r/KitchenConfidential • u/KDotDot88 • 1d ago
Being Called Or Calling People “Chef”
How do you guys feel about being called or calling people you work with “Chef”? I mean, do you believe in reserving it for the CDC’ or Sous’, or do you pass it around quite freely?
In the new kitchen I work in, I personally started calling everybody in the kitchen “Chef”, from the dishwashers on up. I feel it’s a sign of respect among my team.
What do you guys think?
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u/mihir_lavande 1d ago
I can tolerate being called chef, but the next person to refer to me as cheffy is getting a God damned referral.
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u/ProperPerspective571 1d ago
How bout Cookie? recalling the movie with Cuba Gooding Jr
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u/Smurf-Happens 19h ago
My name is Geoffrey and when people finally started calling me chef, some people took it too far. Cheffrey is unacceptable.
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u/Equivalent-Excuse-80 1d ago
In bigger kitchens with strict hierarchies it doesn’t work. In medium to smaller restaurants sure. Almost every chef I know doesn’t care about titles.
I remember all I wanted in my career was to be called chef. But once I got the position, I was experienced enough to understand that my team knows where the buck stops and they know my name. No need for the formality, especially if we are trying to fix a mid service disaster.
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u/Hot-Celebration-8815 1d ago
I worked in large kitchens with hierarchies that everyone referred to everyone as chef.
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u/Z3roTimePreference 1d ago
I worked in a hotel with a couple different outlets. plus banquets, IRD, EDR, etc. Huge kitchen, and very strict brigade. The Hotel Exec called everyone Chef.
And I mean everyone. He called the housekeepers Chef too.
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u/BTown-Hustle 15+ Years 1d ago
Can’t stand it. Mostly because it’s so weird to me, because I picture it in English.
“Hey Boss, did you finish the prep?”
“No, Boss.”
“Well, hurry up Boss.”
“Yes, Boss.”
“Thank you boss.”
I do understand some people see it as a respect thing, but it’s just so strange. That being said, I hate the feeling that the exec or sous is somehow “better” than the other people there. It comes off as arrogant and smug. That’s why when I’m running a kitchen, I refuse to be called chef. I may be more experienced and/or knowledgeable (hence having the job), but I’m not better as a person. Call me by my name like everyone else.
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u/kanto2113 1d ago
A lot of it comes from the military traditions and the French brigade like system. You would say yes captain (or whatever rank) in the military.
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u/Nell_Trent Bartender 1d ago
I was in the military, and it feels weird when men 30 years older than me call me "sir". I never return it because my military service isn't relevant to my job, they don't know I'm a vet, and it just feels weird.
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u/BTown-Hustle 15+ Years 1d ago
Of course. But it still feels super weird, since it’s not the military, I’m not a captain, and the dishwasher that works for me isn’t MY captain.
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u/dothenoodledance1 1d ago
i love to hear randoms call other randoms "boss"
its the best. sorry you don't feel the same but I see it as the utmost respect. there was even a period of time men were calling eachother "king" (2015-2017?? for me)
i think it's the coolest, wish there was an equivalent for girls, and i support calling the whole kitchen "chef" unless it bothers the head Chef or obviously not welcome
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u/premium-ad0308 1d ago
You'll be happy to hear that girls prop each other up with "Queen" all the time, and guys use it too sometimes lol
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u/Stonewall1861 1d ago
I worked in one very busy large operation restaurant, militarily organised in style, that this this was prominent. I think we felt calling everyone “chef” had a de-ranking effect - like we re all grunts here. For example even if you are head of section you were still expected to pull your weight and do the shit jobs too.
In every other kitchen i worked where some one tried it, it just felt awkward as your comment described
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u/dtallee 1d ago
Dishwashers prefer cabrón, Chef. Or, more formally, Señor Cabrón con La Verga.
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u/f1del1us 1d ago
I’m old school. I call exactly one guy in the kitchen chef, only, end of story. Everyone else is a cook and a better human usually
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u/Sea-Season-7055 1d ago
I didn't love that form of address, personally, when I worked as a Sous. I allowed and encouraged staff to just call me by my name. There are very few jobs where you get addressed by your role. Doctor. Professor. General. Mr. President (he gets two formal addresses).
The goal of that is to remind the person being spoken to that, while in that role, they're depersonalized, part of a bigger system, the job more important than themselves. Or it's merely a title bump, something meant to fluff your feathers. And I don't really hold with that.
At the same time, it's wormed its way into my daily vocabulary. Linecooks are chefs, bartenders are chefs, sometimes even the guy at the gas station gets called chef.
