Pastry chef titles

Pastry titles come from the classic kitchen brigade. The Culinary Institute of America lists the Pâtissier, or Pastry Chef, among the station chefs, called chefs de partie, who lead a specific area during service and supervise the commis chefs.

Above the station level sit the sous chef, the second in command who manages shifts, prep and service flow, and trains cooks, then the chef de cuisine, who runs daily operations for one kitchen, and the executive chef, who sets the overall direction including menus, standards, budgets and hiring. Below the station chefs is the commis chef, a junior cook who assists with prep, cooking and plating while rotating through stations to build skills.

In modern kitchens titles are often blended. An executive chef may also act as head chef, and station chefs are often called line or station cooks.