Chefs of today have access to coats of all brands, styles, and colors, but not so long ago there were far fewer choices. Anyone in the food service industry has likely taken notice of the change in chef attire in recent years.
In the 1800’s, chef Marie-Antoine Carême ignited a major change in chef uniforms by switching the standard color from grey to white, hoping to reflect the cleanliness of his kitchen. Other chefs soon followed suit, and the rest is history.
In the 1980’s, yet another change was brought about when uniforms were designed specifically for the female bodies. Along with this change came men’s chef jackets in more feminine colors. Those trends have stuck, and as such it’s become a bit overwhelming to choose a chef’s jacket.
To aid in the search of a new jacket, our chef coat experts have tested options of all kinds and prices. We reached out to chefs to learn their brand preferences and have found the best coats available this year.
Here are The Top 5 Best Chef Coats:
1. Crooked Brook®
Crooked Brook offers a wide range of services, including custom and decorated apparel, full-service apparel design, pattern making, sample making, private-label small lot production, and direct-to-garment printing and embroidery.
Made in the United States, this label has been creating exceptional chef wear since 1989, and their work can be seen in brand-name catalogs and retail outlets, as well as film and theater costumes. They’ve even been honored as the “World’s Highest Quality Chef Jackets” ™.
Crooked Brook fits their chef coats to your exact specifications from style and fit to fabric. Their apparel is available as it appears on their website, as well as in designs of your own.
Their coats are designed to fit all body types, particularly those of women and offer their women’s chef coats in combination and maternity sizes.
2. Chefwear®
It’s important that your uniform lends itself to cooking. Your apparel is part of your personal brand and an extension of your work, which is Chefwear’s driving belief.
Chefwear has over 30 years of experience dressing chefs. They began when Rochelle Huppin was studying at The Culinary Institute of American in 1985. Students each received a standard uniform, but Huppin knew this wouldn’t cut it in her kitchen and designed her own style from cotton.
Chefwear puts a spin on the classic chef look with fit and colors, and their styles are available in men, women, and unisex options.
3. Chef Works®
Chef Works isn’t the typical chef apparel brand. They’ve been an industry leader since the 1960’s, offering top-of-the-line products in uniform design, development, and management.
Chef Works creates high-quality products at an affordable price, and they ensure their apparel meets chef’s needs. With an urban line, cool vent collection, and contemporary fit, Chef Works has something for every cook in every kitchen. From hats and suits to shirts and trousers, Chef Works makes every product a chef could need.
4. Le Chef Uniforms®
In 1993, Mark Gregory MCA, former ‘British Chef of the Year’ and ‘Royal Academy of Culinary Arts’ member, founded Le Chef. His years of experience allowed him to create lighter, more elevated fabrics to work in a kitchen environment.
Le Chef aims to care for people and the planet, focusing on reducing waste and producing quality, affordable apparel. They’re known for their exact tailoring, durable fabrics and resistant stitches, easy-to-wash and bleach-resistant textures, and wide range of products.
Le Chef isn’t just for the chef, though – they offer waiter and café uniforms, too. You can choose from a classic look that’ll never go out of style, or a streetwear-inspired look that’s appropriate in any setting from fine dining to food trucks.
Le Chef’s products are lightweight and fast drying, always keeping you cool and ready to work.
5. Kentaur®
In 1927, a company called Fredericia Kittel Fabrik was founded, but in 1990, it was renamed to Kentaur under the charge of Bernt Dahl. The early nineties were marked by an increase in international trade for the newly renamed company, leading to their start in the export market. Today, Kentaur is huge in the German laundry market.
The brand is known for functional designs, a decidedly Nordic minimal approach, and an attractive look, and it prides itself on creating apparel chefs need, as their own chefs use their own apparel.
Kentaur coats are made of durable, long-lasting fabrics, and even after hours of work, they’re still as sharp as they were at the beginning of the day. Kentaur works with chefs to design comfortable apparel, and they continue offering quality chef’s coats.
So, there you have it: The Top 5 Best Chef Coats!
