SOUS CHEF BANQUET

Position Summary

The Sous Chef will lead the culinary operations for the resort’s banquet kitchen/Sports Bar restaurant. This role is responsible for managing a high volume, high quality food production environment, delivering a superior dining experience while ensuring efficient kitchen operations. As part of the resort and casino, this position requires attention to luxury standards, consistency in service, and the ability to manage diverse culinary team in dynamic environment.

Banquet Operations:

Manage culinary operations for banquets, corporate events, weddings, and special events, accommodating large guest counts while maintaining high food standards. Work closely with the catering and event team to design and execute customized menus that align with client needs and budgets. Supervise the timely and precise preparation, production, and plating of food for events ranging from intimate gathering to large scale banquets.

Sports Bar Operation:

Oversee the culinary aspects of the kitchen, ensuring that food is deliver on a timely manner and accurately while maintaining high standards of taste and presentation. Create and manage a casual yet sophisticated menu that caters to the resort and casino guests, featuring comfort food, shareable plates, and regional favorites. Stay current with food trends in casual dining, regularly refreshing the menu to keep it engaging and appealing to guests. 

Our philosophy is built on the principles of integrity, fairness, collaboration, communication, and recognition for performance excellence. Meeting all performance standards leads to attracting and retaining a qualified workforce, provides opportunities for qualified team members, and contributes towards the ongoing success of the Pueblo of Sandia today and in the future.  

 Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1. Oversee daily operations for the kitchen, ensuring all food is prepared to the highest standards of quality and presentation.
2. Develop seasonal menus reflecting culinary trends, and innovative techniques.
3. Collaborate with the Executive Chef, F&B management, and other internal departments to ensure alignment with the resort’s overall dining experience.
4. Ensure consistency and quality of dishes across high volume events and fast paced restaurant services.
5. Oversee all aspects of kitchen operations, including food preparation, cooking, plating, and presentation to ensure dishes meet the highest standard of quality and consistency.
6. Lead, mentor, support and train to foster a positive and collaborative work environment. 
7. Maintaining adherence to food safety and sanitation standards, ensuring compliance with local heath regulation and company policies.
8. Conduct regular inspections of kitchen equipment, and workstations to uphold cleanliness and hygiene standards.
9. Work with front of house staff to coordinate food service and addressing any guest concerns or feedback promptly and professionally.
10. Monitor inventory levels and manage purchases.
11. Keeping track of food costs, labor expenses and other key performance indicators.
12. Gives high priority to continuous employee training, to build a capable, motivated and stable team of culinary professionals.
13. Ensures all menu orders are prepared to the satisfaction of the customer in quality, creativity and presentation.
14. Maintains the highest level of cleanliness and sanitation in the kitchen and encourages the employees to always adhere to safe sanitary work practices.  Assure that all kitchen equipment is in safe and proper working condition. Coordinates any necessary repairs immediately with the maintenance department.
15. Ensures proper staffing for maximum productivity and high standards of quality; controls food and payroll costs to achieve maximum profitability.
16. Conducts interviews, performance reviews, offer feedback, and organize staff schedules.
17. Maintains detailed individual performance journals and conducts performance appraisal reviews for staff members.
18. Prepares reports, costs menus, makes schedules, and performs administrative duties as assigned.
19. Keeps the Executive Chef informed on a timely basis of any undue variance from expected results.
20. Responsible for introducing new, creative menu items regularly based on current culinary trends.
21. Performs other job-related duties as assigned.
22. Punctual and regular attendance is an essential responsibility for all team members and are expected to report to work based upon the assigned schedule each day in accordance with the Attendance Policy for Pueblo of Sandia.  

 Additional Responsibilities

1. Partner with the Event and Sales teams to provide culinary insights for banquet proposal, tastings, and event planning meetings.
2. Create signature dishes and themed menus for special events, including themed banquet, game day promotions in the Sports Bar, and any exclusive chef’s table experiences.

 Key Performance Indicators

This position has Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) identified as a measurement of success.  KPI’s will be shared with all team members who work in this job title and feedback will be provided regarding the successful completion of the KPI’s as part of the performance review process.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

1. Ability to supervise and direct the work of employees.
2. Ability to exercise sound personnel management practices while illustrating firm dispositions in dealing with employee issues.
3. Exhibiting a strong motivational commitment to the organization.
4. Ability to write and prepare standard reports and documents.
5. Knowledge of restaurant operations.
6. Knowledge of minimum temperature requirements for food/drink preservation.
7. Knowledge of Tribal, Federal, State and local sanitary regulations regarding the preparation, maintenance, storage and sales of food/drink products.
8. Knowledge of supplies, equipment, and/or services ordering and inventory control.
9. Knowledge of soups and sauces preparation.
10. Ability to monitor and/or maintain quality control standards.
11. Ability to understand and follow specific instructions and procedures.
12. Ability to read, understand, follow, and enforce safety procedures.
13. Knowledge of maintenance and care of culinary facilities, equipment, supplies, and materials.
14. Knowledge of organizational structure, workflow, and operating procedures.
15. Knowledge of food preparation and presentation methods, techniques, and quality standards.
16. Ability to proficiently use Microsoft Office programs and POS systems.
17. Ability to lead and train staff and/or students.
18. Ability to work well under pressure in a fast-paced environment

   Education and Experience  

Required:

1. High School Diploma, GED certification or equivalent.
2. Three (3) years’ experience in a full-service restaurant or food service operation including two (2) years in a supervisory capacity.

Preferred:

Culinary Degree.

License/Certifications/Registrations

1. Must successfully complete the New Mexico Food Handlers course upon hire.
2. Must be able to successfully pass a stringent background investigation.
3. Will require a pre-employment and random drug screening.

Physical Requirements/Working Conditions

The following selected physical activities are required to perform the essential functions of this position

Physical Requirement

Description

Balancing

Maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling and walking, standing, or crouching on narrow, slippery, or erratically moving surfaces. This factor is important if the amount of balancing exceeds that needed for ordinary locomotion and maintenance of body equilibrium.

Crouching

Bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine.

Feeling

Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature, or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips.

Finger Dexterity

Picking, pinching, typing or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand as in handling.

Grasping

Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.

Hearing

Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discriminations in sound.

Kneeling

Bending legs at knee to come to a rest on knee or knees.

Lifting

Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-to-position. This factor is important if it occurs to a considerable degree and requires substantial use of upper extremities and back muscles.

Pulling

Using upper extremities to exert force to draw, haul, or tug objects in a sustained motion.

Pushing

Using upper extremities to press against something with steady force to thrust forward, downward, or outward.

Reaching

Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.

Seeing

The ability to perceive the nature of objects by the eye.

Walking

Job requirements include, in the performance of duties, walking throughout the work area, on various work surfaces throughout internal or external locations.

Sitting

Particularly for sustained periods of time.

Standing

Particularly for sustained periods of time.

Stooping

Bending body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist. This factor is important if it occurs to a considerable degree and requires full motion of the lower extremities and back muscles.

Talking

Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word. Those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.

Working Conditions Required:

1. Work involves moderate exposure to unusual elements, such as extreme temperatures, dirt, dust, fumes, smoke, unpleasant odors, and/or loud noises.
2. Moderate physical activity. Requires handling of average-weight objects up to 25 pounds or standing and/or walking for more than four (4) hours per day.
3. Work environment involves some exposure to hazards or physical risks, which require following basic safety precautions.