The Brigade System in Europe

The Kitchen Brigade

In the beginning was the cook. His creativity was sufficient to meet customer needs. With the widening range of food offerings, the organization of the kitchen evolves, and with it the job of cook. Today, more than one time, the recipes are encoded and pay close attention to the seasonality of fruit, vegetables, fish and meat. It also takes account of the traditions of the territory in which it operates. The tasks are divided among more professionals and the production is scheduled according to different systems (Rebecca, p. 33).A kitchen is a well organized department in the culinary business. The team working in the kitchen, the kitchen brigade bears the responsibility for ensuring that the paying guest will be prepared for his dinner. Operated exactly as in other divides the personnel structure in executives, employees, apprentices and helpers. In the kitchen there are chefs, trained chefs, apprentices and helpers. The size, quality and capacity of the plant determine the brigade level (Rebecca, p. 33). Organized and structured above all, she mastered the upcoming tasks. In order to explain the operation and sharing a kitchen brigade can be divided into two areas:

Hierarchy within a kitchen brigade

Over all is the "management level" (executive chef, chef and Deputy Head Chef) who are responsible for all organizational tasks, such as purchasing, menu creation and training concern.

Then come the "officers" (head of post, Deputy Head of Post), which are responsible for their respective work areas on the management level.

The "regular employees" (young chefs) usually work directly transferred to a post of his boss and get appropriate tasks and responsibilities that this entails.

Finally, there are still the apprentices and assistants, which are used in many different ways to work their superiors (Rebecca, p. 33).

Items within the kitchen brigade

The distribution of work in a kitchen or their brigade is also divided into a very simple and clear system, which just seems a little confusing at first glance. In a kitchen is divided into so-called items, which are led by the head of post. Here, each item has a special function, and takes (in kitchens normal size) a particular part of the kitchen to complete (Caparoso, Randal, p. 45-51).

For the cold kitchen or the appetizer is the Garde Manger responsible.

Hot dishes come from Saucier, meat and fish and the side dishes.

Sweets, desserts, etc. coming from the patisserie (Caparoso, Randal, p. 45-51).

This classification can be found in any catering establishment on the one or the other way again, because one can be divided exactly what to cook is by whom and where the corresponding "mise en place" (the prepared ingredients, etc.) have to search ( in which case the reality, of course, often look completely different) (Caparoso, Randal, p. 45-51).

Models of work organization

Traditional model for games

Where: in the dining and hotel companies offering a wide choice of dishes, obtained through a transformation expert, and that appeal to a broad clientele (Piercefield, Taylor, p. 26-29).

Food preparation and finishing

Where: in facilities that offer a ...