Chapter 3 :Kitchen Organisation

Chapter 3: KITCHEN ORGANIZATION

THE BASIS OF KITCHEN ORGANIZATION

                     The purpose of Kitchen organization is to assign or allocate tasks so that they can be done efficiently and properly and so all workers know what their responsibilities are.

The way a kitchen is organized depends on various factors.

1.     THE MENU

The kinds of dishes to be produced obviously determine the jobs that need to be done. The menu is in fact, the basis of the entire operation.

2.    THE TYPE OF ESTABLISHMENT

The major types of establishment are as follows:

·         Hotels

·         Institutional kitchens

             Schools

             Hospital, Nursing homes

             Airline Catering

·         Catering and banquet services

·         Fast food restaurants

·         Carry out and take out food facilities

·         Full service restaurants

3.    THE SIZE OF THE OPERATION(the number of customers and the volume of food served)

4.    The physical facilities, including the equipment in use.

THE CLASSICAL BRIGADE

            Escoffier’s important achievements was the re organizations of the kitchen. This reorganization divided the kitchen into departments, or stations, based on the kind of the food produced. A station chef was placed in charge of each department .In small operations; the station chef might be the only worker in the department. But in large establishments station chefs might have several assistants.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

EXECUTIVE CHEF

  The Executive Chef is a manager who is responsible for all the aspects of food production, including

Menu planning

-Always lead by example, adopting a positive attitude to keep the team spirit at its highest levels.

-Identify and develop new products and equipments, to enhance product quality.

-Develop and define quality standards of food preparation and presentation.

-Ensure the quality of food preparation and presentation, as per the organizational standards.

-Establish Recipes and methods of preparation, inform the F&B Director of significance change in prices affecting the preparation of menu items.

-Recommend Menu pricing in co-ordination with the F&B Director/F&B Manager/F&B Controller /Banquet Manager.

-Ensure that menus are changed on a regular basis, as per the corporate guidelines and market needs, in co-ordination with F&B manager /F&B Director.

Purchasing

-Ensure availability of stock and raw ingredients by proper planning and coordination with purchase and stores.

Costing

-Analyze and monitor costs (Material, energy and staff) to ensure high profitability on regular basis and initiate corrective action whenever necessary.

Planning work schedules

-Define the organization of work within the department including assignments, time schedules and vacation of staff.

-Co-ordinate with the engineering Department to carry out preventive maintenance programme in the kitchen.

Hiring and training

-Ensure Department employees are fully trained through constant on the job training.

-Ensure practice of hygiene and safety precautions as well as compliance with hotel and company policies by the kitchen staff through training.

-Provide career development and succession planning for subordinates through training.

If a food service operation is large, with many departments (eg.formal dining room, a casual dining or specialty restaurant) or if it has several units in different locations, then each kitchen may have a Chef de Cuisine. The Chef de Cuisine reports to the Executive Chef.

SOUS CHEF (SOO SHEF) is directly in charge of production and works as the assistant to the Executive Chef or Chef de Cuisine (the word Sous is French for Under).Because the Executive Chef’s Responsibilities may require great deal of time in the office, the Sous chef takes command of the actual production and the minute by minute supervision of the staff.

-Look after the function of the executive chef during his/her Absence.

-Train Staff on improved work procedures, quality food production, economical usage of food material s and the attractive presentation of Food items.

-Account for the usage, consumption, spoilage and control of food stuff produced or stored under his supervision

-Be responsible for the preparation of mis en place at all stations.

CHEF DE PARTIE (STATION CHEFS)   is in charge of a particular area of production. All the Chef de Parties’ may be regarded as supervisors or foremen of their section as well as skilled craftsman. They must for example plan and organize their work and staff and normally they will prepare daily indents for commodities.

The following are the most important station chefs:

·         The SAUCE CHEF or SAUCIER (so-see-ay), prepares   sauces, stews and hot hors d’oeuvres and sautés foods to order. This is the highest position of all the stations.

·         The FISH COOK or POISSONIER (pwah-so-nyay), prepares fish dishes. In some Kitchens the stations are handled by the saucier.

·         The VEGETABLE COOK or ENTREMETIER (AWN-TRUH-MET-YAY), prepares vegetables, soups, starches (Rice and Pasta Dishes) and eggs. Large Kitchens may divide these duties among the vegetable cook, the fry cook (Friturier) and the soup cook (Potager)

·         The SOUP COOK OR POTAGER (PO-TAH-JAY) responsible to make all the soups for the establishments. Also the Garnishes accompanying the soups.

