chef

noun

ˈshef 

plural chefs

1

: a skilled professional cook

a trained chef

specifically : one who is in charge of a professional kitchen

I wrote to the chef of an acclaimed New American restaurant on the Upper East Side about my food experiences. He invited me to spend a few days in the kitchen on a trial basis.

—Adam Shatz

2

: cook

chef intransitive verb

chefdom

ˈshef-dəm 

noun

Synonyms

• cook
• cooker
• culinarian

Examples of chef in a Sentence

The hotel's chef trained at the finest culinary institutes in Europe.

He's the head chef at a five-star restaurant.

a celebrity chef with her own TV show

My friend is an excellent chef.

Recent Examples on the Web

There is what conglomerates dictate the identity to be, yard by yard, and what visitors embrace, and where the chefs producing the best cooking often take second billing to the more celebrated personalities on the marquees, or to the restaurant’s concept. —Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2024

The answer can be found in Spice & Curry’s kitchen, where the chef shows you how the restaurant's biryani is cooked. —Kunwar Khuldune Shahid, NPR, 8 June 2024

Goodnough lives on the East Coast, while the celebrity chef resides in Los Angeles. —Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 8 June 2024

Becoming a Brand: The Japanese chef Kei Kobayashi conquered Paris, earning three Michelin stars for his restaurant there. —Megan Specia, New York Times, 7 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, short for chef de cuisine head of the kitchen

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing chef

• chef de cuisine
• chef d'oeuvre
• chef's kiss
• chef's knife
• chef's salad
• executive chef
• sous chef

Kids Definition

chef

noun

ˈshef 

1

: a chief cook

2

: cook entry 1