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u/RomanticBeyondBelief 1d ago
I personally feel as though the term "chef" is passed around waaaay too loosely these days. The term Chef should be reserved for the individual who is the lead of the kitchen. Not just any and every cook. I've had many people call me 'Chef' and I felt like it was ridiculous since I wasn't the kitchen lead. I've also seen many people call each other 'Chef' and I felt like it was insulting the title itself.
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u/thatsoundedsexual 1d ago
Thank you, I was looking if this had been said. My name is not chef, I am not my job. Calling the dishwasher "chef" is fucking stupid. I bet you if you asked them how they want to be addressed (what's your name?) they'd respect you way more than giving fake impersonal "respect".
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u/sid_fishes 1d ago
There's a guy in town here called Chef Tony. He introduces himself to absolutely everyone that way. Its just a bit cringey.
Im called Chef at work because i am. Not Chef Steven. Just Chef.
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u/alex_ahente 1d ago
I call my Sous "Chef" and he calls me "Pendejo" which he assures me is a Spanish term of great respect.
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u/Longjumping-Debt7480 13h ago
My crew called me “Cool Arrow’ and like you said, I was told it was a term of respect.
If I could get away with it, I never had my title on my uniform. I worked with the team. My philosophy was if anyone walked into a kitchen and couldn’t pick out the chef I didn’t need to see them. My crew followed me wherever I landed. I considered that to be the ultimate compliment.
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u/faithamor1337 1d ago
I think it's a title that should be earned, and saved for certain team members. I just started in a new restaurant where everybody calls all the cooks "chef" and it's weird. I don't respond to it cause I'm not used to it. That being said, I'm not going to bring it up or try to change it.
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u/PetieE209 1d ago
I work in a spot where we do the same but it’s kind of a joke because the CDC is never there.
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u/Magnus77 21h ago
Place I came up in, Chef was basically a derogatory. First off, it was corporate, so they didn't have any real control over the menu, which I think should be part of it.
But also, it was a shitshow on their end, in my 4 years I had: Exec 1 transfer, Exec 2 transfer, Exec 1 come back and get fired, Exec 3 transfer, Exec 4 get fired, Exec 3 come back and get fired, Exec 5 transferred, Exec 6 demoted. Then I fired myself. And sous, shit, we burned through them like toilet paper, cause they got treated like shit with the carrot of getting exec dangled in front of them. Worst type of position where they were responsible to make the restaurant go, but made less than hourlies when you accounted for hours worked, especially since they were "encouraged" to keep labor low by cutting employees and doing tasks themselves.
Anyways, it was pretty much all first names except with a couple corporate guys. And chef in house was shorthand for, "you're being an asshole right now."
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u/69tractorboy 1d ago
Personally ,in the 30 odd years, I've never liked being called chef. I prefer being called by my name or as when there were three of us in the kitchen with the same name, then by my nickname
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u/malapropter 1d ago
I think it’s important to impart a sense of ambition and expectation for the role. If you call someone chef, you’re showing respect for them and their work, but also asking them to respect the role in kind.
So yes, in kitchens I’ve run, everyone is called chef. Doesn’t matter if you’re a dishwasher or executive sous.
The French call it esprit d’corps. Everyone’s chef, we’re all working towards a common goal.
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u/NoSignificance8879 1d ago
Chef is just whoever is in charge of the kitchen. Otherwise it gets weird and smarmy. There's better ways of showing respect to your staff.
Also, this is funny as shit https://youtu.be/Y4y2vc6QX4Y?si=5uNTr6BAAM4rtbtK
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u/escudonbk 1d ago
I spent 15 years doing grill on Saturday night and I'm a motherfuckin' cook.
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u/thevyrd 1d ago
Personally, I feel its wrong and a little pretentious. You don't call students "professor" as a sign of respect. Chef is a title that is earned.
Damn food network and Gordon ramsay and now the bear just perpetuating this bad practice. Honestly I feel it's actually disrespectful to chefs, it just dilutes the title. Like watch any cooking show and they just call everyone chefs now. No myrtle you're not a "social media chef" you're a home cook. There's no kitchen to manage, no menu to design and cost. Words have meaning.