·         The ROAST COOK or ROTISSEUR (RO-TEE-SUR) prepares roasted and braised meats and their gravies and broils meats and other items to order. Grillardin (Grill cook)

The PANTRY CHEF or GARDE MANGER (GARD-MAWN-ZHAY) is responsible for cold foods including salads and dressings, pates, cold hors d’oeuvres and buffet items.

What is Larder or Garde Manger?

·         It is the Cold Kitchen or that part of the kitchen department which is set aside for the storage and preparation of perishable foods- both raw and cooked.

·         The food stuffs such a meats, fish, poultry, and game, vegetables other perishables are prepared and made ready for cooking.

·         All the cold foods found on the menu such as appetizers ( Hors d’ oeuvres ), cold fish or meat dishes , all salads, cold sauces and dressings are made ready.

·         One particular special duty of this department is the preparation of all types of cold buffet- a major feature of many functions and banquettes.

The work is broken down into various sections-

·         · Appetizer section (Hors d’oeuvrier)

·         · Salad and dressing section (Saladier)

·         · Butchery-Boucher(butcher),poissonier(fish monger), Volailleur (poultry man)

·         · Cold buffet

RESPONSIBILITIES OF CHEF GARDE MANGER

Chef Garde manger reports to the Sous chef.

He is responsible for-

· Efficient working of the larder section.

· Co-ordination for the efficient running of the garde manger.

· Training of the larder staff

· Maintaining discipline of the section.

· He is responsible for all the foodstuffs which are dealt in the section especially all the cold food and their proper storage.

· He is responsible for keeping the record of the entire foodstuff coming into the section and the orders served to the main kitchen and the other outlet kitchens.

· The chef needs to put in the requisition for the meats, fish and poultry and other food ingredients required for all the food service.

· He is responsible for maintaining his section in the best of hygienic and sanitary

Conditions to avoid any danger of contamination and possible food poisoning.

·         The PASTRY CHEF or PATISSIER (PA-TEES-SYAY) prepares pastries and desserts.

Glacier (Ice cream Chef)

Boulanger (Baker)

·         The RELIEF COOK or TOURNANT (TOOR-NAWN) replaces all station heads.

The EXPEDITER OR ABOYEUR (AH- BWA-YER) accepts orders from waiters and passes them on to the cooks on the line .the Expediter also calls for orders to be finished and plated at the proper time and inspects each plate before passing it to the dining room staff. In many restaurants this position is taken by the Head chef or the Sous chef.

•        COOKS AND ASSISITANTS (Commis and Apprentices/Aides de cuisine). The CDP or sectional chef will be assisted by trained commis/cooks. The station cooks /Commis in each department help in the duties assigned to them. They will be still gaining experience before taking full Partie responsibilities.

Apprentices/Aides de cuisines: Help in the practical day to day work of food preparation and cookery. For example assistant vegetable cook may wash, peel and trim vegetables.

With experience, assistants may be promoted to station cooks and then to station chefs.

CHEF COMMUNAR (STAFF COOK): In a large hotel, a separate section of the kitchen or a completely separate kitchen may be allocated to the production of staff meals.

CHEF DE PETIT JEUNER (BREAKFAST COOK): The cooking and service of breakfast in hotels is commonly entrusted to a specialty cook whose range is limited to the needs of breakfast.

He/She might not rank as a full Chef de Partie, but needs to possess good skills within the limited field. The cooks assisting are responsible to simple task of assembling and cooking breakfast dishes. Cooking of Eggs in its various forms and the grilling and frying of fish and bacon are some of the principle functions.

CHEF DE BANQUETS (BANQUET CHEF): Responsible for banqueting operation The Banquet Chef will have its own set of team to ensure smooth operation.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE PARTIE SYSTEM

        The Partie system as perfected by Escoffier was the result of studying the food and cookery work behind the recipes and allocating tasks to different specialists so as help produce the most complex dishes regularly, efficiently and swiftly.

 This meant braking down or allocating task even for one dish to different sections. In the kind of kitchen that Escoffier and his colleagues organized, the Partie system reached the height of complexity because the end product had to be of the highest finish and yet be completed to order in rapid sequence for a substantial number of customers.

There are however introduction of new machines, equipment, convenient foods etc which can cause the amendment and simplification of the Partie system.

The essence of the Partie system is the division of work into sections each section or Partie being controlled by a Chef de Partie. All the parties come under the control of the executive chef aided by one or more Sous chefs.

PLEASE REFER AND STUDY THE FOLLOWING CHARTS

1.     CLASSICAL KITCHEN BRIGADE CHART

2.    ORGANISATIONAL  CHART OF A LARGE SIZE HOTEL

3.    ORGANISATIONAL  CHART OF A MEDIUM SIZE HOTEL

INTER-DEPARTMENTAL CO-ORDINATION

 

Food and Beverage Service

It is a most common sight to see the kitchen staff arguing with service people and vice versa. The age old animosity between the two departments results from the fact that both do not appreciate each other’s job. However, in spite of such differences, they are completely independent and cannot do without each other. The kitchen depends on the service for the following things.

