Production Chef

Job Description

Job Description

Description

The Production Chef is a hands-on culinary leader responsible for overseeing a designated area of food production within a high-volume Cafe operation. This role ensures consistent execution of recipes, quality standards, production timelines, and food safety while leading a large team of Food Service Workers through daily production activities.

Working closely with the Executive Catering Chef & Executive Chef, the Production Chef delegates production assignments, monitors workflow, provides coaching and feedback, orders product, and actively participates in food preparation. This individual is expected to lead by example through exceptional culinary skill, professionalism, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Success in this position requires strong organizational skills, excellent communication, adaptability, and a passion for producing exceptional food while supporting a collaborative kitchen culture.

Key Responsibilities

Culinary Production Leadership

• Lead the daily execution of an assigned production area within the culinary operation. 
• Supervise and direct a team of Food Service Workers to ensure production schedules and quality expectations are achieved. 
• Delegate production assignments while monitoring progress throughout the day. 
• Actively prepare food while maintaining oversight of production activities. 
• Ensure all recipes are executed consistently according to company standards and specifications. 
• Monitor product quality, taste, consistency, and presentation throughout production. 
• Maintain production timelines to support successful café opening
• Continuously evaluate processes and identify opportunities to improve quality, efficiency, and consistency. 
• Comprehensive Product Ordering
• Ensuring that the Café is successfully set up for service and stations are properly closed.

Team Leadership

• Provide daily leadership, coaching, and direction to Food Service Workers. 
• Foster a positive, respectful, and team-oriented work environment. 
• Assist in training new culinary team members on recipes, techniques, equipment, and company standards. 
• Promote accountability while encouraging professional growth and teamwork. 
• Communicate production priorities clearly and effectively. 

Operational Excellence

• Manage workflow within an assigned production area while maintaining flexibility as priorities change. 
• Assist with labor planning by providing feedback on staffing levels, production efficiency, and scheduling needs. 
• Ensure production remains aligned with labor expectations while maintaining quality standards. 
• Monitor inventory usage within assigned production areas and communicate shortages or concerns. 
• Collaborate with culinary leadership to improve production logistics and kitchen efficiency. 
• Assist in coordinating production to ensure timely completion of all event requirements. 
• Consistent and accurate ordering and inventory counts.

Recipe & Quality Management

• Maintain strict adherence to approved recipes, production procedures, and portion standards. 
• Ensure consistency across all food items produced within assigned responsibilities. 
• Communicate recipe concerns, production challenges, or recommended improvements to the Executive Catering Chef and Executive Chef. 
• Provide constructive feedback regarding food quality, preparation methods, and production efficiencies. 
• Assist in maintaining recipe integrity while supporting continuous menu improvement initiatives. 

Technology & Production Systems

Develop proficiency and effectively utilize company operational systems including:

• Food Service Suite 
• Microsoft Outlook 
• Microsoft Excel 
• Microsoft Word 
• Microsoft Teams (or similar communication platforms) 
• Peachworks (preferred)

The Production Chef is expected to become highly proficient in Excel in utilizing it daily to manage production, monitor workflow, and ensure accurate execution. Comprehensive training will be provided by culinary leadership.

Additionally, the Production Chef should understand how all culinary operating systems interact to support production, inventory management, recipe management, sales, and event execution.

Financial & Operational Awareness

Support operational success by maintaining awareness of:

• Labor utilization and production efficiency 
• Food cost awareness 
• Product yields 
• Waste reduction 
• Proper product utilization 
• Inventory rotation and storage 

Provide recommendations to culinary leadership that improve efficiency while maintaining exceptional food quality.

Food Safety & Compliance

• Maintain compliance with all company food safety standards and regulatory requirements. 
• Ensure proper sanitation practices are consistently followed. 
• Monitor proper receiving, storage, labeling, dating, and product rotation. 
• Maintain HACCP procedures and all standard operating procedures. 
• Promote a culture of food safety throughout the kitchen. 

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

Required Qualifications

• 3–5 years of progressive culinary experience in high-volume catering, banquet, hotel, restaurant, or institutional food service. 
• Previous experience supervising or leading a large culinary team preferred. 
• Advanced knife skills and professional cooking techniques. 
• Strong knowledge of classical and modern culinary methods. 
• Demonstrated ability to execute recipes with consistency and precision. 
• Excellent organizational and time management skills. 
• Strong communication and interpersonal abilities. 
• Ability to prioritize multiple production tasks in a fast-paced environment. 
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications. 
• Willingness to learn and become proficient in company production systems. 

Leadership Competencies

The successful Production Chef will consistently demonstrate:

• Strong culinary craftsmanship 
• Leadership through example 
• Effective communication 
• Accountability 
• Adaptability 
• Attention to detail 
• Teamwork and collaboration 
• Organization and planning 
• Positive attitude under pressure 
• Continuous improvement mindset 
• Problem-solving abilities 
• Professionalism and integrity 
• Commitment to coaching and developing others 

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods. 
• Frequently lift and carry up to 50 pounds. 
• Ability to bend, stoop, kneel, push, and pull throughout the workday. 
• Comfortable working in refrigerated, freezer, and high-temperature kitchen environments. 
• Ability to safely operate commercial kitchen equipment. 
• Ability to work mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, and extended hours based on business demands. 

Schedule Expectations

This position requires flexibility to meet the changing demands of a high-volume cage operation. The ideal work schedule is Monday-Friday 5a-5p. However, work schedules may include earlier mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, and extended shifts based on production schedules and event requirements.

Success Measures

Performance in this role will be evaluated based on:

• Consistent execution of assigned production areas 
• Recipe accuracy and adherence 
• Food quality and presentation 
• Production efficiency and timeliness 
• Effective delegation and leadership of Prep Cooks 
• Labor utilization and workflow management 
• Food safety and sanitation compliance 
• Proficiency with production systems 
• Communication with culinary leadership 
• Continuous improvement of production processes 
• Team engagement and collaboration

Job Benefits

We prioritize the health, wellness and work-life balance of our team members and designed our comprehensive compensation packages to reflect that. 

• Full-time team members are eligible for medical, dental and vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, parental leave, 401(k) with company match, at-work dining perks, flexible schedules, generous PTO, and a total rewards program. Team Members can also use our inclusive employee assistance program. 
• Part-time Team Members are eligible for our 401(k) with company match, at work dining perks and team members can also use our inclusive employee assistance program. 

Location-specific perks may also include wellness programming, on-the-job training, corporate-hosted courses, certifications and team events.

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