Catering Head Chef

About Us
Country Smoke House is a growing, family-owned gourmet food and specialty meat retailer seeking a high-energy, dependable Head Chef to lead a kitchen team of 5–15 employees. The ideal candidate is an experienced leader who can manage multiple operations, maintain food quality and consistency, control costs, and deliver excellent customer service.

Position Overview
Summary: Supervises, develops, costing, set pricing, coordinates, and participates in the activities of team production and cooking foods.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, supervise, train, and develop kitchen staff while fostering teamwork and accountability.
• Oversee food preparation, cooking, and production for retail, BBQ, and catering operations.
• Develop recipes, menus, and seasonal offerings with management approval.
• Plan Retail to go meals, BBQ and catering menus while maintaining appropriate food costs and profitability.
• Oversee food purchasing and inventory while minimizing waste and ensuring product quality and freshness.
• Ensure consistent preparation, portioning, quality, and presentation according to recipes and standards.
• Maintain strict sanitation, cleanliness, and food-safety standards.
• Coordinate with Catering Coordinator to help with catering prep plans, production timelines, staffing assignments, and order-completion priorities.
• Delegate responsibilities and develop Kitchen Managers, Sous Chefs, and other team members as needed.
• Provide professional, friendly service to customers, vendors, and catering clients.
• Identify operational improvements and solve problems quickly and effectively.
• Manage labor, resources, and departmental costs within budget.
• Own, follow, model, and uphold all company policies, procedures, recipes, operational standards, and chains of communication.
• Monitor food cost, portion cost, labor requirements, gross margin, production yield, and waste to ensure products meet company profitability expectations.

Qualifications

- Previous kitchen management or leadership experience (catering/banquet production experience preferred)

- Strong organizational and time management skills

- Ability to manage multiple production streams (catering and retail)

- Experience with inventory control and food cost management

- Open, collaborative mindset and willingness to work closely with ownership

- Self-motivated with the drive to generate and execute new ideas

- Wild game experience is a plus

- Ability to work in a fast-paced, evolving environment

Ideal Candidate

• Strong leadership, communication, and people-management skills.
• Strong working knowledge of recipe costing, COGS, yields, labor costs, pricing, margins, inventory control, and menu profitability.
• Organized, dependable, and able to prioritize in a fast-paced environment.
• Comfortable making decisions and managing competing demands.
• Team-oriented with a focus on employee development and customer satisfaction.
• Cost-conscious with strong planning and problem-solving abilities.
• Creative and adaptable, with the ability to improve recipes, processes, and operations.
• Willing to work extended hours when needed, particularly during the summer season.

What Awaits You:

● Enjoy daily shifts , from 7am-5pm is your average working window.

● Access health benefits, including Dental & Vision insurance.

● Take up to 3 weeks paid time off.

● Enjoy store discounts of up to 20%.

● Embrace flexible scheduling, every other weekend off, based on seasonal needs

● Compensation based on your experience. Raises and bonus based on performance and sales.

● Opportunities await you.