Chef De Cuisine in Louisville, Kentucky at Eternal Optimist

The Chef de Cuisine is responsible for the oversight of the culinary and back of house teams and the direction of all areas of day-to-day culinary operations under the guidance of the Executive Chef. They are responsible for ensuring maximum productivity, consistency, profitability, quality, and deliciousness through effective planning, assistance with labor and purchasing budgeting, price negotiations, menu pricing, employee training, loss prevention, product research, culinary development, off-site culinary event management, execution, and analysis.

Tasks and Responsibilities: This list is a broad outline of general duties and does not encompass all responsibilities.

• Adhere to, and be a leader for, all bar Vetti and Eternal Optimist policies and procedures and ensure “buy in” occurs amongst all team members

• Act as a role model to all team members at bar Vetti and to the greater external hospitality community

• Regularly work with other managers and team members to maintain high levels of employee engagement, training, open and regular communication and excellent company culture.

• Maintain a professional, even-tempered mentality and appearance to lead their area in situations that require strategic thought and problem-solving tactics. Frequently praise good results publicly and address poor results privately.

• Interview, hire, train, and educate all new BOH team members when positions become available.

• Work with Executive Chef, General Managers, Human Resources, and Restaurant Operations as necessary to document and resolve employee conflicts, issue progressive discipline measures, mediate where applicable, and terminate when necessary.

• Create weekly schedules for BOH, including review of paid and unpaid time off requests and review and approve weekly timecards

• Perform ongoing performance evaluations by setting goals and completing regular performance reviews

• Work with Executive Chef to create, maintain, and implement strategies, guidelines, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for product and recipe execution, onboarding, and staff training.

• Monitor purchasing, inventory and receiving procedures for products and supplies to ensure proper quantity, quality, and price for all purchases.

• Work directly to educate staff on food storage, food safety, water, energy, sanitation procedures, food allergies, dietary restrictions, equipment, waste, and loss prevention measures meet or exceed local safety and health ordinance regulations and standards established by the company to ensure staff, guests, and restaurants are safe and protected.

• Submit all food and chemical orders as required, based on forecasting of needs resulting from analysis of product mix reports, anticipated specials, introduction of new dishes, contracted large parties, buy-outs, off-site events, etc.

• Serve as a liaison with farmers, local producers, and aggregators to make suggestions on more local and sustainable purchasing strategies.

• Research new products and procedures and develop an analysis of the cost/profit benefits

• Stay current and maintain the proper knowledge of requirements, protocols, and steps necessary for Health Department inspections

• Work directly with the social media manager to implement new postings and promotions

• Perform all positions on the line to assist the line staff before they get behind. Expedite orders correctly and efficiently to ensure smooth kitchen flow

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods

• Ability to lift items/team lift items and heavy boxes

• Ability to bend to clean restaurant equipment, pick up trash, towels, etc. from the floors

• Ability to perform restaurant cleaning functions including dusting, sweeping, mopping, scrubbing, etc. on occasion.