Brigade de cuisine is a system of hierarchy found in restaurants and hotels employing extensive staff, commonly referred to as "kitchen staff" in English speaking countries.

The concept was developed by Georges Auguste Escoffier. This structured team system delegates responsibilities to different individuals who specialize in certain tasks.

List of positions

This is an exhaustive list of the different members of the kitchen brigade system. Only the largest of establishments would have an extensive staff of this size. As noted under some titles, certain positions are combined into other positions when such a large staff is unnecessary. Note: Despite the use of chef in English as the title for a cook, the word actually means "chief" or "head" in French. Similarly, cuisine means "kitchen," rather than referring to food or cooking generally, or a type of food or cooking.
Chef de cuisine (kitchen chef; literally "chief of kitchen"): is responsible for overall management of kitchen; supervises staff, creates menus and new recipes with the assistance of the restaurant manager, makes purchases of raw food items, trains apprentices, and maintains a sanitary and hygienic environment for the preparation of food.
Sous-chef de cuisine (deputy kitchen chef; literally "sub-chief"): receives orders directly from the chef de cuisine for the management of the kitchen, and often serves as the representative when the chef de cuisine is not present.
Chef de partie (senior chef; literally "chief of party"; party used here as a group, in the sense of a military detail): is responsible for managing a given station in the kitchen, specializing in preparing particular dishes there. Those who work in a lesser station are commonly referred to as a demi-chef.
Cuisinier (cook): is an independent position, usually preparing specific dishes in a station; may also be referred to as a cuisinier de partie.
Commis (junior cook): also works in a specific station, but reports directly to the chef de partie and takes care of the tools for the station.
Apprenti(e) (apprentice): are often students gaining theoretical and practical training in school and work experience in the kitchen. They perform preparatory work and/or cleaning work.
Plongeur (dishwasher): cleans dishes and utensils, and may be entrusted with basic preparatory jobs.

Marmiton (pot and pan washer): in larger restaurants, takes care of all the pots and pans instead of the plongeur.

Saucier

Saucier

A Saucier is a position in the classical brigade style kitchen, which is still used in large commercial kitchens such as some restaurants. It can be translated into English as sauce cook. This position prepares sauces, stews and hot hors d'œuvres and sautés food to order...

(saucemaker/sauté cook): prepares sauce

Sauce

In cooking, a sauce is liquid, creaming or semi-solid food served on or used in preparing other foods. Sauces are not normally consumed by themselves; they add flavor, moisture, and visual appeal to another dish. Sauce is a French word taken from the Latin salsus, meaning salted...

s and warm hors d'oeuvres, completes meat dishes, and in smaller restaurants, may work on fish dishes and prepare sautéed items. This is one of the most respected positions in the kitchen brigade, usually ranking just below the chef and sous-chef.
Rôtisseur (roast cook): manages a team of cooks that roasts, broils, and deep fries dishes.

Grillardin (grill cook): in larger kitchens, prepares grilled foods instead of the rôtisseur.

Friturier (fry cook): in larger kitchens, prepares fried foods instead of the rôtisseur.

Poissonnier (fish cook): prepares fish and seafood dishes.
Entremetier (entrée preparer): prepares soups and other dishes not involving meat or fish, including vegetable dishes and egg dishes.

Potager (soup cook): in larger kitchens, reports to the entremetier and prepares the soups.

Legumier (vegetable cook): in larger kitchen, also reports to the entremetier and prepares the vegetable dishes.

Garde manger

Garde manger

Garde manger , meaning "keep to eat" refers to a cool, well-ventilated area where cold dishes are prepared and other foods are stored under refrigeration...

(pantry supervisor; literally "food keeper"): is responsible for preparation of cold hors d'oeuvres, prepares salads, organizes large buffet displays, and prepares charcuterie

Charcuterie

Charcuterie is the branch of cooking devoted to prepared meat products such as bacon, ham, sausage, terrines, galantines, pâtés, and confit, primarily from pork. Charcuterie is part of the garde manger chef's repertoire...

 items.
Tournant (spare hand/roundsman): moves throughout the kitchen, assisting other positions in kitchen.
Pâtissier (pastry cook): prepares desserts and other meal-end sweets, and for locations without a boulanger, also prepares breads and other baked items; may also prepare pasta for the restaurant.

Confiseur: in larger restaurants, prepares candies and petits fours

Petit four

A petit four is a small confection generally eaten at the end of a meal or served as part of dessert. The name is from the French petit four, meaning "small oven"....

instead of the pâtissier.

Glacier: in larger restaurants, prepares frozen and cold desserts instead of the pâtissier.

Décorateur: in larger restaurants, prepares show pieces and specialty cakes instead of the pâtissier.

Boulanger

Baker

A baker is someone who bakes and sells bread, Cakes and similar foods may also be produced, as the traditional boundaries between what is produced by a baker as opposed to a pastry chef have blurred in recent decades...

(baker): in larger restaurants, prepares bread, cakes, and breakfast pastries instead of the pâtissier.

Boucher

Butcher

A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat or any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments...

(butcher): butchers meats, poultry, and sometimes fish; may also be in charge of breading meat and fish items.
Aboyeur (announcer/expediter): takes orders from the dining room and distributes them to the various stations; may also be performed by the sous-chef de partie.
Communard: prepares the meal served to the restaurant staff.
Garçon de cuisine (literally "kitchen boy"): in larger restaurants, performs preparatory and auxiliary work for support.
demi chef (line cook)