A sous chef is the second-in-command of a professional kitchen. The sous chef supervises the cooks, cooks alongside them, checks that dishes match the standard the head chef has set, and reports back to the head chef. When the head chef is away, the sous chef runs the kitchen. In practice that means the job sits between the stove and the office: one hand on tonight’s service, the other on the ordering, scheduling, training and cleanliness that keep the next service possible.
Key takeaways
- The sous chef is the kitchen’s deputy, reporting to the head chef and supervising the cooks.
- The role mixes hands-on cooking with supervision, quality checks, training and stock control.
- Most sous chefs work their way up from line cook positions over several years.
- Federal projections show steady growth for chefs and head cooks, the group that includes sous chefs.
What a sous chef does on a normal shift
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics describes sous chefs in a single, useful line: they are a kitchen’s second-in-command, who supervise the restaurant’s cooks, prepare meals and report results to the head chefs, and run the kitchen in the head chef’s absence.
That description covers a lot of ground. Before service, a sous chef often walks the stations, checks that prep lists are done and tastes sauces and components. Our guide to how professional kitchens get ready explains why that prep stage matters so much. During service, the sous chef may cook on a station, cover a cook who falls behind or stand at the pass checking plates. After service, attention turns to what needs ordering, who is on tomorrow’s schedule and what went wrong tonight.
The BLS lists the duties shared by chefs and head cooks, and in many kitchens the sous chef carries a large share of them:
| Duty | What it looks like for a sous chef |
|---|---|
| Checking the freshness of food and ingredients | Inspecting deliveries and rejecting what is not up to standard |
| Supervising cooks and other food preparation workers | Running the line during service and correcting technique |
| Developing recipes and planning presentation | Testing specials and writing up recipes so every cook makes them the same way |
| Inspecting supplies, equipment and work areas | Spotting a failing fridge seal or a dull slicer before it causes a problem |
| Hiring, training and supervising kitchen staff | Teaching new cooks the menu and the house way of working |
| Ordering and tracking food and supplies | Keeping par levels and placing orders |
| Enforcing sanitation and kitchen safety standards | Making sure food is labeled, dated and held at the right temperature |
Where the sous chef sits in the kitchen brigade
The rank comes from the brigade system that kitchen organization still borrows from. The open textbook Working in the Food Service Industry, published under a Creative Commons licence by British Columbia’s cook training committee, says the brigade was created in France in the 19th century by Auguste Escoffier. It lists the sous-chef as second in command of the kitchen, supervising when the chef is absent. Below the sous chef come the chefs de partie, each in charge of a section or station, and the commis, or junior cooks. We cover the whole structure in our explainer on the kitchen brigade system.
Few modern restaurants use every classic title. A small kitchen may have a head chef, one sous chef and a handful of line cooks. A large hotel kitchen may have an executive chef, several sous chefs covering different shifts or outlets, and a full set of station leads. The deputy role, though, shows up almost everywhere a kitchen has more than a few cooks.
How the sous chef differs from the head chef and the line cook
The head chef, sometimes called the chef de cuisine, owns the menu, the purchasing and the overall management of the kitchen. The line cook owns one station and the dishes that come off it. The sous chef connects the two. The head chef sets the direction, and the sous chef makes sure it happens on every plate, every night, including the nights the head chef is not there.
That middle position is what makes the job demanding. A sous chef has to be fast and skilled enough to step onto any station, and calm enough to manage people who were peers not long ago.
How cooks become sous chefs
There is no single route, but the common one is through the line. The BLS notes that chefs and head cooks typically need a high school diploma or equivalent plus work experience, often gained by starting as a line cook and advancing over several years. Its profile of cooks adds that cooks can advance by learning new skills and taking on more responsibility, such as supervising kitchen staff when a chef is absent. If you are at the start of that path, our walkthrough on how to become a line cook covers the first steps.
Some people speed things up with formal training. The BLS mentions culinary programs at community colleges, technical schools, culinary arts schools and 4-year colleges, as well as apprenticeships, mentorship and military training. Some states or localities also require a food handler certification.
Hours, pressure and outlook
The work itself is hard on the body and the calendar. The BLS describes the environment for chefs and head cooks as hectic and fast-paced, with long periods of standing, schedules that often include early mornings, late evenings, weekends and holidays, and some people working more than 40 hours a week. Burns, slips and cuts are common hazards, though they are rarely serious.
On the other side of the ledger, employment of chefs and head cooks is projected to grow 7 percent from 2025 to 2035, which the BLS describes as much faster than the average for all occupations, with about 25,200 openings a year on average over that decade.
Frequently asked questions
Is a sous chef higher than a chef de partie?
Yes. In the brigade system the sous chef is the head chef’s deputy, and the chefs de partie, who each run a station, report up to the sous chef. In smaller kitchens the titles may be informal, but the order is the same.
Does a sous chef still cook?
In most kitchens, yes. The BLS description includes preparing meals as well as supervising cooks. How much time a sous chef spends on a station depends on the size of the kitchen and how busy service is.
Do you need culinary school to become a sous chef?
No. Many sous chefs learned entirely on the job, working up from prep and line positions. Culinary programs and apprenticeships can help, but experience running a station under pressure is what most kitchens look for.
Thinking about the role yourself
If you are a cook who wants to move up, start acting like a sous chef before you have the title: learn every station, keep your own section spotless, help train newer cooks and ask the head chef how ordering and scheduling work. For more on routes through the industry, browse our Restaurant Careers guides.
