A Day in the Life of a 'Top Chef' de Cuisine

By Veronica Dudo

Culinary shows on TV chronicle all the preparation, hard work and talent that must come together in the kitchen to carefully construct delectable dishes. While sitting at your table in a restaurant, do you really know what's happening in the kitchen? This is a day in the life of a chef de cuisine.

At the award-winning 10 Arts Bistro Lounge by Eric Ripert, located inside the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia, Jennifer Carroll, the chef de cuisine or "head chef," turns the heat up in the kitchen as she and her staff create palatable dishes for guests.