chef

American  

[shef] / ʃɛf /

noun

chefs plural

1. the chief cook, especially in a restaurant or hotel, usually responsible for planning menus, ordering foodstuffs, overseeing food preparation, and supervising the kitchen staff.

2. any cook.

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chef British  

/ ʃɛf /

noun

1. a cook, esp the principal cook in a restaurant

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• chefs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of chef

From French, dating back to 1835–45; see origin at chief

Explanation

Someone whose job is cooking food and planning menus at a restaurant is a chef. Many chefs graduate from cooking school, while others learn cooking techniques by observing and working with experienced chefs.. The word chef often specifies someone who cooks fancy or expensive food — in contrast, you might call a man who fries burgers at a fast food place or a woman who makes grilled cheese sandwiches at a diner simply cooks. The chef is generally at the top of the food chain in a restaurant kitchen, the boss of the other workers. Chef is French, short for chef de cuisine, or "head of the kitchen."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chef chefs

A Michelin-starred chef has called on the government to cut VAT for the restaurant industry.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Tae Strain, the chef who oversees the restaurant at Burnt Hill, also runs Old Westminster’s kitchen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

For Michelin-starred chef Alex Claridge, running an independent restaurant has become a difficult task.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Inspired by chef Fabio Trabocchi’s recipe for sautéed rainbow chard, my recipe is abundantly green and calls for 1/3 cup of chicken stock.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

“A feast of rare bouquet. My compliments to the chef, by all means; my compliments to the chef.”

From "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster

Earlier this year, four other top UK chefs and restaurant owners urged the government to cut VAT for restaurants and pubs.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

She then urged the chefs to cook something they felt connected to.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

Her agency has fielded all sorts of parenting requests: providing equestrian nannies who travel to tournaments, baby chefs to prepare culturally specific purées for infants, personal stylists for the children.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

Of course, there is something absurd about celebrity chefs needing fake mustaches, prosthetics or entire undercover personas to determine that a restaurant is poorly run.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

“I’d like to help cook,” I tell the chefs.

From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson