”Chef Any cook who swears in French” is from Cooking: A Cook’s Dictionary (1985) by humorist Henry Beard and illustrator Roy McKie. The jocular definition has been frequently cited.
The word “chef” is French and short for chef de cuisine, or head of the kitchen. Julia Child’s The French Chef public television show aired from 1963 to 1973.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
chef noun \ˈshef\
(...)
Origin of CHEF
French, short for chef de cuisine head of the kitchen
First Known Use: 1840
Google Books
Cooking:
A Cook’s Dictionary
By Henry Beard and Roy McKie
New York, NY: Workman Publishing Company
1985
Pg. 29:
Chef Any cook who swears in French.
Google Books
Funniest Thing You Never Said 2:
The Ultimate Collection of Humorous Quotations
By Rosemarie Jarski
London: Ebury
2009
Pg. 9:
Chef: any cook who swears in French.
Henry Beard
Twitter
Funny One Liners
@funnyoneliners
A chef is a cook who swears in French.
8:05 PM - 16 Aug 10
Twitter
Billy Bigelow
@jsringo
A chef is a cook who swears in French.
6:19 PM - 21 Apr 11
Twitter
Eric Weinhardt
@EricWeinhardt
#Chef, n.: Any cook who swears in #French.
8:37 AM - 11 Oct 12
Above, a 1934 plaque from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem. Discarded as trash in 2006. Now a Popeyes fast food restaurant on Google Maps.
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Above, Big Apple Corner at 54th Street and Broadway in Manhattan. Google Maps.
Above, John J. Fitz Gerald, from the Aug. 15, 1931, Binghamton (NY) Press, pg. 14.
Listen to Robert Emmerich introduce "The Big Apple," a hit song from 1937. Music written by Bob and performed by Tommy Dorsey's Clambake Seven with Bob on piano. Lyrics written by Buddy Bernier and sung by Edythe Wright. Audio provided by Dorothy Emmerich.
Also listen to a 1937 "The Big Apple" song by Ozzie Nelson and his Orchestra. See a 1929 photo of John J. Fitz Gerald and a 1931 photo of John J. Fitz Gerald.
This site is edited by Barry Popik.