller kitchens, the Sous Chef may also manage a specific station on top of their supervisory responsibilities. It is typically the most demanding role in the kitchen in terms of hours and pressure.

The Station Chefs: Chef de Partie Roles Explained

Chefs de Partie are the engine of daily production. Each holds responsibility for a specific station and is accountable for the quality and consistency of everything produced there.

Saucier and Poissonnier

The Saucier is widely considered the most skilled station in a traditional brigade, preparing all sauces, stocks, and braised dishes. In smaller kitchens, the saucier’s role is often combined with the Poissonnier (fish chef). Ireland’s coastline makes fish cookery a particularly valued specialism, and the quality of Irish seafood — from Galway Bay oysters to Donegal crab — means the Poissonnier station carries real prestige.

Rotisseur and Grillardin

The Rotisseur manages all roasted meats and poultry; the Grillardin handles the grill. In many modern gastropubs and brasseries across Ireland and the UK, these two roles are merged into a single ‘hot section’ position — one of the most common adaptations from the traditional brigade in contemporary kitchens.

Garde Manger (Pantry Chef)

The Garde Manger oversees the cold section: salads, cold starters, pates, and charcuterie. This station is an excellent entry point for Commis Chefs developing their knife skills and plating technique.

Patissier (Pastry Chef)

The Patissier manages all desserts, pastries, and often bread production. Many Irish restaurants now regard the dessert course as a genuine opportunity for regional storytelling — using native ingredients like sea buckthorn, blackthorn, or Irish dairy to create dishes with a strong sense of place.

Junior Roles and Entry Points Into the Kitchen

Every chef at the top of their brigade started at the bottom — and in Irish and British kitchens, that starting point matters more than most people realise. These are the roles where kitchen culture is absorbed, work ethic is built, and careers genuinely begin.

Commis Chef: The Essential Apprentice

A Commis Chef is the most junior cooking role in the brigade, typically held by someone who has recently completed or is still undertaking formal culinary training. In Ireland, the most common formal route is through a QQI award in Culinary Arts at Level 5 or 6. In the UK, City and Guilds qualifications and NVQ Level 2 and 3 programmes in Professional Cookery are the standard entry points. Apprenticeship routes — where trainees earn while they learn in a working kitchen — are growing in popularity across both countries.

Kitchen Porter: The Unsung Hero of the Irish Kitchen

The Kitchen Porter (KP) is the most important role in a kitchen for one straightforward reason: without a reliable, fast KP, no service runs. The KP keeps the kitchen clean, ensures equipment is washed and ready, handles waste, and assists chefs with basic preparation tasks. Many of Ireland’s most respected Head Chefs began as Kitchen Porters, learning the culture of a working kitchen before ever picking up a chef’s knife in a professional context. If you are new to the industry with no formal training or experience, this is the role to start with.

Modern and Specialised Kitchen Roles

The traditional brigade is not the whole story of professional cooking in Ireland and the UK today. Gastropubs, dark kitchens, and private dining have created a new generation of kitchen roles that demand broader skills and sharper adaptability.

The Gastropub Lead: A Jack of All Stations

Ireland’s gastropub scene — thriving across counties Clare, Galway, Wicklow, and throughout Northern Ireland — typically operates with smaller brigades where chefs cover multiple stations. It is one of the best environments for a young chef to develop rapidly.

Development Chef: The Science of the Menu

Development Chefs work outside the live kitchen environment, focusing on research, new menu creation, and product innovation — particularly in food production and restaurant groups. This role has grown significantly in Ireland as the food manufacturing and hospitality sectors have expanded.

Private and Personal Chefs

Private chef roles have grown considerably across Ireland, particularly in Kerry, West Cork, and Connemara, driven by the growth of short-term luxury rental properties. A private chef typically manages everything from menu planning to service with no brigade support.

Traditional Brigade vs. Modern Kitchen: How Roles Differ

Feature	Traditional Brigade (5-Star Hotel)	Modern Gastropub / Small Restaurant
Team Size	15 – 30+ kitchen staff	4 – 10 kitchen staff
Station Structure	Separate, specialist stations	Merged stations; chefs cover multiple areas
Hierarchy Rigidity	Strict; defined chain of command	Flexible; collaborative decision-making
Common in Ireland	Ashford Castle, The Merrion, Lough Erne Resort	The Winding Stair Dublin, OX Belfast, Loam Galway
Entry Role	Kitchen Porter or Commis Chef	Kitchen Porter (immediate broad exposure)

Becoming a Chef in Ireland and the UK

There is no single path into a professional kitchen — and that accessibility is one of the things that makes Irish and British hospitality so resilient. Whether you start with a QQI award, an NVQ, or a Kitchen Porter role, the industry rewards commitment over credentials.

Qualifications: QQI, NVQ, and Culinary Arts Degrees

In Ireland, QQI awards at Levels 5 and 6 in Culinary Arts are the most widely recognised entry-level qualifications. In the UK, City and Guilds Level 2 and Level 3 awards in Professional Cookery are the standard professional benchmark. Both countries also offer BA-level Culinary Arts degrees for those seeking a more academic route.

The Importance of the Stage

The ‘stage’ — from ‘stagiaire,’ the French term for an unpaid or low-paid kitchen intern — remains a significant part of professional culinary culture in Ireland and the UK. Working in a stage in a respected kitchen gives aspiring chefs direct exposure to high-level techniques, discipline, and kitchen culture in a way that classroom learning cannot replicate. For food-curious travellers, some of Ireland’s celebrated restaurants offer structured stage programmes — one of the most direct ways to experience Irish food culture from the inside.

Irish Hospitality Culture and the Kitchen

The phrase céad míle fáilte — a hundred thousand welcomes — is often cited as the defining characteristic of Irish hospitality. In the professional kitchens ConnollyCove has encountered across Ireland’s food scene, that spirit of genuine welcome shapes how brigades work and how Irish restaurants approach service. The kitchen hierarchy is not just a management structure; it is the infrastructure that makes Irish hospitality possible at scale.

If you are exploring Irish culture more broadly, ConnollyCove covers everything from the traditions embedded in Irish proverbs and seanfhocail to practical guides for visiting Belfast. For visitors planning time in the north, our guide to date ideas in Belfast includes some of the city’s most celebrated dining experiences. ConnollyCove’s guides to famous Irish women also include pioneering chefs and food writers who have shaped the modern Irish food scene.

Frequently Asked Questions

Professional kitchens run on a hierarchy that shapes every dish that reaches your table. These questions cover the roles, ranks, and career routes that define kitchen life in Ireland and the UK.