A career as a saucier is highly prestigious because it is the highest position of any of the station cooks. This style of chef is found in the classic brigade style kitchens used in some of the larger restaurants and entertainment venues. It is the person who is responsible for creating all of the sauces, stews, soups, and may also be responsible for hors d’ouevres and sautéing food to order.
The job description of a saucier chef is going to vary from restaurant to restaurant. In most instances, they will be responsible for preparing items as required by a daily menu. They will operate a variety of kitchen appliances and follow all job related duties as assigned to them by the executive chef and potentially the sous chef.
To take on the career as a saucier, it is important to attend culinary school. This is because any employer wants to see basic knowledge of sauce, soup and stock preparation. Some employers will even put a person in the kitchen for a day to see what they know prior to making an official job offer. Those who understand flavor profiles and the importance of being able to layer and develop flavors will be successful within their career.
The highest paying saucier chef is found in the larger resorts and well-known restaurants around the country. A saucier at a Las Vegas resort may be paid $65,000 a year or higher, according to GlassDoor.com. New York City, Chicago, Miami, and Los Angeles are known to be other metropolitan cities that pay extremely well for a saucier.
One need to understand the job description of a saucier chef through and through in order to be prepared for what one is going to face on the job. A person may have to make chicken stock, beef stock, consommé, or stew on a regular basis. Depending upon the ethnicities found on the menu, the saucier may have to make Alfredo sauce, romanesco, marinara, vinaigrettes, buerre blanc and more.
Some saucier chefs will be able to have free reign over the sauces that they create while others will follow a recipe that has been approved by the executive chef. Many saucier chefs will be given very limited on-the-job training because they are supposed to know how to perform their job from the moment they walk through the door. If a person does not have a degree from a culinary school, it will be hard to learn about all of the sauces within the job.
Creating sauces and stocks is considered to be one of the hardest things that a chef has to do. Cutting vegetables, grilling meat, garnishing, and other tasks in the kitchen are visual. A saucier has to rely on their taste buds in order to develop the flavors and know when something else has to be added. The job becomes especially difficult when sauce is needed in a timely fashion – and this is why the position has prestige.
While a saucier may be a member of the brigade and only on one station, they hold the best station there is because not everyone can do their job. If you want to be a saucier, you have to know your stuff. If you do your job well, you may even be promoted to sous chef.