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u/Automatic_Moment_320 1d ago
Kitchen staff want to earn a living not a title, it’s a nice gesture but I think it’s a little disrespectful to respect someone by calling them by a title they didn’t earn so they know they are important and they ARE but they just deserve respect for what they do too. And that’s enough from me. Bye bye
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u/BulletsForBreakfast 20+ Years 1d ago
I don’t mind people calling me chef, I understand it as a form of respect, but we usually reserve using it as a tongue-in-cheek jab at people who don’t deserve the title. Like the bartender who asks us why the beer mustard tastes different when we use the same recipe every time. “Sorry chef, I’ll look into it”
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u/TushyLawlips 1d ago
Big nope. My name is not chef. Your name is not chef. I am not above any duties in the restaurant. I will represent myself as what needs to be done. Just like everyone else.
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u/HotLettuce- 1d ago
As a senior sous, I once told one of the cooks I wasn't used to being called Chef, and it sounded weird to me, and I'm not sure how i feel about it. Dinner service starts. Corporate executive chef shows up to see how the new menu launch is going. I'm calling the pass. Corporate Exec is standing behind me. I ask, "How long on that pasta, my guy?" Line cook is like "2 minutes Daddy!" Very uncomfortable moment.
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u/16RabidCats 1d ago
The head chef gets called chef. Sous chef depends on the restaurant and environment.
Line cooks do not get called chef.
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u/Salads_and_Sun 1d ago
Lately I feel like it's the noobs who just watched the bear running around calling each other chef, putting blue tape everywhere.
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u/Queef-Supreme 1d ago
We use it as an insult. Had a new server start a few weeks ago and I’ve already broken him of his habit of calling me chef.
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u/rebblake 1d ago
Honestly none of us like being called chef. I call my director chef daddy and my guys call me mom. I use sir or ma'am to address my employees as a form of respect. The use of the word chef feels weird in our kitchens.
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u/Ronreddit23 1d ago
I’m a chef for many years and I’ve always found it impersonal. I’ve worked in kitchens where everyone called the chef chef and I would just say his name. It seemed like he always took to me a bit more and maybe respected that I didn’t say “chef”. I call everyone by their name in my kitchen but as a joke or almost a dig if they mess up I call them “chef”, and if they call me chef I’ll reply with thanks “cook.” But it’s also not that serious.
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u/amallamasmamma 1d ago
For me chef runs the kitchen and cooks cook. I don’t mind if someone calls me chef but I’m a cook. It very well might be a morale booster to some folks so bandying it about in the correct setting is perfectly acceptable. I’ll allow it.
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u/MadGeller 1d ago
For myself, I would rather people call me by my name. It is too easy to twist the respect into something disrespectful. But that's just me.
I also don't like referring to everyone as a chef. Nope, we're cooks. There is nothing wrong with being a cook. Only the person at the top is a chef
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u/ridiculous_nonsense Sous Chef 1d ago
The only person in my kitchen who gets called Chef is our HC, we choose do it out of respect. I’m the sous and I just go by my name
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u/lernington 1d ago
Every kitchen has its own conventions with the titles, and you should go with that. But if it were up to me everybody would just be referred to by their name or nickname
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u/ranting_chef 20+ Years 1d ago
I don’t care, never have. I call everyone by their name/nickname.
If someone insists on calling me “chef,” I respond to them with their occupation as well. “Yes, Server Michelle……what do you need?” Usually works.
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u/heavynewspaper 1d ago
In the large hotel/banquet world, there might literally be 10+ sous and 3-4 “head” chefs in any given day. For those of us who don’t spend much time in the kitchen, pretty much anyone in a jacket and hat is “chef.”
It’s a term of respect and also I don’t want to memorize all those names when they might only be around for 6 months. Especially when they’re just yelling at us to move things or stop hogging the freight elevator, “Sorry Chef, I’ll get the guys to take care of that for you.”
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u/Mercuryink 1d ago
I worked with a FOH manager that called everyone Chef, and I maintain to this day that it was because he couldn't be bothered to learn any of our names.
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u/Giantkoala327 1d ago
I for one go with everyone calls each other "Pendejo." They told me it means good friend : )
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u/Content_Resident_974 1d ago
We call each other by our names or nicknames in the kitchen mostly. Exec calls us Chef when the owner or a VIP is around for the “esthetic” when my family or friends asks I do for a living I say Chef because it makes me seem like less of a failure haha
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u/RepresentativeBig663 1d ago
Not a chef , only call the chefs , chef . Period . It shows respect for the job they do . Also say it more when they are awesome or if I fuck up , again respect . Please don’t take this small but amazing show of respect from them by giving it to everyone or you get the “YES CHEF , RIGHT AWAY CHEF , HEARD CHEF “
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u/Draconuus95 1d ago
When addressing someone. I just say their given name they go by. If talking about them. I’ll say chef ‘given name’.
