Sous Chef

Job Summary

The Sous Chef will train and manage kitchen personnel and assist with managing kitchen operations. Coordinates all functions and activities in the responsible area including interviewing, completing evaluations and disciplinary actions in compliance with Human Resources Policies and Procedures. Completes any data required for financial and productivity reporting as appropriate. Sous chefs adhere to standard operating procedures for food quality and ensure the kitchen is compliant with the regulatory requirements for food handling, sanitation and cleanliness. Will cover for the Executive Chef during his/her absence. Manages the preparation of nutritious and delicious food for WellStar Patient Meal Service, Retail Service and/or other satellite areas utilizing recipes and conventional and/or cook/chill production methods, equipment or tools. Requires a passion for the culinary arts and the menu items being prepared in a healthcare setting. Must be adamant about adhering to all sanitation and food handling codes established by the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point and local county Department of Health. Must be able to comply with a higher standard of safety and sanitation as a result of preparing food for a high risk population that has developing, weakening or compromised immune systems. Must possess ability to manage time and plan work accordingly to produce a variety and number of recipes simultaneously, possibly under high-volume demands. Requires ability to assess food quality, taste, color, odor, etc. and lead culinary team members to make necessary corrections.

Core Responsibilities and Essential Functions

Ensures the Safety of Customers and Team Members by performing and ensuring front line team members:

• Wash hands frequently and appropriately wear gloves.
• Follow infection prevention practices, including personal hygiene expectations (i.e., fingernail length and finish) and reports potential risks.
• Maintain all the work areas in a clean and organized manner; free of spills and fall hazards.
• Monitor and records food and/or equipment temperatures; immediately correcting/escalating out of range occurrences.
• Store food and/or supplies using proper labeling, dating and rotation methods.

Managing Employees

• Participates in HR functions such as: interviewing, managing performance, coaching and counseling of teammates.
• Flexes and moves resources within and between business units to meet budget constraints and customer needs.
• Ensures smooth operation of shift including all menu items served on schedule according to established recipes and procedures, and rectifies any problems that arise.
• Composes area checklists and forms and ensures tasks are completed to standard.

Food Procurement & Production

• Responsible for specifying and/or ordering food and supplies while maintaining department budget.
• Prepares and/or approves all prepared food items to ensure established quality and regulatory standards.
• Train team members to properly peel and cut fresh products. Includes ability to butcher meats; dice, julienne or mince vegetables when preparing ingredients to produce menu items.
• Utilizes and trains others regarding proper cooking techniques such as dry method, wet method, and combination method cooking.
• Identifies trains others to properly handles/cooks vegetables, meats, spices/seasonings, pasta and dairy products.

Customer Service and Team

• Creates memorable patient and customer experiences, sets achievable customer expectations and assumes responsibility for resolving customer service issues.
• Promotes a team atmosphere by welcoming newcomers, listening/valuing the opinions of others, and helping team leader meet goals.
• Solicits opinions and ideas from others including information concerning culturally based needs of customers and employees.

Performance Improvement

• Continuously looks for opportunities for improvement, and creates action plans to resolve issues.
• Monitors quality levels, finds root cause of quality problems and takes action.
• Demonstrates a commitment to excellence.

Menu/Recipe Development

• Collaborates with all team members to develop and/or revise patient and cafeteria menus.
• Ensures adherence to recipes yielding a consistent quality product and compliant with patient diets.
• Accurately reads and follows recipes and ensures recipe adherence by team members. Includes skills of measurement/mathematical conversion and scaling.

Budget

• Assists Manager or Supervisor, Food Production with developing food and supply budgets for department and monitor budget compliance.
• Monitors all labor expense for direct reports.

Complies with all WellStar Health System policies, standards of work, and code of conduct.

Required Minimum Education

High school diploma equivalent formal culinary training preferred.

Required Minimum License(s) and Certification(s)

• SRVSF-FH - ServSafe Food Handler

Required Minimum Experience

Minimum 5 years experience directly related to the duties and responsibilities outlined below Required and High volume retail experience in a non institutional setting is a plus. Preferred

Required Minimum Skills

Experience in all types of cooking and cuisine. Menu planning for caf, special events and catering. Excellent verbal and written communication skills necessary. Good basic math and computer skills. The individual must be able to communicate and understand verbal and written English language and display a positive attitude. Ability to understand, follow, and hold others accountable to safety regulations in a food service healthcare environment.