Chef de Cuisine

About the Role

The Ritz-Carlton is seeking a Chef de Cuisine to oversee the quality, consistency, and production of the restaurant kitchen. This full-time role involves leading kitchen staff, managing food-related functions, and coordinating menus, purchasing, staffing, and food preparation for the property's restaurant. The ideal candidate will have 2-5 years of experience in a similar culinary leadership position.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, design, and create new culinary applications, ideas, and artistic contributions for the restaurant.
• Supervise restaurant kitchen shift operations, ensuring compliance with all Food & Beverage policies, standards, and procedures.
• Maintain food preparation, handling, and correct storage standards, and ensure proper handling and temperature of all food products.
• Recognize superior quality products, presentations, and flavors.
• Plan and manage food quantities and plating requirements, and estimate daily restaurant production needs.
• Assist in developing daily and seasonal menu items for the restaurant.
• Prepare and cook various types of food, including for special guests or functions.
• Check the quality of raw and cooked food products to ensure standards are met and determine food presentation, creating decorative displays.

Team Leadership and Development

• Supervise and coordinate activities of cooks and workers engaged in food preparation.
• Lead shift teams while personally preparing food items and executing requests based on specifications.
• Manage day-to-day operations of restaurant kitchen employees, understanding positions to perform duties in their absence.
• Encourage mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members, serving as a role model for appropriate behaviors.
• Ensure and maintain employee productivity levels, cross-training, and understanding of expectations.
• Establish and maintain open, collaborative relationships with employees.
• Identify developmental needs, coaching, mentoring, and helping others improve knowledge and skills.
• Participate in training restaurant staff on menu items, ingredients, preparation methods, and unique tastes.

Operational and Financial Management

• Set and support the achievement of kitchen goals, including performance, budget, and team goals.
• Develop specific guidance and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish daily kitchen operations.
• Understand the impact of kitchen operations on overall property financial goals and manage to achieve or exceed budgeted goals.
• Effectively investigate, report, and follow up on employee accidents, and implement company safety standards.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

Guest Experience and Human Resources

• Manage day-to-day operations to ensure quality, standards, and customer expectations are met.
• Improve service by communicating and assisting individuals to understand guest needs, providing guidance, feedback, and coaching.
• Set a positive example for guest relations and emphasize guest satisfaction in meetings.
• Empower employees to provide excellent customer service and handle guest problems and complaints.
• Interact with guests to obtain feedback on product quality and service levels.
• Manage employee progressive discipline procedures and participate in performance appraisal processes.
• Utilize available on-the-job training tools and assist in interviewing and hiring team members.

Additional Duties

• Provide information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates via telephone, written form, email, or in person.
• Analyze information and evaluate results to choose the best solutions and solve problems.
• Attend and participate in all pertinent meetings.