I’m just a dishwasher. But when we are in the weeds. We are all equal before the shitshow that is dinner service. My executive chef is also well known for being a bit full of himself. He’s honestly a great cook and even chef. But an absolutely terrible manager. And I feel part of my job in regards to him is deflating his ego every once in a while. Our last soux was also of the sort that he hated the title chef. And he was the one I worked with more. So his attitude rubbed off on me a bit.
I do have a coworker that calls basically anyone in the kitchen chef. Mostly out of deference to us. But it’s sometimes annoying because we aren’t always sure which person he’s talking to.
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u/Asproat920 1d ago
For new employees I prefer to be called Chef, for the people who have been with me for a while I don't care if they call me by my name or by dickhead. They've stuck by and have proved themselves.
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u/Idontpayforfeetpics 1d ago
Chef is used satirically in my kitchen. We use “sir” “last name” “first name” pretty much exclusively.
Chef is for when we are being goofy.
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u/SnooSprouts4383 1d ago
I call people what they ask me to call them, and if they show no preference, their name is bud from now til death.
I slip sometimes and call my chef bud every so often and he hates that shit. but the head waitress calls him fat man and that's fine LOL.
Sous chefs always seem giddy to b called chef, I Like to see the smile when u call then that.
I don't call anyone other than people with the title chef. it's just a respect thing for me. also I just get a icky feeling cause it feels like people call everyone chef cause of the bear (which I like). feels poser-ish
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u/Early-AssignmentTA 1d ago
To me, calling everyone "chef" is kinda like if you were in the military and called everyone "sir".
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u/Bald_Nightmare 1d ago
I used to work for a pretentious asshole who demanded to be called "chef". It ruined it
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u/SpookyPotatoes 1d ago
I personally only use “chef” to occasionally refer to my head chef but it’s not something he insists on- honestly I mostly call him “GODDAMMIT CORY” bc he’s a bit of a goober.
I’m in university dining and sometimes a student will call me chef if they don’t know my name but I prefer to just be on a first name basis with my coworkers.
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u/theghostsofvegas 1d ago
If somebody calls someone “ chef “ in front of me, I turn around and say “ as god as my witness, I thought his name was Jeff “.
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u/Ill-Delivery2692 1d ago
It's a title that is earned or designated. The Chef is the leader, under which Sous Chef and Line Cooks work. The Chef creates menus, is responsible for food and labour costs, ordering. It should be a hands on position, not merely a managerial role. Referring to a cook as Chef disrespects the actual Chef. It's like calling a deck hand Captain, or calling a paramedic Doctor.
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u/Amshif87 1d ago
I hate it when everyone is chef. There is only one chef. That stupid fucking show the bear made everyone think it’s so cool to call everyone chef/
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u/Local-Potato6883 1d ago
For me it is a strong no. In all my years of cooking I only ever referred to the CDC as chef, and then begrudgingly. When my time came to be in charge II insisted on being called by my name, and refused to respond to chef.
We're people, not jobs or job titles.
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u/AOP_fiction 15+ Years 1d ago
Don’t really care for it. The only time anyone calls me that is when I’m being introduced to someone new, or if I “chef” something up.
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u/BillyM9876 1d ago
It's a little over used these days, but it's a sign of mutual respect from old pros.
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u/sideshowbvo 1d ago
The boys literally call me "Chef J" they think it's my first name 🤷♂️
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u/Bladrak01 1d ago
The first time someone called me chef, I looked to see who was standing behind me. Now, when someone says chef, my first instinct is that they are talking to me.
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u/linecookdaddy 1d ago
In our kitchen, calling someone chef simply refers to the fact that we're all a team, we all respect each other. I'm 47 with 27 years experience. We have a 17 year old girl in our kitchen, but she's a powerhouse and calling her chef is simply respect
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u/clearlyaburner420 1d ago
I suck at remembering names so everyone is called chef as far as im concerned.
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u/Top_Boat8081 15+ Years 1d ago
I call everyone in the kitchen chef but it doesn't really bother me one way or the other. For me the only people that never get addressed as such are front of house, because they literally are not "chef." lol I appreciated the way Carmy used it in The Bear, as someone else pointed out, so I kinda started using it more. I've known a lot of people in the kitchen that like being called chef, or like being allowed to wear a chef coat, etc. Makes them feel professional, makes them feel good about where they're at, and I'm all for that. As a running joke servers used to put "please and thanks, chef," "can I have extra fries, chef," etc in the notes for their shift meals, but only when I was cooking, because they knew I thought it was funny, and little things like that go a long way to make the job more tolerable
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u/ChefCobra 1d ago
When I was below head And Sous we used "Chef" as taking a piss and having a laugh. Both of them left and I became head chef - I used ( and others ) "Chef" as taking a piss of each other.
