What's the difference between a chef and an executive chef?
Asked by Mr. Kei
Does an executive chef still prepare food? Could one be such and not frequent a kitchen? Do they oversee multiple kitchens? Wouldn't that be a conflict of interests?

Best Answer:
Okay I went to Culinary College along with my husband and I must say people confuse these a lot let's first clarify that a "chef" is a Career. a "Cook" is a job. So with that said An Executive Chef is just like being a Manager at a store you run the store and over see anything that pertains to that store so that is was a Exec. Chef does they oversee anything in that kitchen from the orders to keep up of produce and the employees in that kitchen from dishwasher to the Sous Chef, now the sous chef is an "Assistant manager" if you will. My husband is a Sous Chef and it depends on where you are a Exec. and Sous chef at but a lot of the times they don't do the kitchen "busy work" you know the gopher stuff. they handle schedules and orders and the again Oversee anything in the kitchen don't get me wrong they do have some "Power" in the restaurant as a whole but the kitchen is where they take precedence. If they need too they are to help in the kitchen with orders when it's a busy day or they have banquets things of that sort. Yes though the Exec. Chef still does prepare food in fact a lot of kitchens the 4/5 star ones that make a lot of stuff homemade ( meaning made there not in a factory and sent to them) the Exec. is the one to do it and sometimes the Sous Chef they pretty much come hand in hand. and They would only oversee multiple kitchens if that is what the establishment is. but most of the time they just have one kitchen for every Exec. Chef. I used to Work at the Orioles Stadium and the Fmaous Warehouse that Cal Ripkin hit one of his Fmaous Home Run balls in the window that is where all the Kitchens are there are 5 kitchens there one for each floor. They have One Chef for each floor. That is mostly how it goes. Hope I helped

It would depend on where you were working and what kind of restaurant it was; as far as size. You can be an executive chef and still be working the line and doing everything else (over seeing employees, etc) at a smaller place but usually I've found that working at larger corporation type places you mostly do office work and lightly supervise employees with the same title. If someone is letting you oversee multiple kitchens, that would make you more of a consultant than an executive chef of those places - so there wouldn't be a conflict of interest.
Answered by Culinaire