Crossword Genius

Working in the kitchen, Bernard is out of French Bread (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

chef

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

'working in the kitchen bernard' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'out of french bread' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'french' could be 'f' and 'f' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'che' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'is' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for chef that I've seen before include "Professional cook" , "one in the restaurant" , "French master" , "member of kitchen staff" , "Kitchen head" .)

I've seen this clue in the Irish Times.
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