General
commis
What does commis mean?
The apprentice rung of the brigade. A commis works under a chef de partie on a station, prepping, plating, and absorbing the rhythm of service. Bottom of the food chain but the pipeline to everything above it.
"We've got a new commis on the fish station, so plate every order with him for the first week."
Origin
French for 'clerk' or 'assistant', baked into Escoffier's brigade de cuisine system in the late 1800s and exported worldwide with French haute cuisine.
Frequently asked questions
What is a commis in a kitchen?
A commis is a junior cook learning the ropes under a station chef.
How do you use commis in a sentence?
"She started as a commis and worked her way up to sous chef."
Where does the word commis come from?
It comes from French; the full kitchen term is commis chef, used in the classic brigade de cuisine system.
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