Crossword Genius

As head cook, I am in the middle (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

chief

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'as head' is the definition.
'chief' can be an answer for 'head' (synonyms). I'm not certain of the 'as' bit.

'cook i am in the middle' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'i' is present in the answer.
'cook' could be 'chef' (both can mean someone who cooks) and 'chef' is found in the remaining letters.
No letters remain.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for chief that I've seen before include "Gaffer" , "Main" , "Organisation head" , "Ordinary type" , "Tribal head" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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