A chef de partie is not a beginning kitchen position, but rather one you work up to after you have experience in a restaurant kitchen. Typically the kitchen is divided into particular areas and sections with each being responsible for a certain part of the menu. The chef de partie is the supervisor of one of these parts of the kitchen making sure all the employees are working well together, assigning tasks and getting the food of that section out in a timely manner. Some other names for a chef de partie are station chef or line cook; it all depends on what type of restaurant you are working in.
Supervisory Duties
The chef de partie can choose to run the section according to his own preference. Some choose to mostly supervise and assign tasks to other people such as stocking the area, plating the food and actually preparing the food. Most chef de parties enjoy cooking the food and assign the prep work to the other people in the station. In order to prepare for a night off here and there, a chef de partie might train another person to be able to handle his job. This position means allocating tasks quickly and efficiently and making sure your section of the kitchen knows what is going on in the other sections. You must be able to handle delegating to make sure all orders are filled in the appropriate time frame. You will often check the plates to make sure the presentation of the food is acceptable.
Skills
A chef de partie is often in line to become a chef someday which means extensive hands on experience and/or culinary school. You need to know how to create dishes, understand the concepts of time management and be able to provide quality food consistently for many patrons in one night. It is your responsibility to maintain the standards of your chef and work with him to provide the best menu possible. This includes getting involved with ordering and knowing what food is available. You will also have to understand the pricing of food and how best to turn a profit on your dishes.
Wage
The wage for a chef de partie is entirely dependent on the type of restaurant you work in. Typically the wage comes in between $25,000 and $45,000 but higher end restaurants will often pay more. You can choose to increase your wage by taking on additional responsibilities for the restaurant when available. Some of the chef de parties head up catering departments for the restaurant resulting in a significant wage increase or a per party charge that adds to your income. The high-pressure position tends to be one people take on out of desire to upgrade their position in the kitchen. Chef de partie and sous chefs often go on to run their own restaurant, which pays significantly better. You can negotiate with your chef or manager for yearly bonuses based on meeting certain financial requirements for the restaurant including but not limited to increasing the percentage of profit per plate.
