Why do Chefs Wear a Neckerchief?

Throughout Le Cordon Bleu’s many world-leading culinary institutes our students and chef instructors wear the classical neckerchief for all cuisine courses, with varying patterns and colours distinguishing the level of student.

But neckerchiefs are more than a simple item used to determine rank. Join chef Evan, our local kiwi cuisine chef, as he provides a quick tutorial on how to tie the perfect neckerchief.

The use of a neckerchief (Foulard) by modern chefs was born of functional necessity in early 1800s France. Marie-Antoine Carême, a pioneer that elevated traditional cooking into an art form, realised the importance of presentation. He revolutionised French haute cuisine by creating stunning showpieces and dressing in a double-breasted white coat, and the now unanimous tall white chefs hat (toque). The white uniform of today was initiated as a way to elevate public perception and generate a sense of pride in the culinary profession. The neckerchief, now seen as the equivalent to a necktie on a business suit, was used to help manage the poor ventilation of the time. With ovens and stove tops being fuelled by coal fires, kitchens became notoriously hot; in order to prevent perspiration from contaminating food or the chefs uniform the neckerchief, became widely adopted.