View source for Garde manger

{{Short description|Cool, ventilated area for food}}
{{Italic title|reason=.}}
[[File:Modern Charcuterie display.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|A contemporary [[Terrine (food)|terrine]] and [[galantine]] platter]]

A '''{{lang|fr|garde manger}}''' ({{IPA|fr|gaʁd mɑ̃ʒe|lang}}) is a cool, well-ventilated area where savory cold dishes (such as [[salad]]s, {{lang|fr|[[hors d'œuvre]]s}}, appetizers, [[canapé]]s, [[pâté]]s, and [[Terrine (food)|terrines]]) are prepared and other foods are stored under refrigeration.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Sackett |first=Lou |url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/501314510 |title=Professional Garde Manger: A Comprehensive Guide to Cold Food Preparation |last2=Gisslen |first2=Wayne |last3=Pestka |first3=Jaclyn |date=2011 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-0-470-17996-3 |location=Hoboken, NJ |oclc=501314510 |via=[[Perlego]]}}</ref>{{Rp|page=3}} 

The person in charge of this area, and all of the savory cold foods served by the restaurant, is known as the {{lang|fr|chef garde manger}}, or pantry chef.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=3}} Larger hotels and restaurants may have {{lang|fr|garde manger}} staff to perform additional duties, such as creating decorative elements of buffet presentation like [[ice carving]] and edible [[centerpiece]]s.

==History==
[[File:Pollard.jpg|thumb|A [[chaud-froid]] display piece.  Garde manger chefs are responsible for chaud-froid platters on buffets.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=9}}]]

The term {{lang|fr|garde manger}} (French for [[larder]]<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=4}}) originated in pre-[[French Revolution|Revolution]]ary France, where large, wealthy households designated a kitchen manager to supervise the use and storage of large amounts of [[foodstuffs]].  The term {{lang|fr|garde manger}} literally means 'keeping to eat'.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=3}} The main focus of the work was [[food preservation]].<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=4}}  The work included [[Food drying|drying]], [[Salting (food)|salting]], and [[Smoking (cooking)|smoking]] foods, as well as [[Cheese|making cheese]].<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=4}} 

The term {{lang|fr|garde manger}} is also related to the cold rooms inside castles and [[manor house]]s where the food was stored. These food storage areas were usually located in the lower levels, since the cool [[basement]]-like environment was ideal for storing food. These cold storage areas developed over time into the modern cold kitchen.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gU0KAAAAQBAJ |title=Modern Garde Manger: A Global Perspective |last1=Garlough |first1=Robert B. |last2=Campbell |first2=Angus |date=2012-11-16 |publisher=[[Cengage]] Learning |isbn=978-1133715115 |language=en}}</ref>

With the development of classical French cuisine under the influence of [[François Pierre La Varenne]] and his 1651 book, ''Le cuisinier françois'', the ''garde manger'' also took on fresh fruits and vegetables.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=4}}

Most merchants who worked outside noble manors at this time were associated with a [[guild]], an association of persons of the same trade formed for their mutual aid and protection. Guilds would develop training programs for their members, thereby preserving their knowledge and skills. {{lang|fr|[[Charcuterie]]}} was the name of a guild that prepared and sold cooked items made from pigs. Through this organization, the methods of preparing hams, bacon, sausages, pâtés, and terrines were preserved. When the guild system was abolished in 1791 following the French Revolution of 1789, {{lang|fr|garde mangers}} took on the responsibility for tasks that had formerly been performed by {{lang|fr|charcutiers}}, who had difficulty competing with the versatile garde mangers due to the limited range of skills involved.{{Cn|date=April 2025}}

The position of "[[butcher]]" first developed as a specialty within the garde manger kitchen. As both the cost of and demand for animal meats increased, more space was required for the task of fabricating and portioning the raw meats. This increased need for space was due not only to an upswing in the volume of meat sales, but also to the need for separating raw meats from processed foods to avoid cross-[[contamination]] and the resulting possibility of [[foodborne illness]].{{Cn|date=April 2025}}

In the late 1800s, [[continental cuisine]] had expanded the work of the ''garde manger'' to include the preparation of elaborate buffets of cold food.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=5}}

==Modern {{lang|fr|garde manger}}==
Modern {{lang|fr|garde manger}} can refer to different things in the professional kitchen. In many restaurants, it is a station which is generally an entry-level cooking position within a restaurant, as it often involves preparing salads or other smaller plates which can be heated and quickly plated without significant experience.<ref>Described in [[Bill Buford]], ''Dirt—Adventures in Lyon as a Chef in Training, Father, and Sleuth Looking for the Secret of French Cooking'' (New York: Knopf, 2020): page 155.</ref> However, as a specialized position, the garde manger chef has a higher status in the 21st century, especially as salads and [[charcuterie]] became more popular with diners.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=5–6}}

In other high-profile classically influenced restaurants and hotels, the position pertains to the classical preparations, which often include [[pâtés]], [[Terrine (food)|terrines]] and elaborate [[aspic]]s.  In [[nouvelle cuisine]], which shifted the standard [[food presentation]] approach from larger platters to individually pre-portioned plates, the garde manger is often responsible for arranging food decoratively on the plates.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=5}}

Because meat is usually butchered elsewhere and delivered to the restaurant pre-packaged, garde manger chefs no longer prepare raw meat for cooking.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=5–6}}  As a result, the garde manger chef is focused more on creative elements.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=5–6}}

In addition to working in restaurants, garde manger chefs are also employed on [[cruise ships]], for [[room service]] and [[Banquet|banquets]] in hotels, in [[Private club|private clubs]], in [[Cafeteria|school cafeterias]], in [[Grocery store|grocery stores]], [[delis]], and other food shops, by [[caterers]], by magazines and other publications who need [[food styling]] services, and in [[New product development|product development]] and testing.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=8–11}} Others work for themselves in an [[artisanal food]] business.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=10}}

The garde manger position is often referred to as "garmo" in kitchen slang.{{Fact|date=May 2024}}

==Job requirements==
As with most hands-on cooking positions, a garde manger chef needs [[fine motor skills]] and physical stamina, as well as cooking skills and knowledge of [[food safety]].<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=6–7}}  As the artistic qualities of food presentation have become important, the chef must be able to produce foods that both taste good and look good.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=6–7}}

Because the garde manger usually works with a larger team, [[interpersonal skills]] are necessary.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=6–7}}  Mathematical skills are necessary for scaling recipes, placing orders, and managing the budget.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=6–7}} Organization and planning skills are used in both cooking (e.g., having the correct amount of each ingredient at the correct temperatures when the food is prepared) and preparation phases (e.g., knowing how long it will take to plate 200 individual salads and how much refrigerator space is needed to keep them cold until they are served).<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=6–7}}

==See also==

{{Portal|Society|Food}}

* ''[[Brigade de cuisine]]''
* [[Garnish (food)]]
* [[List of restaurant terminology]]
* [[Pantry]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* Food production operation and management : Aman Publisher India 
* [[Culinary Institute of America]]. ''Garde Manger: The Art and Craft of the Cold Kitchen'' {{ISBN|0-7645-7663-1}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|garde-manger}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060630170826/http://gardemanger.com/ Gardemanger.com web archive]
*[[wiktionary:garde-manger|Wiktionary: garde-manger]]

{{French cuisine}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garde Manger}}
[[Category:Garde manger| ]]
[[Category:Cooking]]
[[Category:Food services occupations]]
[[Category:Food storage]]