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u/cheesebraids 1d ago
Some of the younger staff at my camp started called me Chef name and I don't encourage it, but do allow it for a few reasons. It distinguishes me from another staff by the same name, and mostly because the actual head chef (I'm his apprentice) hates it because I'm not red seal yet and he's a bit of a jerk.
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u/LooseEnds88 1d ago
Sous here..Going from working in the restaurant industry to more corporate America, I still have the habit of calling my executive chefs and “regional culinary directors” by Chef..everyone else is just who ever the hell they are. It is annoying however having to explain everyday kitchen verbiage to people daily. “Corner, sharp, down, on your back,” etc..no one knows the hell I’m saying.
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u/ArchibaldIX 1d ago
I was a line cook, and a kitchen manager. I was not formally trained. I could not make recipes and make a menu from scratch. I was not a Chef and never wanted to be called one.
I have respect for Chefs and would never call myself one.
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u/SuperDoubleDecker 1d ago
I can't stand it. Only person I'd call chef was the executive when I had one.
Newbie foh calling me chef because they don't know my name lol
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u/HOLEPUNCHYOUREYELIDS 1d ago
I only ever worked in franchise or local bars/pubs so it bugged me when people called me Chef. I would always call my “Chefs” chef though.
To me a chef runs the kitchen AND is designing the menu, sourcing ingredients, coming up with new ideas and menus and so on.
I was a cook. I was given recipes and told to make/prep them without deviating. I had no creative input whatsoever.
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u/Pitiful-Chocolate-23 1d ago
I am Chef and owner of my restaurant.. I prefer to be called by my nickname.. I have one employee out of respect and the way he was brought up that calls me chef, but I’d rather be called by my nickname
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u/OkAssignment6163 1d ago
You know it's funny, but in the last 3 kitchens I worked in before changed careers, I was perfectly fine with my fellow cooks calling me 'asshole' over 'chef'.
It just felt more genuine. A name of acceptance. Instead of a lofty title with none of the benefits.
We can't all be chef. But we're all assholes. Even the lady assholes.
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u/KoldProduct 1d ago
I think that the way you’re doing it is weird as hell and I would tell you not to call me that, because I’m not a chef.
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u/Old_Bay20 1d ago
I call my EC chef usually and he'll call me chef as a sous. Some of my staff calls me chef, some call me by my name and I'm fine with either.
When I first got the chef title I didn't like being called chef. Made me feel like I wasn't part of the crew anymore, which is kinda technically true, but I'd rather just have the respect and enjoy work than feeling formal. When I did an event at the white house I liked being called chef though. That one stroked the ego lol
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u/BigOlJellyfish 1d ago
three options. you just call the exec/cdc chef. you call everyone chef. you dont give a shit. all are fine, this isnt what causes some places to suck to work at vs others
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u/Spaceboot1 1d ago
I never used to call anyone chef. We didn't have a chef. We didn't even have a kitchen manager when I started. It was the owners, who didn't use titles, and the kitchen crew. Anyone called anyone chef back then, and i got annoyed.
Then I watched the Bear. Then we hired a guy who called everyone chef.
And through some weird trick of evolution, nowadays if I start a sentence with "chef may I" it means you're about to get criticized.
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u/Calm-Citron-8883 1d ago
I use it as a form of respect. Worked with many chefs who I just called by their name, even upon insistence. If i dont call you Chef then it means I dont think you deserve the title. The ones I call Chef are actual goddammit chefs who deserved it and I call them Chef to this day, even if we are just getting drunk at the bar. But I'm petty and mean.
Some of my guys call me Chef, some don't call anyone Chef. I don't have a preference but it is nice to be reminded of it sometimes. Helps me maintain my standards.
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u/No_Remove459 1d ago
It was weird when I first did it, that and when entering and leaving for the day going to each person and saying hello or goodbye chef, find it annoying, this was Keller calling everybody chef cause he coun't remember everybodys names, and it spread. But I never really got into Thomas Keller's system after working there 2 years.
Specially now after the bear you come off as an ass.
