A commis chef is an apprentice position, usually in larger kitchens, under a chef de partie. The job of the commis chef is to learn every station in the kitchen, often spending as much as six months in each station of the kitchen to learn the duties and responsibilities of that station. You can find more information here: http://www.hcareers.com/us/resourcecente...

A commis chef is a chef in training, he is at the apprentice stage. He would be supervised by a chef de partie and will be learning each station's responsibilities and operation.