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

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Etymology

Origin of chef

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

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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

Its creator, chef Harold Moore, who counts a Michelin star among his many honors, likens the harmony of his ingredients to another near-flawless dish: the Crunchy Supreme taco from Taco Bell.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

This professional chef used to cook for private events, and specialised in smoked meats.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

“I switch out my pans, and I’m careful with knives and cutting boards to avoid cross contamination,” said Charlie Granquist, chef at Slough Farm.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

The name was technically an Easter egg: Pasqually P. Pieplate is the chef in Chuck E. Cheese’s animatronic house band.

From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026

He also knew how to make great chocolate chip cookies and loaves of bread from when he lived with the family whose dad was a pastry chef at a fancy restaurant in Los Angeles.

From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway

The taco-driven symbiosis between the company and chefs goes back to the beginning.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

He added there was an EU-wide shortage of the edible fungi, which are prized by chefs for their "lovely, robust flavour".

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

"A lot of chefs are being very quiet about this, and I understand that because they're sort of scared of the protesters," he said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

L.A.’s most anticipated culinary event brings 40+ award-winning restaurants, celebrity chefs, and unlimited tastings to The Barker Hangar.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

My mom rushed into Abuela’s room, still wearing her chefs coat.

From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya

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