Chef de Cuisine

About This Role

This management role is accountable for the quality, consistency, and production of a specialty restaurant kitchen. The Chef de Cuisine exhibits culinary talents by personally performing tasks while leading staff and managing all food-related functions, coordinating menus, purchasing, staffing, and food preparation. The role works with the team to improve guest and employee satisfaction while maintaining the operating budget, ensuring sanitation and food standards are achieved, and developing and training the team to improve results.

Responsibilities

• Develop, design, or create new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions for the specialty restaurant
• Supervise specialty restaurant kitchen shift operations and ensure compliance with all Food & Beverage policies, standards, and procedures
• Maintain food preparation handling and correct storage standards
• Recognize superior quality products, presentations, and flavor
• Plan and manage food quantities and plating requirements for the specialty restaurant
• Communicate production needs to key personnel
• Assist in developing daily and seasonal menu items for the specialty restaurant
• Ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations
• Follow proper handling and right temperature of all food products
• Estimate daily specialty restaurant production needs
• Prepare and cook foods of all types, either on a regular basis or for special guests or functions
• Check the quality of raw and cooked food products to ensure that standards are met
• Determine how food should be presented and create decorative food displays
• Supervise and coordinate activities of cooks and workers engaged in food preparation
• Utilize interpersonal and communication skills to lead, influence, and encourage others; advocate sound financial/business decision making; demonstrate honesty/integrity; lead by example
• Lead shift teams while personally preparing food items and executing requests based on required specifications
• Supervise and manage specialty restaurant kitchen employees, managing all day-to-day operations
• Understand employee positions well enough to perform duties in employees' absence
• Encourage and build mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members
• Serve as a role model to demonstrate appropriate behaviors
• Ensure and maintain the productivity level of employees
• Ensure employees are cross-trained to support successful daily operations
• Ensure employees understand expectations and parameters
• Establish and maintain open, collaborative relationships with employees and ensure employees do the same within the team
• Set and support achievement of kitchen goals including performance goals, budget goals, team goals, etc.
• Develop specific guidance and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish daily kitchen operations work
• Understand the impact of kitchen operation on the overall property financial goals and objectives and manage to achieve or exceed budgeted goals
• Effectively investigate, report and follow-up on employee accidents
• Know and implement company safety standards
• Provide services that are above and beyond for customer satisfaction and retention
• Manage day-to-day operations, ensuring the quality, standards and meeting the expectations of the customers on a daily basis
• Improve service by communicating and assisting individuals to understand guest needs, providing guidance, feedback, and individual coaching when needed
• Set a positive example for guest relations
• Emphasize guest satisfaction during all departmental meetings and focus on continuous improvement
• Empower employees to provide excellent customer service
• Handle guest problems and complaints
• Interact with guests to obtain feedback on product quality and service levels
• Identify the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills
• Participate in training specialty restaurant staff on menu items including ingredients, preparation methods and unique tastes
• Manage employee progressive discipline procedures
• Participate in the employee performance appraisal process, providing feedback as needed
• Use all available on the job training tools for employees
• Assist as needed in the interviewing and hiring of employee team members with appropriate skills
• Provide information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person
• Analyze information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems
• Attend and participate in all pertinent meetings

Requirements

• High school diploma or GED; 4 years experience in the culinary, food and beverage, or related professional area
• OR 2-year degree from an accredited university in Culinary Arts, Hotel and Restaurant Management, or related major; 2 years experience in the culinary, food and beverage, or related professional area

About the Company

At Renaissance Hotels, the company believes in helping guests experience the DNA of the neighborhoods they are visiting. They look for spontaneous explorers to join their team to bring the spirit of the neighborhood to guests. Renaissance Hotels is part of the Marriott International portfolio of brands.