Chef de Cuisine

This neighborhood bakery and pizzeria debuted in winter 2011, and it’s also the bread-baking hub for our group.  Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, pop in early for one of Head Baker Andrea Shirey’s bagels, rustic tarts or a fresh loaf of bread to-go.  Later in the day, dig into our classic and seasonal wood-fired pizzas, handmade pastas, farmers’ market vegetable dishes and Italian-inspired proteins by Chef de Cuisine Dean Boswell and team.  Don’t forget the Garlic Knot—it’s a local favorite!

The Chef de Cuisine is responsible for overseeing kitchen staff and ensuring the quality of food items. Their duties include hiring and training staff to cook their dishes, expediting orders to maintain a steady flow of dishes and creating dishes to add to the menu.

Compensation Details

• Compensation: 90,000-100,000 annually 

Company Highlights + Perks: 

• Healthcare Coverage: Fully covered healthcare with 100% covered medical. Dental and Vision options are also available. 
• Participation in the bi-annual bonus program
• Monthly $75 cell phone reimbursement 
• Annual $1,000 wellness stipend
• 10 Days of Paid Time Off | 8 sick days a year 
• 401k savings Program
• Take advantage of the training and development resources available to you. Continuously seek opportunities to learn and grow within the company.
• Restaurant Discounts: Get 50% off at other RCF restaurants. For more details, visit rusticcanyonrestaurant.com.

