executive chef

noun

plural executive chefs

: the head chef of a professional kitchen or of a group of professional kitchens

the restaurant's executive chef and owner

His résumé was filled with Connecticut restaurants …; at Le Coq Hardi Restaurant in Stamford, he was, variously, … first cook, sous chef, and finally executive chef.

—Michael Ruhlman

Bala Kumanan, a French-trained chef, oversees the quality of the food … as the executive chef of the high-end restaurants that span from Vancouver to Ottawa.

—John French

compare chef de cuisine

Examples of executive chef in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Kinard has been executive chef at a number of local restaurants, including Max’s Wine Dive, 97 West at Hotel Drover and Jellico’s at the Westin Southlake. —Kate Marijolovic, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Apr. 2025

The news comes days after the restaurant also posted an opening for an executive chef position. —Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 23 Apr. 2025

Craine was the former executive chef at Aixois Brasserie, which opened a downtown satellite location in the same space in 2012. —David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2025

Hell’s Kitchen winning chef lands executive chef job in CT. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 17 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1902, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for executive chef

• clef
• deaf
• ref