What Is a CDP? Is It a Myth… or Just a Ghost in Your Inbox?

CDP. Three letters that seem to mean absolutely everything… and sometimes absolutely nothing. I've heard they exist like an announcement to The Stig on Top Gear - SOME SAY>>>

At the time of posting this, I currently have EIGHT, yes 8, CDP vacancies - are they ALL CDP genuine positions? Well, yes, on a number of different, levels - in THOSE specific kitchens they are, but not all the same... And, no.

Ask ten chefs what a Chef de Partie is and you might get ten different answers.

For some, it means running a section in a busy kitchen.

For others, apparently, it means having five years' experience somewhere that once had a deep-fat fryer.

And occasionally, it seems to mean simply putting “CDP” on your CV and hoping nobody asks any questions.

At The Chef Hub, we recruit chefs from Commis through to Executive Chef, and one thing we see regularly is a huge variation in what businesses and candidates actually mean when they say CDP.

So let's clear up the confusion.

What actually is a CDP?

A Chef de Partie should be a chef who can take responsibility for a section, produce food consistently, understand their ingredients and processes, maintain standards and contribute to the smooth running of the kitchen.

They're not necessarily the most senior chef in the kitchen.

They're not a Sous Chef, to make the lead decisions, but are responsible, directly usually for a section, and at least one commis via that section.

And they're certainly not just someone who has been cooking for a certain number of years.

Because here's the uncomfortable bit:

Five years of culinary experience doesn't automatically make you a CDP.

Neither does two years working in a casual café.

Experience matters. But what you have actually learned and what you can demonstrate matters more.

A Rosette CDP might be a Branded Sous Chef

And a Brand CDP might be a Rosette Commis.

That's not an insult to either chef.

It's simply the reality that job titles are not standardised across hospitality.

The expectations, leading a section, running a service, placing orders, close checklists, food quality, fridge layout, standards, a level of absorption, and calmness, a teaspoon of authority in their swag.

One kitchen's CDP can be running a busy section, training junior chefs and helping manage service.

Another kitchen's CDP might still need considerable supervision.

Likewise, a Sous Chef in a large branded operation may have a very different technical skill set to a CDP working in a high-end restaurant.

The title doesn't tell the whole story. At all.

The skillset does.

So what makes a great CDP?

For us, it's not simply how long you've been wearing whites.

It's what happens when the ticket machine starts making noises that sound suspiciously like a printer having a nervous breakdown.

A great CDP should be able to demonstrate several things.

1. Can you actually cook?

Seems obvious, doesn't it?

But can you explain why you're doing something, not just repeat the method you've been shown?

Do you understand cooking techniques?

Can you work with fresh ingredients?

Can you season properly?

Can you identify when something isn't right?

Can you produce the same dish consistently on Tuesday lunchtime and Saturday night when the kitchen is three tickets away from combustion?

Have you spent, and entire 12 months, as KP? Or 12 months just peeling vegetables?

And here's a classic one:

Can you name the five mother sauces?

If you're applying for a serious CDP position and Escoffier is looking down from the culinary heavens wondering what happened to his legacy, you might want to brush up.

The five classic mother sauces are:

• Béchamel

• Velouté

• Espagnole

• Tomato

• Hollandaise

You don't need to be able to recite the Larousse Gastronomique backwards. Though every Head or Exec will quote they can, or at least own it.

But a good CDP should have a solid understanding of the foundations of cooking.

2. Can you lead a small team?

Being a CDP isn't just about controlling your section.

It's about understanding what is happening around you.

Can you help a Commis?

Can you show someone how to do something rather than simply telling them they're doing it wrong?

Can you organise prep?

Can you delegate?

Can you communicate during service? No, maturely, calmly, vocalise whats actually going on, with ability to spot what to prioritise and what to delegate?

Can you spot that another section is struggling and offer help before the Sous Chef has to intervene? And actually be able to support rather than ignorantly leave it to go under.

Leadership doesn't begin when you get promoted to Sous Chef.

It starts when somebody trusts you to help the person standing next to you.

3. Do you want knowledge or just another £0.20 an hour?

This one might sting.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to earn more money.

We all have bills.

But if your entire career plan is:

Commis → CDP → £13.50 → £13.70 → panic → another job

…you're probably missing the point.

The best chefs I've worked with have wanted to learn.

They want to understand butchery.

Fish.

Sauces.

