I'll be the resident asshole french speaker here but "chef" doesn't mean cook and not even professional cook.
not an asshole
exactly, it means chief - it's short for chef de cuisine (in this context which is the point)
If you are working one of the stations , then you are the chief (chef ) of that station chef de partie
(though I always found that pretentious -- so sometimes it's for the guests, esp in an open kitchen...the ole dog and pony show -- well unless someone is running a team on their station - or it's a visiting chef...then it's like the whole captain commodore thing.
But I also get it, if you are running fish, then you are running that station -- and it reminds a well delegated kitchen to stay the fuck out of your station)
but chief, that's exactly the point - and those chiefs are in a professional kitchen and are steering a much bigger boat than burning a meal kit for a singe chinaman- they are running service and turning tops
At least with something like a shadetree mechanic, they are actually doing mechanics, but
a home cook isn't really chiefing anything, they are just cooking - hence...cooks
It's basically the same way Maitre d is short for Maitre d'Hotel
sure someone can say they are master but
Maitre d'my-own-fucking-livingroom isn't a thing unless you are an asshole
but John is an asshole