The kitchen brigade is a way of organizing a professional kitchen into a clear chain of command and a set of stations, each responsible for one part of the menu. At the top is the chef, then a sous chef as second in command, then station chefs who each run a section such as sauces, fish, grill, cold food or pastry, supported by junior cooks. The system is credited to the French chef Auguste Escoffier. Few restaurants use the full classic version today, but most still borrow its titles and its logic.
Key takeaways
- The brigade divides a kitchen into stations, each led by a station chef, under a chef and sous chef.
- The system was created in France in the 19th century and is credited to Auguste Escoffier.
- Classic titles include saucier, poissonnier, grillardin, garde manger, pâtissier and commis.
- Modern kitchens usually run a slimmer brigade where line cooks cover several stations.
Where the kitchen brigade came from
Auguste Escoffier was a French chef born in 1846 who died in 1935. Encyclopaedia Britannica’s biography of Escoffier notes that he became famous as director of the kitchens at the Savoy Hotel in London from 1890 to 1898, and later at the Carlton Hotel, and that he was known as “the king of chefs and the chef of kings.”
The industry training text Working in the Food Service Industry, hosted by a community college, describes kitchen organization as “a system called the brigade, created in France in the 19th century by Auguste Escoffier.” It adds that most kitchens are organized into stations or sections, each responsible for different food or menu items, and that together the stations form “the line.”
The idea is simple. Instead of every cook doing a bit of everything, each person owns one part of the menu. Orders are split across stations, and the plates are brought together at the pass.
The classic kitchen brigade, role by role
The Culinary Foundations text from the culinary institute at Nicholls State University sets out the classic brigade/01%3A_Professionalism_and_Saute/1.02%3A_The_Brigade) in detail. The main positions are:
| Title | Role in the classic brigade |
|---|---|
| Chef de cuisine | Head of the whole kitchen |
| Sous chef | Second in command; supervises station chefs, stands in for the chef and often calls orders at the pass |
| Chef de partie | Station chef in charge of one section |
| Saucier | Sauté station, sauces and many hot dishes |
| Poissonnier | Fish and shellfish |
| Grillardin | Grilled and broiled foods |
| Rôtisseur | Roasted and braised foods |
| Friturier | Fried items |
| Entremetier | Vegetables, starches and soups (combining the potager and légumier roles) |
| Garde manger | Cold kitchen: salads, cold meats, pâtés, terrines and buffet items |
| Pâtissier | Pastry, breads and desserts |
| Tournant | Swing cook who rotates between stations |
| Commis | Junior cook working under a station chef |
The same text describes a demi-chef as an assistant station chef who does much of a station’s preparation, and an apprentice as the entry level, rotating through stations to learn the kitchen. It also names more specialized classic roles, such as the boucher for butchery and the charcutier for cured pork products.
How the kitchen brigade works during service
When a ticket comes in, it is called out to the stations it involves. A table ordering a grilled steak, a fish dish and a salad touches the grillardin, the poissonnier and the garde manger at once. Each station cooks its part to time, and the plates meet at the pass, where the person calling orders checks them before they go out.
That person is the expediter, also called by the French word aboyeur. The Culinary Foundations text says the expediter takes orders from servers, calls them to the kitchen, checks finished plates and makes sure they leave promptly and correctly. It notes the sous chef often fills this role in the classic system. On the dining room side, the runners described in our guide to front of house roles pick up from there.
The modern, slimmer brigade
The Culinary Foundations text is direct about this: “Modern restaurant kitchens, as mentioned, rarely use the classic brigade system.” It says the full version may still appear where very high volumes are cooked, such as on large cruise ships. Most kitchens use a shorter ladder:
- Executive chef: manages the kitchen, writes menus, orders supplies, oversees staff and may run more than one restaurant.
- Chef de cuisine: head of a single kitchen, sometimes the same person as the executive chef.
- Sous chef: oversees prep, portioning and presentation and takes charge when the head chef is away.
- Area chefs and line cooks: cooks assigned to a station, with duties that may rotate.
- Expediter: the link between servers and the line.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics describes a similar structure in its page on chefs and head cooks: executive chefs oversee operations and spend more time on administration, while sous chefs supervise cooks and run the kitchen when the head chef is absent. If you want to start at the bottom of that ladder, our walkthrough on how to become a line cook covers the usual route.
Frequently asked questions
Is “brigade de cuisine” the same as the kitchen brigade?
Yes. Brigade de cuisine is the French name for the same system of ranks and stations. English-speaking kitchens often use the English term but keep many of the French job titles.
What does a commis do?
A commis is a junior cook who works under a station chef, handling basic preparation and lower-skill tasks while learning the station. In the classic model, commis are usually training to become demi-chefs.
Do small restaurants use a kitchen brigade?
Not in its full form. A small kitchen might have a chef, a sous chef or lead cook, and a few line cooks covering several stations each. The station logic still applies: each person knows which dishes are theirs during service.
See the stations next time you eat out
If you sit near an open kitchen, watch how the work is divided: one cook at the grill, another plating cold starters, someone at the pass calling orders. That is the kitchen brigade in its modern form, scaled to the size of the room. For more on how professional kitchens run, browse our in the kitchen guides.
