noun
licensed chef; qualified cook
Refers specifically to a person who holds a national cook's license under Japan's Cookery Law. Not a general term for any cook.
彼は調理師免許を取得して、ホテルの厨房で働いている。
He obtained a cook's license and works in a hotel kitchen.
このレストランには調理師が三人いる。
This restaurant has three licensed chefs.
A loanword for 'chef', often used for head chefs in Western-style restaurants. 調理師 is a legal qualification, not a job title.
Compound of 調理 (cooking) and 師 (master, specialist). The term became official with the enactment of the Cookery Law in 1958.