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u/Potential-Mail-298 1d ago
We did away with titles , we are just our names. Or we use sir for men and women and anyone in between. I’m the owner and I guess you could say executive chef and head butcher but who cares if it’s busy I’m emptying the garbage in the bathroom because my dishwasher is buried and can’t get out to do their midday check. I personally don’t love the title but I understand why people do and the need for hierarchy. I just did away with it 14 years ago and not turning back . Just my 2 cents
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u/Manufactured-Aggro 1d ago
I had never heard it in any kitchen, because we have names, until that stupid fucking show got popular 😂
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u/pizzaduh 1d ago
I don't do it. Even if you have a title like "executive chef" or went to CIA I still call you by your name. I've been on menus "prepared by chef pizzaduh" and I tell them to remove it. Where I work now we use it strictly as a joke. "Hey, I'm gonna take a smoke I'll be right back." And I'll bow and say, "YES CHEF!"
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u/Nacho_7258 1d ago
I can’t stand it when people say it so deliberately that it almost sounds condescending. And it happens a lot
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u/NoComment1105 1d ago
I'm a bartender and me and one of the waiters call each other chef, but we don't call anyone in the kitchen chef, just first names 🤷
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u/sevenfivetwotwo 1d ago
I have several thoughts about this but none of them are that serious.
For the first half of my career the only time any of us called anybody chef was sarcastic.
When I was a teacher I went by my first name but if a student wanted to call me "Mr. Name" I didn't correct them. I do the same now that I am actually a chef.
At one point I shared a first name with four other people at this restaurant. Going by "Chef Name" was the easiest way to differentiate so you didn't have two cooks, a chef, a dishwasher, and a bartender all popping up like meerkats every time somebody said our name. Even then it never really helped.
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u/Global_Union3771 1d ago
I’ve always found it off-putting that chef is thrown around so freely. I always referred to myself as a cook and nothing more.
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u/Gatorrea 1d ago
I've been sous chef and head chef and it made me uncomfortable when people called me chef but I always responded to my superior with "yes chef". It took me about 2 years after leaving the kitchen to stop responding yes chef when someone gave me an instruction at work 😆
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u/Mariuxpunk007 1d ago
I don’t love it, but my bosses told me I’ve earned the right to be called “Chef”.
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u/Purp_Rox 1d ago
I’ve never done it until I transferred to this new building where they’re actually cooking. The chefs in the kitchen (regardless of “rank”) call each other chef, so I started doing it out of respect. I gotta stop myself from calling every other department leader that though. I don’t think the maintenance manager would be too pleased if I called him Chef. He’d think I was trying to be funny 😂
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u/SneakySalamder6 1d ago
Don’t care until I meet someone that insists on being called chef. They’re usually an asshole, even when they are an actual chef and not just some jabroni working wing night at the local bar
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u/Itonlymatters2us 1d ago
I call people chef out of respect. Making people who are on the line with me feel good about themselves has proven, in my experience, to elevate their game and mine. It’s just a small thing that helps accomplish that.
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u/jmcgil4684 1d ago
All I know is when I was front of the house and started at a new place, I would immediately call the head cook “chef” and I was immediately their favorite.
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u/Anko_Dango 1d ago
I work in an open kitchen diner and customers call me chef all the time. I've also been told the taste and quality of food has gone up since I've started there. But like... I don't feel like I should be called chef. I haven't earned it. I can't even season anything.
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u/SimplyKendra 1d ago
I think unless you went to culinary school or you have been classically trained by a chef in a kitchen to be a chef, you aren’t a chef. That doesn’t mean there is absolutely anything wrong with being a line cook or whatever. I was a cna for years while I bartended and I hated we were not considered nurses. I became an LPN and still don’t get it, but there is a huge boundary there. Doesn’t mean it’s any less work or less important.
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u/Backforthepeople 1d ago
I've never liked it personally. Had one guy that used to say to me "imma call you chef at work and -my name- after work playing pool" I kinda respected that idea. He knew I was just his boss at work but friends after clock out. But I'd rather people just say my name. However. I have worked places where the title was everything and the guys who earned it had really earned it, and in that case I always made sure to show them that respect. But we were hunting stars at that place and it feels a bit more important to show that level of respect at that kind of restaurant. Place im at now we call head and sous "chef" and we sometimes call each other that but its more out of old habits I think. (Maybe a little making fun of the tradition, idk) Ramble over but I think unless you're at a level where the lead dude is a real certified chef it becomes overworked as a term.
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u/RedditJennn 1d ago
I prefer to be called my name. If a chef would rather be referred to as Chef, then I'll do that. Otherwise, I call people by their name.
