A chief cook (often shortened to cook) is a seniormost unlicensed crewmember working in the

steward's department Seafaring is a tradition that encompasses a variety of professions and ranks. Each of these roles carries unique responsibilities that are integral to the successful operation of a seafaring vessel. A ship's crew can generally be divided into '' ...

of a

merchant ship A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are ...

. The chief cook's principal role is to ensure the preparation and serving of meals that are both delicious and nutritious. In addition to directing and participating in the preparation and serving of meals, the chief cook determines timing and sequence of operations required to meet serving times; inspects galley and equipment for cleanliness; and oversees proper storage and preparation of food. The cook may plan or assist in planning meals and taking inventory of stores and equipment. A chief cook's duties may overlap with those of the

steward's assistant A steward's assistant (SA) is an unlicensed, Entry-level job, entry-level crewmember in the Steward's department of a merchant ship. This position can also be referred to as steward (the usual term on British ships), galley utilityman, messman, s ...

, the

chief steward A chief steward is the senior crew member working in the steward's department of a ship. Since there is no purser on most ships in the United States Merchant Marine, the steward is the senior person in the department, whence its name. In the Br ...

, and other steward's department crewmembers. In the

United States Merchant Marine The United States Merchant Marine is an organization composed of United States civilian sailor, mariners and U.S. civilian and federally owned merchant vessels. Both the civilian mariners and the merchant vessels are managed by a combination of ...

, in order to be occupied as a chief cook a person has to have a

Merchant Mariner's Document {{Globalize, article, UK and USA, date=August 2023 __NOTOC__ Under the Seafarers' Identity Documents Convention, 1958, countries with a merchant navy (also called a merchant marine) require identifying credentials for their mariners. The Merchant ...

issued by the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

. Because of international conventions and agreements, all chief cooks who sail internationally are similarly documented by their respective countries.

References

External links

United States Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Licensing and Documentation web site
* {{Merchant Marine Billets Marine occupations Transport occupations Chefs

See also

References

External links