- Primary Subject: Resident Evil Requiem
- Key Update: Best way to defeat the infected chef and unlock the optional Pantry room
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: February 26, 2026
- Quick Answer: Defeat the infected chef in the West Wing to obtain the Pantry Key (Normal difficulty). The safest method is sneaking up and using a Hemolytic Injector for a one-hit kill.
This article contains SPOILERS for Resident Evil Requiem
In Resident Evil Requiem, the Kitchen Pantry is one of those early locked rooms that feels risky but rewarding.
You’ll find it in the West Wing, guarded by a brutal infected chef who doesn’t go down easily. It’s optional, but the loot inside makes it worth the trouble — if you’re prepared to take him on.
Where Is the Kitchen Pantry Located?
In Resident Evil Requiem, the Kitchen Pantry inside the Care Center’s West Wing is one of the earliest optional locked rooms you’ll encounter.
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It’s not required for story progression, but the rewards inside make it well worth revisiting once you’re properly equipped.
Unlocking it requires defeating a powerful enemy (the infected chef) who carries the Pantry Key under normal difficulty settings.
The Pantry itself is located just off the Kitchen in the West Wing, near the corridor that eventually leads toward the Parlor room where Antique Coins are used.
During your first pass through the Kitchen, you’ll see the locked Pantry door behind the counters. At this stage, you’re unlikely to be strong enough to deal with the enemy guarding the area.
The chef initially remains inside the kitchen, carving meat and muttering to himself, but after you progress through the main hall and return later, he begins patrolling the western corridor outside the Parlor. His roaming pattern actually makes him easier to approach with a plan.
Who Has the Pantry Key?
You must take down the chef to obtain the Pantry Key on standard modes, as he has far more health than normal zombies and can one-shot Grace if she’s weak when caught.
Trying to eliminate him early with standard 9mm handgun rounds is inefficient and will drain valuable ammo. Instead, there are two practical approaches.
The safest and most resource-efficient method is using a Hemolytic Injector. You can find your first injector in the Examination Room in the East Wing.
After unlocking blood collection mechanics later in the story, you’ll also be able to craft additional injectors using Scrap and Infected Blood, which are relatively common once you begin looting more thoroughly.
When the chef starts roaming the West Wing hallway, crouch and sneak behind him. If you approach carefully from the rear, you’ll receive a prompt to inject him.
Successfully using the injector results in a one-hit kill, causing him to explode and drop the Pantry Key immediately. This tactic cuts down on ammo usage and reduces exposure to threats.
Can You Use Leon’s Requiem Instead?
You can also use Leon’s Requiem hand cannon, which can defeat the chef in about two headshots on Normal difficulty, depending on your accuracy and the selected difficulty level.
The main constraint is ammo, since you begin with just one bullet, so you’ll need to unlock crafting and secure the Level 1 Security Bracelet on the East Wing’s second floor to open the locked supply rooms.
Inside Level 1 doors, you’ll find components for crafting 12.7x55 Requiem rounds; however, this option consumes more scarce materials compared to using injectors.
Key acquisition changes with difficulty as well. On Insanity mode, the chef does not drop the Pantry Key.
Instead, he drops Antique Coins, and the key itself is relocated behind a Level 1 security door inside the East Wing Waiting Room Closet.
This means players on higher difficulty must rely on progression and security access rather than brute force.
Once you defeat the chef and collect the Pantry Key, return to the locked Pantry door in the Kitchen and unlock it. Inside, you’ll find a valuable collection of resources.
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