Sous Chef

Sous Chef – Southern Strain Brewing Co. & Eatery (Concord, NC)

About Us
We’re a brewery with a kitchen, housed in a historic mill building in Concord. The vibe is laid-back, but the quality is not. We make everything from scratch, source locally whenever we can, and expect every plate to go out with care. We don’t want guests to just get a burger. We want it to be the best burger they’ve ever had. That’s the standard we hold our beer to, and we hold our food to it too.

The Role
Our Head Chef brings the creativity and the flavor. We need a Sous Chef who brings the structure and builds it from the ground up. Our kitchen is growing, and our systems haven’t kept up. Recipes, prep lists, and line standards need to be created, not just followed. You love to cook, but you also love taking a busy kitchen and making it run like clockwork. You’ll work alongside the Head Chef, run the line, and put the systems in place that let our food come out great every time.

You’ll be on the line during service, but this isn’t just a line job. You’ll have dedicated time each week to build and run our kitchen systems.

What You’ll Do

• Build our recipe system from scratch: standardized recipes, spec sheets, and plating guides so every dish can be made the same way by anyone on the line
• Create and enforce line standards for portions, plating, and execution
• Set up kitchen organization: prep lists, par levels, station setups, labeling, and walk-in organization
• Work the line during service and lead from the front
• Hold the team accountable for quality, cleanliness, food safety, and following the systems
• Lead onboarding and training for new kitchen hires, and give clear, direct feedback
• Assist the Head Chef with scheduling, ordering, and inventory
• Work alongside the Head Chef to capture her dishes and specials as repeatable recipes the team can execute.
• Run the kitchen when the Head Chef is off

Who You Are

• A builder and self-starter: You see what needs fixing and fix it without waiting to be told. You’d rather create a system than complain about not having one
• Driven: You genuinely love to cook and take pride in every plate
• Organized: You build systems, write things down, and can’t stand a messy walk-in
• A leader: You can hold people to a standard, have the tough conversation, and still keep the kitchen a good place to work
• 2+ years of kitchen experience, with some lead, sous, or kitchen manager experience preferred
• ServSafe certification preferred
• Available for day and evening shifts, including weekends

What We Offer

• $20–25/hr based on experience
• Overtime-eligible hourly pay
• Flexible schedule
• Shift meals
• Employee discount
• Real ownership: the systems you build become how our kitchen runs
• A chill, creative environment where quality comes first

Job Type: Full-time

If you’re the person who loves to cook and loves a kitchen that runs like clockwork, we want to hear from you. Apply today!