Sous Chef

Job Description

Job Description

 
Company Overview: 
Black Briar is a creative American restaurant anchored by an open coal grill, a serious raw bar, and ingredient-first cooking with a Chicago tavern soul. Led by Chef Jimmy Papadopoulos, we are opening in the West Loop and building something permanent - a kitchen with a point of view, a team with standards, and a menu that earns its place in the city we love.

We are looking for a Sous Chef who is ready to step into real leadership. Someone with strong technique, a coach's instinct, and the discipline to hold a standard shift after shift without being told to.

The Role: 
The Sous Chef is the third in command of the Black Briar kitchen. You support and execute the vision of the Chef de Cuisine (CDC) - owning your station, leading your cooks, and ensuring that every plate leaving the pass meets the standard set by this kitchen. You report directly to the Chef de Cuisine.

This is an active, hands-on role. You are cooking, teaching, and holding the line accountable in equal measure. Leadership here is earned on the floor, not assigned by title.

The Kitchen
The Black Briar kitchen is built around a coal grill and a raw bar. The menu is live-fire forward, ingredient-driven, and rooted in American tavern cooking - honest, refined, and without unnecessary complexity. Every cook on this team is expected to understand the food, execute it consistently, and take pride in the standard.

This is a kitchen where technique matters, culture matters, and showing up fully prepared matters. If you are looking to grow into a CDC role, this is the place to do it.

What You Own: 
Job Summary

• Line execution during service - quality, consistency, timing, and precision at your station and across the kitchen
• Pre-shift prep oversight - readiness, organization, and mise en place to standard before every service
• Real-time coaching and accountability of line and prep cooks during service
• Sanitation and food safety compliance on every shift - no exceptions
• Receivables support and daily product checks in coordination with the CDC
• Kitchen setup and breakdown - executed completely, on time, every time
• Communication between the pass and the team - clear, calm, and effective under pressure
• Menu knowledge across all stations - you can cook every position and teach it

What We're Looking For:
Qualifications + Skills

• Minimum 3 years in a professional kitchen, with at least 1 year in a lead cook or Sous Chef role at a full-service concept
• Live-fire cooking experience strongly preferred - this kitchen runs on coal and the candidate should be comfortable with fire
• Raw bar familiarity a plus
• Strong fundamentals - knife skills, station discipline, seasoning instinct, and an understanding of how a kitchen moves
• A genuine interest in developing cooks - patience and precision in equal measure
• Valid City of Chicago and State of Illinois Food Sanitation License required
• Ability to work a flexible schedule including evenings, weekends, and holidays

Who You Are
You are technically sound and quietly competitive. You take your station personally. You show up early, stay focused, and leave the kitchen better than you found it. You coach your cooks the way you would want to have been coached - directly, fairly, and with genuine investment in their growth. You are not looking for a stepping stone. You are looking for a kitchen where the standard is high, the team is serious, and the work is worth doing.
If that is you, we want to hear from you.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary Range: $60k - $75k
• Performance bonus tied to kitchen consistency and team development metric
• Health benefits with employer contribution
• Employee dining benefit
• Annual performance review with merit increase opportunity

Black Briar is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a team that reflects the city we are proud to call home.