Sous Chef

Sous Chef


Great catering is judged in the room, not on the prep list. This role keeps plates precise, service calm, and crews ready when a hundred guests sit down at once. You will turn French technique and Houston hospitality into food that looks composed and tastes finished-on time, on budget, and worthy of a repeat booking.


Performance Objectives

• Run daily prep and event production so every station hits spec, temperature, and plate time without last-minute heroics.
• Execute and refine French-inspired menus so flavor, portion, and presentation stay consistent from tasting to final service.
• Lead cooks through mise en place, line calls, and breakdown so a full crew can cover a chef's absence without a drop in quality.
• Hold food cost and waste to target by ordering tightly, using trim, and correcting overproduction before it hits the trash.
• Keep kitchens, transport, and off-site setups inspection-ready-sanitation, labeling, and allergen controls included.
• Stage catering loads so hot food stays hot, cold food stays cold, and setup crews can plate without hunting for missing pieces.
• Coach newer cooks on knife work, sauces, and timing until they can hold a station alone on a busy Saturday.

Environment & Resources


You will work beside the executive chef and a production team that cooks for seated events, drop-off, and full-service catering across the Houston area. The kitchen is equipped for volume: rational-style combi capacity, prep stations, and event transport. You will own the line schedule, station assignments, and day-of food calls, with purchasing support and a clear food-cost target-not an open checkbook.


Essential Qualifications

• Proven sous or lead-line experience in catering, banquet, or high-volume restaurant production.
• Hands-on command of French fundamentals: stocks, sauces, butchery basics, pastry handoff, and classical plating.
• A record of running shifts where tickets, temperatures, and guest counts all landed on time.
• Ability to train and correct cooks in the moment without slowing service.
• Working knowledge of food safety, allergens, and off-site holding-ServSafe or equivalent expected.
• Comfort with early starts, weekend events, and standing in for the chef when the book is full.

Why This Role

• You cook for real rooms, not a single dining-room turn-weddings, corporate tables, and family celebrations.
• French technique is the standard, not a special-menu garnish.
• A family-run kitchen where the person who plates also shapes the next event.
• Room to lead people, not only stations, as the book grows.

If you can hold a line, teach a cook, and send food that makes a host look brilliant, apply with a short note on a service you are proud of and the result you delivered.