Skip to content

Chef: history and fun facts

Everything a curious kid might want to know about this job.

Did you know?

πŸ‘¨β€πŸ³

A chef's tall white hat is called a toque. Some say its folds once showed how many recipes a chef knew!

Through history

  1. πŸ“œ

    The late 1800s

    A French chef named Auguste Escoffier organized kitchens into teams, and many restaurants still work that way today.

Tools of the trade

πŸ₯£

Whisk

Loops of wire that spin air into eggs and cream to make them light and fluffy.

A day in the job

  • 6:00 a.m.Chefs start early, washing vegetables and making sauces long before anyone sits down to eat.

Words to know

Mise en place
French for β€œeverything in its place”: chefs set out every ingredient before they start cooking.

Quiz time

  • Chefs taste their food while they cook.