Executive Chef & Beverage Director at Charlestowne Hotels – New Haven, Connecticut

Job Overview

As the Executive Chef & Beverage Director, this role will direct food preparation, production, menu development/execution, direct service standards to ensure guest satisfaction and maximize revenues and profitability, and control for all food outlets and banquet facilities at the hotel. The Executive Chef & Beverage Manager is responsible for maintaining food, beverage, and labor costs with a continual enforcement of high culinary standards and guest satisfaction. This position oversees both the back of the house and front of the house food & beverage team.

The Ideal Candidate will:

• Be incredibly friendly, customer centric, love to smile and radiate a positive and accommodating attitude while interacting with customers.
• Creates and plans all meals and menus for the restaurant/s, outlet/s and catered events.
• Expedite peak meal periods by maintaining a "hands on" approach.
• Works within monthly set food cost budget, adjusts food requisitions and controls waste.
• Monitors food outlets, buffets, stations and food displays for creativity, quality, cleanliness and food safety.
• Assures timely set up, schedules well trained cooks in all areas in proper uniform.
• Assists the food and beverage services for conventions and group activities at the hotel and coordinates with other hotel-level departments to facilitate services agreed upon by the sales office and prospective clients.
• Works frequently with subordinates in the Food and Beverage Department to ensure all aspects of business are running smoothly and on schedules to improve existing practices and services both in the front of the house and the back of the house.
• Communicates financial information to the General Manager, including up-to-date budget information and revenue growth programs formulated through short term and long term operational and financial plans for the food and beverage department.
• Achieves budgeted revenues, controls cost (which includes labor, food, maintenance, etc.) and maximizes profitability related to the facility operations.
• Inspects restaurants and outlets daily to ensure high quality food and food presentation, cleanliness and side work duties completed. Maintain follow-through of all guest requests, problems, complaints and/or accidents which occur in the Restaurant, Room Service, Lounge or Banquets.
• Schedule employees at proper staffing levels; watches labor cost daily to ensure efficiency in scheduling.
• Participates in monthly inventories. Initiates programs to reduce breakage and loss in China, Glass and Silver.
• Assists in the aggressive recruitment of staff department using company hiring standards
• Conducts pre-shift meetings to inform staff of daily events; ensures staff is prepared, organized and delivers high standards of service.
• Provides a professional image at all times through appearance and dress

SPECIFIC JOB KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• The individual must possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities and be able to explain and demonstrate that he or she can perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some other combination of knowledge, skills, and abilities:
• Must be able to speak, read, write and understand the primary language(s) used in the workplace.
• Must be able to read and write to facilitate the communication process.
• Requires good communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Most tasks are performed in a team environment with the associate acting as a team leader.
• Must possess basic computational ability.
• Must possess basic computer skills.
• Knowledge of computer accounting programs, math skills as well as budgetary analysis capabilities required.
• Extensive knowledge of menu development, insight into marketing, cost and wage control.
• Ability to lead and perform in a fast paced work environment and high pressure situations.
• Thorough knowledge of food products, standard recipes and proper preparation.
• Ability to analyze, forecast data, and make judgments to ensure proper payroll and production control.
• Ability to supervise large staff and accomplish goals on a timely basis.
• Ability to conduct meetings, menu briefings and effectively communicate with supervisors and team members both in culinary and exterior departments of the hotel (F&B Outlets Management team, Stewarding).
• Ability to create and lead in a team orientated environment.
• Ability to effectively deal with internal and external customers some of whom will require high levels of patience, tact and diplomacy and collect accurate information to resolve conflicts.
• Ability to create recipes and support material, i.e., recipe cards, descriptions, and pictures, and to read and visualize the same.
• Provide development and continued education opportunities for hourly associates and mid-level department management to set up for future success
• Provide regular feedback and insight on monthly financial reporting, identifying areas of success as well as opportunity
• Must be able to work directly with group coordinators and meeting planners and to facilitate business contracts
• Must participate in regularly scheduled property leadership meetings and working directly with other department heads to ensure the collective success of the hotel as a whole
• Must be able to work flexible hours, including evenings, weekends, holidays
• Ensure a safe working environment at all times for all associates

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Most work tasks are performed indoors. Temperature generally is moderate and controlled by hotel environmental systems; however, must be able to work in extreme temperatures like freezers (-10°F) and kitchens (+110°F), possibly for one hour or more.
• Must be able to sit at a desk for up to 5 hours per day. Walking and standing are required the rest of the working day. Length of time of these tasks may vary from day to day and task to task.
• Ability to physically handle knives, pots, mirrors, or other display items as well as grasp, lift and carry the same from shelves and otherwise transport up to 50 pounds to every area of the kitchen. Ability to perform cutting skills on work surfaces, topped with cutting boards, 3 to 4 feet in height. . Proper usage and handling of various kitchen machinery to include slicers, buffalo chopper, grinders, mixers, and other kitchen related equipment.
• Ability to physically self-demonstrate culinary techniques, i.e., cutting, cooking principles, plate presentation, safety and sanitation practices.
• The worker is subject to noise. There is sufficient noise to cause the worker to shout in order to be heard above the ambient noise level.
• Must be able to exert well-paced ability in limited space and to reach other departments of the hotel on a timely basis.
• Must be able to lift up to 30 lbs. on a regular and continuing basis.
• Must be able to push and pull carts and equipment
• Must be able to bend, stoop, squat and stretch to fulfill cleaning tasks occasionally.
• Requires grasping, writing, standing, sitting, walking, repetitive motions, bending, climbing, listening and hearing ability and visual acuity.
• Must be capable of successfully managing stressful and/or emergency situations, as well as actively working to prevent those situations from arising in the first place.

QUALIFICATION STANDARDS

EDUCATION

High school or equivalent education required. Culinary degree or certification strongly preferred.

EXPERIENCE

• Have a minimum of 3 years of experience in a Supervisory in Food and Beverage Department.
• Have 3 or more years of progressive experience in Hotel Food & Beverage front of house operations
• Have 3 or more years of in culinary operations