Sous Chef

OVERVIEW: Responsible for all aspects of managing the kitchen and kitchen personnel, ensuring the quality preparation of all menu items and proper handling/storage of all food items in accordance with standards. Coordinate the purchase of all food and maintain menus, maintaining approved food costs and labor costs.

REPORTS TO: Food & Beverage Director

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
1. Maintain complete knowledge of and ensure associate compliance with all departmental/hotel policies and procedures.
2. Train, conduct performance evaluations, resolve problems, provide open communication and recommend discipline and/or termination when appropriate.
3. Establish the day's priorities and assign production and preparation tasks for staff to execute.
4. Review banquet event orders and make note of any changes.
5. Communicate both verbally and in writing to provide clear direction to staff.
6. Take physical inventory of specified food items for daily & monthly inventory.
7. Requisition the day's supplies and ensure that they are received and stored correctly. Communicate needs with Purchasing and Storeroom personnel. Ensure quality of products received.
8. Meet with the Steward/dishwasher to review equipment needs, banquet plate up assistance, cleaning schedule/project status, health/safety and sanitation follow up.
9. Ensure that staff report to work as scheduled; document any late or absent employees in accordance with the Doubletree attendance policy
10. Ensure that each kitchen work area is stocked with specified tools, supplies and equipment to meet the business demand.
11. Ensure that recipe cards, production schedules, plating guides, photographs are current and posted.
12. Ensure that all staff prepares menu items following recipes and yield guides, according to department & production standards.
13. Monitor performance of staff and ensure all procedures are completed to the department standards; rectify deficiencies with respective personnel.
14. Observe guest reactions and confer with service staff to ensure guest satisfaction.
15. Conduct frequent walk through of banquet kitchen area and direct respective personnel to correct any deficiencies. Ensure that quality and details are being maintained.
16. Assist & Complete menu development and execution.
17. Work with catering department to ensure guest satisfaction and exceeding/meeting guest expectations.
18. Review sales and food cost with the F & B Director to ensure the department is meeting budgeted costs.
19. Ensure that excess items are utilized efficiently.
20. Complete weekly food & controllable orders, utilizing Avendra suppliers.
21. Oversee and direct training of new hires in specified phases of the kitchen operation. Maintain an on-going training program for existing staff. Back to basics training maintained.
22. Maintain hotel policies and standards.
23. Perform any other job related duties as assigned.
24. Comply with attendance rules and be available to work on a regular basis.


REQUIRED SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
Must have the ability to communicate in English. Self-starting personality with an even disposition. Maintain a professional appearance and manner at all times. Can communicate well with guests. Must be willing to "pitch-in" and help co-workers with their job duties and be a team player. Ability to transport cases of received goods to the work stations; pots and pans of food from storage/prep areas to the serving line. Ability to work with all products and food ingredients involved. Ability to operate, clean and maintain all equipment required in job functions. Ability to plan and develop menus and recipes. Ability to apply basic supervisory skills to plan, organize, direct, coach, train and discipline, as necessary. Ability to ensure security of kitchen access, products and hotel property. Ability to operate with stress, time constraints, physical activity and continuous walking. Finger/hand dexterity in order to operate food machinery. Ability to grasp, lift and/or carry, or otherwise, move goods weighing a maximum of 100 lbs. on a continuous schedule.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS:
Customer Satisfaction: Our customers are what we are about. One of the keys to a positive guest experience is positive interaction with Crescent staff. It is essential that you remain professional at all times, and that you treat all guests and associates with courtesy and respect, under all circumstances. Every Crescent associate is a guest relations ambassador, every working minute of every day.
Work Habits: In order to maintain a positive guest and associate experience, your work habits should always meet and strive to exceed hotel standards for work procedures, dress, grooming, punctuality and attendance. You should be adaptable to change in your work area and in hotel procedures with a willingness to learn new skills and/or improve existing ones, have the ability to solve routine problems that occur on the job and ask for help whenever you are not sure how to do something.

Safety & Security:
The safety and security of our guests and associates is of utmost importance to Crescent. Every Crescent associate should adhere to the hotel security policies and procedures, particularly regarding key controls, lifting heavy objects, using chemicals, and effectively reporting safety hazards and safety concerns.
NOTE: This description excludes non-essential and marginal functions of the position that are incidental to the performance of the fundamental job duties. Furthermore, the specific examples in each section are not intended to be all-inclusive. Rather, they represent the Sous Chef typical elements and criteria considered necessary to perform the job successfully. Other job-related duties may be assigned by the associate's supervisor. Furthermore, this description is subject to change, in the sole discretion of the Company, and in no way creates an employment contract, implied or otherwise; each associate remains, at all times, an "at will" associat