noun
Specifically the head chef in a Japanese restaurant, particularly one specializing in sushi or traditional cuisine.
あの寿司屋の板長は、毎朝市場で魚を仕入れている。
The head chef of that sushi restaurant buys fish at the market every morning.
Compound of 板 (ita, 'board', referring to the cutting board) and 長 (chō, 'head' or 'chief'). The term originally referred to the chef who oversees the cutting board in a Japanese kitchen.