Sous Chef

Second-in-command in professional kitchens

What this life looks like

You are the Head Chef's right hand and the kitchen's operational heartbeat. The Sous Chef is the second-in-command in a professional kitchen — ensuring service runs smoothly, standards are maintained, and junior chefs are trained and supported. For most professional chefs, the Sous Chef position is the proving ground where culinary skill meets management responsibility, and where the path to Head Chef begins.

What she actually does

You manage day-to-day kitchen operations, supervise and train junior chefs, oversee mise en place (preparation), step in for the Head Chef during their absence, ensure food safety and hygiene standards, manage stock and ordering when delegated, assist in menu development, manage kitchen discipline and professionalism, and ensure every dish that leaves the kitchen meets the required standard.

Where you can work

Sector	Places in Africa
Fine Dining	Top-end restaurants across Lagos, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Accra — kitchens with the highest standards
Hotel Kitchens	Marriott, Hilton, Radisson, Hyatt across Africa — hotel kitchens with structured brigade systems
Resort Lodges	Singita, Wilderness Safaris, &Beyond — luxury safari lodges with high culinary standards
Corporate Catering	Large-scale corporate catering operations — mining camps, oil platforms, corporate dining — sous chef roles

Why it matters in Africa

As Africa's restaurant industry grows and international hotel groups expand their African operations, the demand for qualified, experienced sous chefs is strong across the continent. For ambitious young chefs, the sous chef position is both the most important training ground and the most direct pathway to executive leadership. Sous chefs who develop excellent management skills alongside culinary technique are the future Head Chefs of Africa's finest kitchens.

Your pathway in

Complete culinary training and spend at least three to five years building skills across multiple kitchen sections
Develop strong leadership and people management skills — the sous chef role is as much about people as food
Build knowledge of food costing, stock management, and kitchen administration
Seek sous chef positions in high-standards kitchens that will push your skills
Learn from every Head Chef you work under — each one has a different approach and set of skills to offer

Skills you will need

Kitchen management and standards supervision
Staff training and development
Mise en place oversight
Food safety management
Menu contribution and development
Cost and stock control

A woman in this field

Shermone Smith

South Africa

Shermone is a highly accomplished culinary professional who serves as the Executive Sous Chef at The Table Bay Hotel, a flagship 5-star luxury property by Sun International in Cape Town. After qualifying in Professional Cookery Management, she worked her way through the demanding kitchen brigade ranks as a trainee chef locally and a commis chef abroad in Doha. Returning to South Africa, she excelled as a Sous Chef before taking on her current executive leadership role, where she directly manages multiple sous chefs across breakfast, in-room dining, lounge, and banqueting sections, coordinating a kitchen team of over 50 staff members.

Take your first step

Enrol in a culinary programme and commit to learning every station in a professional kitchen — the sous chef's authority comes from knowing how to do every job in the kitchen
Seek a position as commis chef in the best kitchen you can access — working under high standards is the fastest way to develop culinary and professional skills
Study kitchen management: learn how to cost a recipe, manage a rota, and supervise a team — these skills are what separate sous chefs from line cooks
Read 'Kitchen Confidential' by Anthony Bourdain — it is a raw and honest account of professional kitchen culture that gives every aspiring chef a realistic picture of the industry

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