Duties and responsibilities 

As Chef de Cuisine, your job responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Making delicious farmer’s market driven, Italian cuisine that is consistent with the Rustic Canyon Family concept of focusing on organic, sustainable and regenerative foods whenever possible.
• Create delicious farmer’s market driven specials that reflect the seasons. Specials should change frequently and be focused around simple, rustic and seasonally appropriate produce. A focus on fresh pastas, risottos, seasonally inspired salads, soups and vegetable driven sides is a must. The Chef de cuisine and General manager should taste and give feedback on dishes prior to selling so tasting should be scheduled to ensure there is time to make any tweaks necessary. Specials can run for several nights depending on product availability.
• Having an attention to detail in all aspects of the position. With the volume of sales, number of staff and numerous hours we operate, attention to detail and organization is essential for this position and your success.
• Take on the financial responsibility of the budget while overseeing food COGS, ensuring it remains at or below our set budget %. Employ effective cost-control measures and strategic planning to optimize food costs while maintaining quality. Additionally, manage the kitchen hourly labor diligently, aiming to keep it at or below our budgeted % by implementing efficient staffing practices and optimizing productivity.
• Working with fellow managers to make Milo and Olive the best it can be in terms of food, environment, morale, cleanliness, efficiency and teamwork. 
• Overseeing a large staff of cooks and dishwashers and leading them towards the common goal of serving market driven and inspired cuisine in a fast and thoughtful manner. Milo and Olive is a breakfast, lunch and dinner restaurant that requires constant supervision with the help of the general manager, assistant general manager and sous chefs. We are an all hands-on deck kind of establishment and we work together to problem solve, manage and grow.
• Inspiring co-workers to lead by example, have attention to detail, see and manage potential issues in a preventative way, communicate respectfully with each other and work as one unit to meet a common goal of creating an outstanding customer experience through food, atmosphere, hospitality and service.
• Work with the FOH management team to inspire service staff to be the best they can be in any position.
• Work with the FOH management team to help execute service from a kitchen standpoint and solve any service issues that could impact the kitchen. Communicate with FOH on any kitchen updates such as staffing challenges, produce shorts or menu items 86d that may affect service prior to going into service. 
• Have a positive attitude at all times. Remain constructively proactive under stressful circumstances and motivate staff when service gets challenging. Approach all problems related to R&M, staff, cuisine, vendors, deliveries, policies and procedures in a thoughtful and positive manner. This industry is challenging. You must be able to see all challenges as opportunities to learn, solve and lead by example.
• Must be able to solve any and all R&M issues that come up. This means knowing who to reach out to for repairs, how to look up and order necessary parts, assess issues and rectify in-house if possible and communicate solutions to the entire team, especially if there is follow up or parts on order that leave the issues unresolved for the time being. A quick and efficient response to equipment repair is imperative to proper functioning of the restaurant.
• Must be able to do scheduling and manage all call-outs/requests off. Milo has a large kitchen staff and it requires attention to detail in creating a schedule that best works for our operations but this is open for change should you see a better and more efficient way to run/staff a service. We cross-train as much as possible and therefore are able to move staff around accordingly but it will be the Chef de Cuisine’s responsibility to oversee all callouts/schedule changes so that on days off everything runs accordingly. All changes should be communicated to anyone affected by the change and most importantly to fellow managers.
• Mentoring staff is part of the job. Milo is a teaching kitchen and many of our staff have moved up over the years and developed into great cooks. Working hands-on with, teaching and developing our staff encourages longevity, pride and commitment to their positions. This approach applies to all staff and all positions from dishwashers to managers. Explaining why we do things the way we do in a respectful and thoughtful way will always yield the best results in working with our staff.
• Collaborate closely with the Pastry Chef and the entire bakery team to foster a unified back-of-house operation. Strive to assist and back up the Lead Baker and the team whenever feasible, reinforcing a harmonious work environment.
• Seeing the bigger picture and addressing daily operations in an efficient and prioritizing way is imperative to this position. Delegating tasks is crucial to being a successful Chef de Cuisine at Milo and Olive but also knowing what needs to be done in what order is essential. The ability to assess the day and what goes into it while using your team to achieve the day’s goals is essential. Being hands on is crucial to building relationships with your co-workers but using the team to help the team is how we will be successful.
• Empowering current and future leads to use their voices and be examples on the line. Teaching them small tasks that can be used in the future so they can be prepared for advancing in this career. 
• Maintaining recipe books so that they are in good working order and up-to-date with any changes or new recipes that are being used. Ensuring all prep staff knows about any recipe changes and are trained on making new recipes properly.
• Hiring and on-boarding new staff with the help of the General Manager and Sous Chefs. This includes creating job ads, vetting resumes and conducting stages. On occasion terminating employees with proper actions have been taken to ensure the corrective action policy in our handbook has been followed and with the consent of either Milo’s General Manager.. 
• Create training schedules for all new staff. Ensure they are properly introduced to the kitchen, oriented as to where everything is and given direction for their first week of work, what are the goals and what they should accomplish each day. Check in with new hires every day to ensure they are progressing properly and communicate with co-managers about opportunities for new hires and/or whether they feel like a good fit. Before scheduling a new hire to work a solo shift you must meet with them to ensure they are ready to work that station alone. Communicating start dates, ROP and paperwork emails needed to GM and AGM in a timely manner in order to get them set in the system is imperative.
• Must be able to hold staff accountable for all actions not consistent with those of the Rustic Canyon Family and/or Milo and Olive. We use a 3 strike corrective action system that must be upheld consistently for all staff. Must be comfortable having constructive and often challenging conversations with staff in order to maintain the consistency of all staff members whether it be food quality, attention to detail or following company policies. With the help of the FOH management team, who can assist in any elevated conversations that need to happen, you should be able to successfully communicate with employees about opportunities for growth and requirements that help keep in line with company policies.
• With the support of the General Manager, one-on-one check-ins should be done every 6 months with staff, one of which is a yearly review. 
• Basic admin, including but not limited to invoice coding, budget tracking, end-of-month invoices and internal invoicing is required and you will need to schedule weekly time to ensure this all gets done in a timely manner. Sous chefs can and should also help with this. Attendance at weekly manager meetings and monthly P&L meetings is mandatory. 
• Expanding catering sales through menu development, packaging, and collaborating with the GM to (regularly) book larger events such as weddings, corporate functions, standing corporate accounts, etc.  Maintaining and further developing holiday events and smaller scale catering menus.
• Ensuring the restaurant is fully compliant with health department standards, regulations, and procedures.  

• Maintain the highest of food safety standards and an “A” grade from the Health Dept at all times. 
• Participate in any media/charity events that the group feels is worthwhile
• Follow and embody the Rustic Canyon Family Guiding Principles: 
• Serve delicious, thoughtful food using the best local ingredients.
• Create an environment for guests where they feel like they are being taken into our home and cared for.
• Take care of ourselves and each other so we can feel proud about the work that we do.

Requirements:  

• Dedicated leader who is committed to serving the team.
• Ability to work quickly and efficiently without compromising quality.
• Strong communication skills.
• Fundamental understanding of sanitation, cleanliness and personal hygiene. 
• California Food Handler’s card .
• Regular, predictable and reliable attendance.
• Excellent attention to detail .
• Ability to effectively communicate with coworkers verbally.
• Ability to operate all equipment necessary to perform the job.

Physical Demands:

• Requires moderate physical effort. Standing, carrying, bending, stretching, stooping, pulling and pushing, lifting weights up to 50 pounds.

Working Conditions:

• Working conditions involve noise, heat, temperature changes, kitchen elements, odors, moisture, etc. May be required to work additional hours as dictated by the workload and staffing. 

Uniform Requirements:

• Clean non-slip shoes
• Clean pants 
• Clean shirt

More detail about Milo and Olive part of Rustic Canyon Family, please visit