"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")
After a group of Ferengi pirates commandeered Enterprise in 2151, upon his trying a sandwich that Chef made, an impressed Krem suggested that they take the ship's cook with them. (ENT: "Acquisition")
Ensign Hoshi Sato mentioned that Chef would be a better choice than herself to get information from Lieutenant 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 Chef was a fine cook – a sentiment Sato shared. (ENT: "Silent Enemy")
Chef became accustomed to making many Vulcan dishes, such as the pok tar; Enterprise 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 the ship's crew was forced to temporarily relocate to Enterprise's catwalk in September 2152, Chef continued to serve in 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 Lieutenant Reed's annoyance. Chef was serving pot roast for the third time while a triumvirate of Takret, who were also temporarily living in the catwalk, were dangerously barbecuing a meal for themselves. Moments after Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker prevented them from continuing to cook the meal, he suggested he would ask Chef if he (Chef) could heat it for them. (ENT: "The Catwalk")
In February 2154, Chef was the only person to complain about how long it took damage to the ship's galley to be repaired after an attack at Azati Prime. (ENT: "Countdown")
Serving aboard a starship with no counselors or psychologists, Enterprise crew members 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 an historic holoprogram detailing Enterprise's last mission, to better interact with the crew. (ENT: "These Are the Voyages...")
Background information
In "The Catwalk", Chef was played by actor and stand-in Richard Sarstedt in an uncredited appearance.
Chef was never given a name beyond his title. He was almost never seen and was never heard. The only exception was in "The Catwalk", where he appears in a purposely cropped shot. In the final draft script of that installment, the character was described thus; "He's dressed in a white Chef's uniform. His face and torso will remain off-camera."
The fact that Richard Sarstedt played Chef in "The Catwalk" is from the episode's 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. Sarstedt, by coincidence or not, was often a stand-in for Jonathan Frakes, who portrayed Riker as Chef in a hologram which features in ENT series finale "These Are the Voyages...".
In a potential story pitched by Mike Sussman, Chef, played by William Shatner, would have been brought by Daniels into the 23rd century, preserving the timeline by impersonating a legendary descendant during an important historical event. Template:Brokenlink