Chef (Enterprise NX-01)

Species:	Human
Affiliation:	United Earth
Occupation:	Chef
Status:	Active (2161)
Played by:	Richard Sarstedt Jonathan Frakes

"Chef" was the head cook aboard Enterprise NX-01. Captain Jonathan Archer had to call in a number of favors just to get Chef onto Enterprise. (ENT: "Fortunate Son")

In the series bible for Star Trek: Enterprise, Chef's role on the starship Enterprise was outlined as heading "the ship's galley crew". It was also stated, "Chef [...] was hand-picked by Captain Archer." Moreover, in the revised final draft script of ENT: "Broken Bow", an unused line of dialogue had the captain comment to Commander Charles Tucker III, "My number one staffing priority was finding the right chef. I think you'll be impressed." Moments later, Archer explained that the reason the search had been so important to him was that he believed "A starship runs on its stomach." [1]

After the Ferengi took over Enterprise in 2151, upon his trying a sandwich the Chef made, an impressed Krem suggested that they take the ship's cook with them. (ENT: "Acquisition")

Hoshi Sato mentioned that Chef would be a better choice to get information from Malcolm Reed about his favorite food, but Captain Archer decided that Sato was the better choice and made it her top priority. Complying with this, Sato asked Reed if he thought the meals in the mess hall could use a more "personal touch," but Reed responded by stating the Chef was a fine cook – a sentiment Sato shared. (ENT: "Silent Enemy")

Chef had become accustomed to making many Vulcan dishes, such as the pok tar. Enterprise's science officer T'Pol stated during the latter part of 2151 that he had become quite good at making Vulcan food. (ENT: "Breaking the Ice", "Fusion")

Chef was known for his famous breakfast dish, eggs Benedict. (ENT: "Minefield")

In August 2152, Chef became ill, so Sato, who enjoyed spending time in the galley, offered to serve as his replacement until he recovered. (ENT: "Singularity")

While forced to temporarily relocate to the cramped catwalk in September, Chef continued to serve his role as ship's cook. His meal of choice, at the time, was pot roast, a dish he served three times in three days, much to Reed's annoyance. (ENT: "The Catwalk")

In February 2154, Chef was the only person to complain about how long it took the damage to the ship's galley to be repaired after the attack at Azati Prime. (ENT: "Countdown")

Serving aboard a starship with no counselors or psychologists, Enterprise crewmembers often found solace in Chef and often discussed their problems with him. For this reason, in 2370, Deanna Troi compared the Chef's position to hers, and advised Commander William T. Riker to assume the role of Chef while observing the historic holoprogram detailing Enterprise's last mission, to better interact with the crew. (ENT: "These Are the Voyages...")

Background information

Chef was never given a name beyond his title.

Chef was a character who was never seen, nor heard, with exception of the purposely cropped shot of the character that appeared in "The Catwalk", where he was played by regular background actor and stand-in Richard Sarstedt (who, by coincidence or not, was often a stand-in for Jonathan Frakes, who, as mentioned above, portrayed Riker as the Chef in a hologram). This information is from the call sheet, where he was credited as Richard "Isaac Hayes" Sarstedt, a reference to singer Isaac Hayes, who portrayed the character "Chef" on "South Park" for nine seasons.

In a potential story pitched by Mike Sussman, Chef, played by William Shatner, would've been brought by Daniels into the 23rd century, preserving the timeline by impersonating a legendary descendant during an important historical event. Template:Brokenlink