Pastry.

Fermentation.

Bread.

Pasta.

Fire.

Charcuterie.

Seasonality.

Suppliers.

Food cost.

Waste.

Leadership.

The list goes on.

They're not obsessed with collecting job titles.

They're obsessed with collecting knowledge.

And ironically, those chefs often become the ones businesses eventually want to promote.

4. Have goals - but don't chase titles

There's a difference between career progression and promotion addiction.

Wanting to become a Sous Chef is perfectly reasonable.

Wanting to become a Head Chef is perfectly reasonable.

But if you're constantly chasing the next title without developing the skills required for it, eventually someone is going to notice.

Honestly, I was made Head Chef at the age 22 - 22! I had already worked there since the age of 15, worked my way up, but was I ready, not particualrly, no one had ever taught me to lead, I just copied what I had in front of me, at a time the Ramsey aggression and attitude was exploding, and in my next role immediately after, I took a Sous role, to learn. Grow.

A great CDP should be thinking:

What do I need to learn next?

rather than:

When am I getting promoted?

The title should be the result of your development.

Not the substitute for it.

5. Take pride in the basics

This might sound ridiculously simple.

But the basics matter.

Uniform.

Punctuality.

Prep.

Organisation.

Cleanliness.

Food safety.

Communication.

Consistency.

Stock rotation.

Labelling.

Waste control.

And yes...

Putting your contact details on your CV.

You'd be amazed.

We regularly see CVs where somebody has included their entire employment history, three paragraphs about their culinary passion, a photograph from 2019 and the name of their favourite football team...

…but no phone number. NO email address.

If you want someone to contact you, make it easy for them.

It's not advanced recruitment technology.

It's called putting your mobile number on your CV.

So... is the CDP a myth?

No.

But the generic CDP probably is.

There isn't one universal definition of what a CDP looks like across every kitchen.

A CDP in a Michelin-starred restaurant, a large hotel, a contract catering operation, a pub group and an independent neighbourhood restaurant may all have very different responsibilities.

That's why recruitment should go deeper than matching:

Job title → CV → interview → done.

At The Chef Hub, we want to understand what you've actually done.

What can you cook?

What sections have you worked?

What volume?

What produce?

What responsibility?

What have you learned?

Who have you trained?

What are you still developing?

And perhaps most importantly:

What do you actually want to learn next?

Because a good chef isn't finished when they've got the job title.

They're just getting started.

The CDP Test

So, if you're calling yourself a CDP, ask yourself:

Can I confidently run a section?

Can I produce consistent food without someone constantly checking over my shoulder?

Do I understand the ingredients I'm working with?

Can I explain the techniques I'm using?

Can I support and develop a junior chef?

Can I organise my prep and manage my time?

Can I contribute to service beyond my own section?

Can I name the five mother sauces?

Do I want to learn more?

Do I have career goals beyond simply getting the next title?

And finally...

Does my CV actually contain my contact details?

If you answered yes to most of those, you're probably heading in the right direction.

If not, don't panic.

That's what development is for.

Culture is part of the recipe

At The Chef Hub, we talk a lot about culture.

Because technical ability is only part of being a great chef.

You can have incredible knife skills and still be terrible for a kitchen.

You can know every sauce, cut every vegetable perfectly and produce beautiful plates...

…but if you don't communicate, don't support your team, don't want to learn and bring the wrong attitude into the kitchen, you've got a problem.

Culture is an ingredient too.

And just like a sauce, you can't fix it by chucking more of something in at the end and hoping for the best.

That's why our CDP Training Template looks beyond simply getting someone through a section.

It's about development, consistency, expectations, skills, feedback and creating a pathway for chefs to actually grow.

The Chef Hub view

A CDP shouldn't simply be someone who has been cooking for X number of years. In my view a minimum 5 years, AFTER a minimum 1 year as kitchen porter too!

They should be someone who has developed the ability to take responsibility.

Someone who wants to learn.

Someone who can contribute to a team.

Someone who understands that leadership starts before the job title arrives.

And someone who understands that becoming a better chef is about far more than earning another 20p an hour.

Because ultimately, your title doesn't cook the food.

You do.

And that's where the real development starts.

And if you need any support on seeing all of this come together, I've written all of the development support you need, trained in real time with them, and coached to progress all of this into commis up to Head chef practices - independent venues, groups, progression and onboarding plans, one place all here