In a professional kitchen, two words come back again and again: “Yes, chef.”

The phrase comes from the military.

In the late 1800s, the French chef Auguste Escoffier reorganized the restaurant kitchen. He had served as an army cook during the Franco-Prussian War, and he modeled his system on military order. He called it the brigade de cuisine, the kitchen brigade.

Every cook had a rank and a station. The chef de cuisine was in command. The sous-chef, the “under-chief,” was second. Below them were specialists for sauces, fish, roasts and pastry.

“Chef” means “chief,” from the Latin caput, meaning “head.” In a working kitchen, it still refers to the person in charge.

“Yes, chef” also does real work. Kitchens are hot, loud and fast. A quick “Yes, chef” confirms that an order was heard and will be carried out, the way a pilot says “Roger.” Many American kitchens simply call out “Heard!”