When I was interning at restaurant Le Grill of Hotel de Paris, I always passed by the kitchen of Alain Ducasse on my way to the changing rooms, who ran the fancy three-starrestaurant George VI in that same hotel. In that little corridor, you had to be dead silent, but I always peeked into the kitchen and counted at least 40 chef hats. For, I estimate, 40 seats. For every sprinkle of dressing or leaf of honey cress, a separate person was assigned. I mean it. The chef had, of course, the authority and could also yell at you if he thought it was justified. The same goes for the service, the Gérant is the boss and decides, and as an intern or first-class waiter, you just have to say yes and amen. The rule that you can't flirt with other ranks absolutely does not exist. But that aside.

But anyway, there is an enormous hierarchy in the hospitality industry, especially in the more expensive hotels and restaurants. I'll give you a crash course on ‘ranks’, so you can always chat coolly.

We start with the kitchen:

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Sous-chef – That is actually the second chef.

Chef de partie – then you are responsible for a specific part of the kitchen, for example, just the appetizers.

Rôtisseur – This is the one who is in charge of the meat.

Poissonnier – Good guess! This is the person for the fish.

Potager – He (or she) makes the tastiest soups.

Saucier – This person is only responsible for the sauces.

Pâtissier – Ah, this person is only in charge of the desserts and the cookies with coffee.

Casserolier – This is a fancy word for the pot washer.

We continue with the service:

Maître – This is the head of the service brigade.

Waiter – This is another name for a waiter.

Chef de rang – The waiters are often divided into sections, and in that section, you have a boss. That is called chef de rang.

Sommelier – This person knows the entire wine list by heart and advises guests on what to drink with which dish.

Intern – I have been that for quite a few years in my life, and that means you get to serve the bread, iron the linen, or pour the sauce.

Next time, I'll update you on even more technical terms. Debrassering for example. You really should know that.