Marywood Retreat and Conference Center
Position Description
Position: Sous ChefFLSA: Exempt
Reports to: Executive Chef Status: Full Time
Department: Food and Beverage
General Summary:
The Sous Chef is responsible for food production for events held at Marywood. The Sous Chef will collaborate with the Executive Chef on menu development, kitchen inventory, and standardization of recipes used at Marywood. Furthermore, the Sous Chef will be responsible for maintaining the highest professional food quality and hygiene standards throughout the food & beverage operation.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- In collaboration with the Event Manager and the Executive Chef, the Sous Chef:
- Respond to requests and inquiries from potential customers regarding Marywood’s Food and Beverage offerings for a wide array of events.
- Greet and receive potential customers in a professional and courteous manner.
- Responsible for collaborating with the Executive Chef to enhance any site visit with a food & beverage showcase component.
- Responsible for consulting with event sponsors and customers to accurately assess any special food & beverage needs required for the event. In collaboration with Event Manager, the Executive Chef and the customer, the Sous Chef will:
- Assist in creating and designing an appropriate menu for the event.
- Be knowledgeable in health and lifestyle dietary needs, including, but not limited to: food allergies, gluten free, religious customs and practices, and any other requirements or needs.
- Interact on a professional level with the Food and Beverage team to ensure that food production consistently meets or exceeds the expectations of the customers.
- As a key member of the Food and Beverage team, the Sous Chef:
- Responsible for collaborating with the Executive Chef to bring new and creative ideas to enhance the current offerings at Marywood.
- Develop standard recipes and techniques for food preparation and presentation and will evaluate all food products to ensure quality standards a consistently attained.
- Responsible for evaluating presentation and taste of food prior to service under the direction of the Executive Chef.
- Participate in Banquet Event Order (BEO) meetings with the Event Manager, Executive Chef and the Director.
- Maintain proper inventory levels within the kitchen, the Sous Chef will:
- Assist the Executive Chef in establishing par levels and maintaining controls to minimize food waste and theft by completing a monthly inventory by the first of each month. A First In-First Out (FIFO) model of inventory will be utilized.
- Minimize food costs, assist in training kitchen staff in proper portion control for all items served.
- Work with the Executive Chef and Director in establishing menu selling prices.
- Assists in controlling food and labor costs to achieve maximum profitability.
- The Sous Chef will develop and build relationships with vendors and assist in preparing Requests for Proposals when purchases are required.
- Ensure the highest standards of hygiene, cleanliness and safety of the staff are always maintained throughout all areas of the kitchen.
- Ensure all food handlers maintain a safe work environment by assisting the Executive Chef in implementing training programs to increase their knowledge about safety, hygiene, and accident prevention.
- Familiar with all state and local health code regulations.
- Ensure all kitchen staff maintain current ServSafe certifications.
- Ensure all kitchen staff must follow safety protocols of non-slip shoes, hair protection and clean uniforms.
- In conjunction with the Food and Beverage team, the Sous Chef will assist in developing and maintaining a high level of service principles to ensure customer satisfaction.
- Other duties as assigned.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required:
- Associates degree in Culinary Arts degree from an accredited college preferred or a minimum of three years as a Sous Chef or other leadership role within professional kitchen setting.
- Must have strong creative and imaginative culinary skills in order to bring new ideas for Food and Beverage offerings, and the ability to improve current recipes.
- Prefer experience with sales and marketing with the ability to build fruitful business relationships.
- Prefer experience with contract negotiation and compliance.
- Must have exceptional kitchen management and oversight skills to successfully manage the kitchen, including motivating the kitchen staff, ability to multitask, and a proactive approach to handling any challenges that might arise on the day of the event. Ability to troubleshoot and determine solutions for any issues in the kitchen. Must have the ability to remain positive and calm under pressure.
- Ability to research trends and concepts in culinary arts with the ability to incorporate these trends and concepts into offerings at Marywood.
- Must have experience with planning and designing menus for a variety of events including, but not limited to: retreats, corporate meetings, wedding receptions, and banquets.
- Must be familiar with technology, including software which will track inventory.
- Excellent organizational skills, including time management skills are required.
- Effective communication skills, both written and verbal, are required for the Sous Chef to be successful.
- Must have demonstrated commitment to compliance with any and all insurance, legal, health and safety obligations at all times. Must maintain ServSafe certification. Kitchen management certification is preferred.
- Practicing Roman Catholic preferred and registered member of a Catholic parish faith community. Must have the ability to respect, promote, accommodate, and not be in conflict with the mission, moral and social teachings, doctrines, and laws of the Roman Catholic faith.
- Must pass the required history screening prior to starting work and every five (5) years.
LANGUAGE SKILLS
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, vendors, employees, and the general public.
MATHEMATICAL SKILLS
Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.
REASONING ABILITY
Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and talk or hear. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and ability to adjust focus.
WORKING CONDITIONS
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Position may require employee to travel and drive one's own vehicle to various diocesan locations when necessary.