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u/QueenOfSweetTreats 1d ago
Even when holding executive chef positions, I still find it weird to be called chef. I don’t care for formalities, I believe in a we are all equals and the kitchen doesn’t run smoothly without each position. Hierarchies aren’t my thing. I now run a not for profit kitchen and work with volunteers, it catches me off guard when they call me chef.
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u/lcdroundsystem 1d ago
I pass it around freely. It’s a sign of respect for all cooks and I think it makes the young guys feel good.
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u/yafuckonegoat 1d ago
In my kitchen I wouldn't call you chef until I worked beside you, and see what you got. There are to many "youtube chefs" out there for me to refer to everyone as a chef. Just because you've worked in a kitchen and can Google recipes doesn't make you a chef.
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u/GabeTheGriff 1d ago
Depends on the place.
I thought it was obnoxious as hell when I was working at Moxies. My boy. You work at a chain restaurant. Yes, it's higher scale...but you still get all your recipes from corporate, you have no creative license, etc etc.
If I like who I'm with, we use it as a term of endearment but don't mean it in the respectful brigade system way.
If I don't like who I'm with it's completely sarcastic and meant to be something like "yeah, bud you couldn't cook your way out of a paper bag n think you're the shit. Of course I'll call you chef 🙄"
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u/Big_Boss_1911 1d ago
In the restaurant I work i use it ask a sign of respect, lead cooks and higher I'll usually refer to as chef, mainly because they've done and shown work that deserves the respect
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u/BBallsagna 1d ago
I only call everyone chef during service, and i hate when anybody calls me chef any other time than during service
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u/morbidcliche 1d ago
I worked in a kitchen where instead of saying "yes, chef," we said "yes daddy." I miss being a cook sometimes.
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u/AloneJuice3210 1d ago
No I don't think that is appropriate.. but if you don't have the title,but you are doing things that would make others call you that.,yes. But no you just don't call everyone chef...that's disrespectful.
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u/bananaoldfashioned 1d ago
It's whatever. If you work with a bunch of kids who got into the industry because they watched The Bear and calling everyone "Chef" gets them hard, yeah, OK, roll with it. Otherwise mostly nah.
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u/CarltonFist 1d ago
Call folks by their names. We’re all there every day, we all know who’s in charge, no reason for “chef”. When the shit goes down, there’s only one chef.
If calling each other chef is cool for everyone in your space, have at it.
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u/Cube-in-B 1d ago edited 1d ago
Either we all call each other chef or we call no one chef. Community over competition.
I worked in a kitchen where the head chef and the pastry chef were a married couple and would call each other chef in a super sexual way then expected all of us to also call both of them chef. At the end of the day it’s about equity. Either we’re all sexy and fuckable or you keep that shit at home.
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u/purging_snakes 15+ Years 1d ago edited 1d ago
I don't need the title, and I don't use it much, but I've had cooks that insisted on calling me chef. Whatever makes the team comfortable.
I use it the first time I work with someone. For example, I did a press thing with a well know chef and I said "Good to meet you chef" after being introduced. That's about the end of it though. The rest of the night I just used their name.
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u/Shado2wX 1d ago
Worked with a chef one time named Tom, we called him Thomas Chefferson. We had a great crew and he had the best knife skills I've ever seen and man could he cook. I learned a lot from him
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u/Human_Resources_7891 1d ago
in a working kitchen, chef is a work title, not an ancient nobility title passed through generations. whomever is leading the team is chef, if it is a line cook during a slow lunch, congratulations... she is chef!
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u/CaineRexEverything 1d ago
When I was in the pits as a line, I called my superiors Chef and my fellow cooks Cookie. Now I’m out front managing I call them all cunts. Don’t worry, I’m Australian, it’s a term of endearment.
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u/LETSGOTOCHURCH 23h ago
Most of my experience has been in smaller businesses, but mostly fine dining. I've had a chef that refused to respond to anything but Chef, and I've had a chef that hated to be called chef.
I've normally fell in line with the norm of each restaurant dynamic. The few times I was in a higher position I didn't care, but being referred to, addressed, and called Chef always seemed like a choice of respect rather than a necessity.
Where I am now, Chef is freely thrown around but never necessary. It's usually used as a sign of respect, or even a compliment. If somebody creates a particularly delicious special/dish, the normal response is, "that was delicious, Chef." Other than that, normally first names or nicknames are used, but in any mild disagreements we are sure to address each other as Chef in the discussion. During particularly busy times we almost always say Chef.
