Wie Willi Schmid seinen weltberühmten Käse herstellt

What does “Chefsache” mean in German?

After the cheese is salted, one step is “allein Chefsache” — Willi does it alone. He won’t let the reporter into the special room, because no other mould spores may touch the cheese. “Chef” means boss, “Sache” means matter or thing — so “Chefsache” is a task only the boss handles personally. Here it marks the secret step behind his famous blue cheese.

Spoken line: “Und der ist allein Chefsache.” — “And that one is the boss’s job alone.” It names a step Willi keeps strictly to himself. You’ll meet “Chefsache” at work, in news, and in daily talk: “Das ist Chefsache” (the boss deals with this personally); “Er hat das zur Chefsache gemacht” (he took charge of it himself); “Bei diesem Problem ist Chefsache gefragt” (this one needs the boss). It often signals that something is too important to pass on to someone else, or that a person is taking full responsibility.