Chef de Cuisine

At Santa Cruz Co. we are focused on the design, development, and operation of hospitality brands that, at their core, are about bringing people together. For us, great hospitality is about quality, elegance, style, and fun. We exude a sense of joy in hosting, setting the stage for our guests to have exceptional experiences.   

 

 

The Head Chef is responsible for managing and organizing the activities of the Culinary Department to maintain the highest standards of food quality, cost control and consistency. Oversee culinary offerings for Obvio and all private events .  

 

Duties/Responsibilities:   

Finance & Purchasing   

• Maximize profitability of culinary department by implementing effective food and labor cost controls, consistently monitoring budget to ensure efficient operations, reporting any discrepancies from budget to the Executive Chef

• Cost all recipes regularly to ensure profitability targets are achieved  

• Oversee purchasing program, including establishing order guides with pars, establishing ordering and delivery schedule, ensuring proper product amounts are maintained to limit waste/spoilage  

• Implement waste tracking system, as needed  

• Manage relationships with food vendors; continually drive low cost through purchasing strategy; Ensure all food products received meet the highest standards of quality  

• Manage GL accuracy for all culinary products; establish invoicing procedures and other controls to ensure accuracy; address and correct discrepancies or invoicing issues immediately  

• Establish inventory cycle with the Director of Operations ; ensure consistent, accurate and timely completion of inventory  

• Cultivate positive, professional relations with vendors including interactions on property with Back of House staff  

Operations:  

• Develop and implement operating standards for the Culinary Department  

• Manage Sous Chef, cooks and porters in their daily responsibilities, providing clear, effective direction  

• Ensure all items are prepared properly and timely for service daily  

• Establish line check procedure to ensure DOH compliance multiple times daily; Conduct line checks multiple times per day when on duty to ensure DOH compliance; Address all DOH violations immediately  

• Ensure no members of staff are permitted to work if they are not suitably dressed or groomed  

• Approve any maintenance or repairs needed through Executive Chef

• Able to perform POS functions including comps, voids and transfers, back of house menu and employee administration   

• Oversee menu structure, offerings, titling, pricing; Develop featured items for holidays, special events and promotions  

• Promotes and practices safe work habits through trainings, education and day-to-day management  

• Identifies and resolves potential safety hazards  

• Ensures accidents are documented following proper procedure, conducts initial investigation and determination of root cause of safety incidents in the interest of maintaining a safe work environment  

• Review and approve payroll for Back of House staff  

• Review daily time punches for accuracy  

• Address time clock abuse (clocking in early or late) via coaching and/or documentation  

Staff Management:  

• Hire, train, supervise, manage, coach, counsel, and evaluate all members of the culinary team  

• Participate in training of Front of House staff as it pertains to menu and food knowledge  

• Delegate hourly staff scheduling amongst Chef team; Approve weekly schedule for hourly Back of House staff  

• Establish regular communication with Back of House team, including pre-shifts, meetings, trainings , etc.  

• Oversee all staffing pars, postings for open positions, interviewing with final approval from Executive Chef

• Ensure all new hires are thoroughly trained on the expectations of the kitchen, recipes, product quality and presentation required of each dish  

• Oversee performance review process for all Back of House employees; Deliver reviews to all Chefs  

• Provide final approval for all Back of House disciplinary write-ups and terminations; Ensure disciplinary and termination decisions are compliant with employment law, and minimize risk to the Company  

 

Required Skills/Abilities:  

• At least 4 years of Head Chef experience required , in a similar caliber concept.  

• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.  

• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.  

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.  

• Time management and organizational skills.  

• Excellent leadership, training, and developmental skills.  

• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software.  

• Bilingual is a plus.  

 

Key Competencies:    

• Decision-making, judgment, problem analysis and problem-solving, planning and organizing, resource management, communication, guest service focus, quality orientation, teamwork, coaching and mentoring    

• Experience with directly supervising and leading a team    

• Excellent facilities and kitchen operation knowledge    

• Ability to demonstrate leadership skills; inspire and motivate others to perform well    

• Clear, strong, verbal and written communication skills and organizational skills    

• Understand local health and safety requirements; ability to ensure that Department of Health standards are upheld    

• Ability to read, analyze and interpret general business documents, safety rules, technical, and governmental regulations    

• Ability to compose reports, business correspondence, task lists and procedure manuals    

• Capability to effectively present information and respond to questions from managers, team members and guest in a professional manner     

• Ability to effectively deal with internal and external customers, some of whom will require high levels of patience, tact and diplomacy to diffuse challenging situations and resolve conflicts    

• Aptitude to apply creative solutions to practical problems and situations where limited standardization exists    

• Capable of working independently and in a team environment; balances team and individual responsibilities    

• The ability to carry out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with company philosophy, policies, and applicable laws    

• Considerable knowledge of mathematical calculations and budgetary analysis capabilities required     

• Thorough knowledge of federal, state and local laws governing equal employment opportunity and civil rights, occupational safety and health, wage and hour, and labor relations    

    

Physical Demands:    

• Involves standing most of the time, as well as climbing stairs repeatedly.  

• Involves repeated reaching with arms and hands, carrying objects less than 20 lbs. and bending and stooping.   

• May include possible lifting and moving objects of 40lbs or more .    

Obvio is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, gender (including gender identity or expression), pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, sexual orientation, marital status, domestic violence, sexual violence or stalking victim status, ancestry, national origin, alienage or citizenship, age, disability, military or veteran status, genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristic, or other protected status.

    

More detail about Obvio part of Santa Cruz Co. , please visit