It seems to have a notion of, "you are doing your job correctly and well, regardless of rank I will say Chef as a sign of respect and professionalism"
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u/genSpliceAnnunaKi001 22h ago
I will only ever say "sir" or "mam" regardless of title or position. Any one who needs to hear others confirm their title, doesn't deserve one.
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u/Kallyanna Chef 21h ago
For me, I’ve been referred to a “chef” a few times. When the waiting staff call you chef, they are either giving compliments to the kitchen or want something (usually to be fed).
When you hear one of your own team utter the word “chef” you kinda instantly sigh and ask, “what’s happened this time?”
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u/Smurf-Happens 19h ago
In most of the kitchens I've worked in, it's an earned title based on experience and knowledge. Not everyone in the kitchen is a chef. Even if they're in a sous or executive position. In my eyes, you don't really earn the title until other chefs recognize your talent and identify you by the title.
So at first, I didn't feel comfortable with it. At the same time though, it felt good to be called chef.
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u/Choice-Studio-9489 18h ago
I’d probably equate being called chef to daddy, it’s almost always an insult, and I don’t have kids, so there’s no one under me, so just use my damn name.
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u/SlampyV0 18h ago
Everyone in BOH is chef, from the dishwasher up. I will specifically address my exc and head as "Chef (first name)" though.
We do have a 17 year old food runner who I dubbed "King (first name)"
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u/whet_pastry 18h ago
I've worked in places where my senior chefs insisted on being called chef, 'yes chef, no chef' etc. Would get really arsey about it. At my current job we call each other chef occasionally but we're all pretty tight and we just call each other by name
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u/Shoshannainthedark 17h ago
The word chef just means head/manager. You could call Bob in accounting chef de finance.
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u/soyuzfrigate 16h ago
It depends on the setting, if it’s a more casual restaurant I call the chef by name until they show that they know their shit and are extremely serious about it. In higher end places, I’ve worked for people who get extremely offended by hearing their own name, so I just call “chef” even if it’s clear they’re just role playing as a chef, and want me to play into their fantasy
A few days ago, I referred to a sous chef by name and the executive yelled at me “he is not your friend you must call him chef name” which really aggravated me because we are actually friends and he just kinda looked on awkwardly as it happened. I think the term chef is cold and professional while addressing people by their name is more friendly and casual, and if I like people I’m more inclined to refer to them as a person, not a job title.
I think “chef” is a term of respect and must be earned, otherwise it’s just what I’m obligated to call them and it means nothing
I feel weird being called chef, because I am a cook who has no aspirations of becoming a chef. I do this to make money and so that I’m able to cook good food for my partner at home.
Not sure if that makes sense
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u/lil-clit 14h ago
Theres one guy in our kitchen who calls everyone chef the rest of us dont say it but im fond of the term bigdawg for most people in the kitchen of a higher ranking lol
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u/MeggaLonyx 14h ago
Obviously it’s good to show your team respect and build them up with an identity to aspire to. So it’s fine.
But there are other ways to do that, and traditionally the title of chef is something that is earned. It means you put in your time, did the work, and you’ve mastered the fundamentals of cooking. It keeps newer cooks humble and teaches them to respect something other than themselves, the food, the hierarchy, and the process. It’s a reminder of how much they don’t know and how much have to learn.
Similar to how you don’t get to be called doctor until you’ve actually completed your education, the word chef does actually mean something and it could be interpreted as a bit disrespectful to the traditional process. Like i said it doesn’t really matter, just gotta make sure shit doesn’t get too masturbatory.
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u/nafetS1213 13h ago
I usually reserve calling people "chef" to those that hold the title. Even if I am called chef I don't usually accept the title from those outside of the industry.
Usually my peers and I resort to calling each other " sexy" and "bastard"
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u/Greedy_Line4090 12h ago
Personally I don’t care to be called chef when I’m the chef, but people constantly do it, so I don’t let it bother me. I prefer to be called by name but that’s just me. What grates on me the worst is when people call others chef who aren’t chefs (like what you’re doing).
By all means, you do you, but I was born and raised in the French brigade system. The chef is the chef. The word has meaning. It’s important to know who the chef is. Being a cook does not make you a chef by any measure. And too many chefs spoils the soup.
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u/Nillionheart106 1d ago
As a sous I really don't care personally. I'll call other people in the kitchen chef like you, but I don't ever expect to be called chef. I know my people respect me, and I don't really care about titles.
That being said I have worked in other restaurants where the CDC absolutely would not have anyone refer to him as anything but chef. It was about creating a divide for him. He wanted to maintain a sense of control and authority by insisting on the title. I can understand that reasoning, but it seems a bit shallow to me