1.     Service operates sales in various outlets. It takes the food order and serves it to the guest.

2.    Service acts a bridge between the guest and the chef and helps to communicate the requests and opinions of the food by providing constant feedback.

3.    For cooking, wines and liquors are required from F&B on daily basis.

4.    Service sells the food and markets the chef’s specialty thereby bringing in more sales and happy customers.

HOUSEKEEPING

Following are some important points related to the coordination between the kitchen and housekeeping.

1.     Kitchen requires clean uniforms, aprons, and dusters on daily basis, which are provided by housekeeping.

2.    Kitchen also needs to coordinate with the housekeeping regarding the pest control and fumigation in the kitchen.

3.    Special uniform if required for particular functions or theme parties are obtained from housekeeping.

4.    Festive decorations if required in the restaurants or outlets, is again taken care of by housekeeping.

FRONT OFFICE

Following are the important points related to the coordination between the kitchen and the front office.

1.     Front office communicates the daily arrival list to the kitchen and it helps the chefs to forecast their production so that the daily wastage is minimized. The daily arrival list also contains guest history and the chefs come to know if there was any problem with food or service during the guest’s previous stay. Hence, they could make it up this time by exceeding his/her expectation.

2.    The front office circulates VIP lists in the kitchens for any special requests of guests and for the room amenities to be placed in the room.

3.    Sometimes welcome drinks are prepared by the kitchen for some VIPs.

4.    Front office also assists guests in making their dinning choices and helps in marketing the restaurants and outlets.

PURCHASE AND STORES

Following are the important points to the coordination between the kitchen and the purchase and stores department.

1.     This department procures raw materials at the best possible prices, not compromising on the quality of ingredients.

2.    Chefs help the purchase department to create the standard purchase specifications for commodities.

3.    Chefs must give sufficient time for the orders to be procured and so maintaining for par stock levels are decided by the chefs and the purchase managers depending upon the frequency of withdrawals and availability from the market.

4.    Chefs also receive the goods at receiving bay, thereby ensuring that the right quality of ingredients as per the standards specified is purchased.

FINANCE

Following are the important points related to the coordination between the kitchen and the finance department.

1.     Finance does the costing of the recipe and this helps the management to decide upon the selling price to get the desirable profits and maintain the agreed food cost.

2.    Finance helps chefs and the purchase managers to go for regular market surveys and see if any new and better quality products are available.

3.    Finance helps chefs to keep a check on their expenses by giving a periodic report mentioning their profit and losses.

SALES AND MARKETING

Following are the important points related to the coordination between the kitchen and the engineering department.

1.     Engineering department does the preventive and breakdown maintenance of the machinery used in the kitchen.

2.    Helps in installation of new machinery and equipment and trains the staff in its usage and precautions.

3.    Coordinates with chefs to utilize the resources effectively to minimize costs and increase profits.

4.    Maintenance schedules are made and followed up by chefs.

5.    Fire fighting and safety procedures are laid down by the engineering and followed up by the chef.

HUMAN RESOURCE AND TRAINING

Following are the important points related to the coordination between the human resources (HR) and training department.

1.     HR department helps chefs to find the skilled people and facilitate recruitments by helping chefs to take interviews and trade tests.

2.    Chefs highlight the training and developments required by their staff and communicate it to the training department, who then prepare the training calendars and train people accordingly.

3.    Appraisals and career developing of the kitchen people is liaised with the HR department.

4.    Joining formalities of the new staff, induction, orientation, locker facilities etc. are dealt by HR department.

SECURITY

Following are the important points related to the coordination between the kitchen and the security department.

1.     Items taken out the hotel are taken on a ‘gate pass’. This can be returnable or non-returnable. It is made in triplicate and one copy is retained in the book, one goes to the finance department and the other goes to the security department.

2.    Any fire in the kitchen is immediately reported to the security department.

3.    Keys of certain areas are deposited in the security and only authorized personnel can withdraw the same.

4.    Sometimes store room needs to be opened in case of emergencies. In such case, the normal procedure is to inform duty manager who will inform security and together with chef the store shall be opened in front of security supervisor and duty manager and locked duly after the commodity is withdrawn against a store room requisition.

5.    Employees swipe the cards when they come for work and go off duty. This is done at the staff entry point of the hotel, which is also known as ‘time office’. The swiping helps the HR department to compute their salaries. However, when the machine is faulty or the employee has forgotten to swipe the card or any other reason a format is given which is duly filled up to avoid deductions in salary.