A professional who designs and prepares decorated foods and artistic food arrangements for buffets in formal restaurants. Respnsibilities include:

• Confers with executive chef and sous chef and reviews advance menus to determine amount and type of food to be served and decor to be carried out.
• Prepares foods, such as hors d'oeuvres, cold whole salmon, roast suckling pig, casseroles, and fancy aspics, according to recipe, and decorates them following customer's specifications, designated color scheme, or theme, using colorful fruit, vegetables, and relishes.
• Molds butter into artistic forms, such as dancing girls or animals.
• Sculptures blocks of ice, using chisels and ice picks.
• Carves meats in patron's presence, employing showmanship.
• May prepare cold meats, casseroles, and other foods during slack periods.