Banquet Chef

Department:   Conference Center 

Supervisor:   Banquet Operations Manager 

FLSA Category:  Exempt

Terms of Employment: At Will  

Position Status:  Full-Time

Hourly Rate:   $68,640 / annually; *will be adjusted as necessary in accordance with California minimum salary requirements

Position Summary: 

This position is responsible for overseeing kitchen facilities, menu planning and supervision of staff and food preparation procedures.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Responsible for providing daily direction and support to kitchen staff during food preparation and service.
• Planning, ordering, and supervision of food preparation for Center events.
• Establish and implement cooking policies and procedures.
• Develop menus and provide recipe and item cost with a focus on presentation, trends, and dietary restrictions 
• By working with the analyst, help maintain a 28% food cost or better through careful attention to expenses, vendor pricing, and waste control.
• Develop customized menus on request
• Work as part of a team with sales staff and banquet set up/service staff to assure a positive client experience at all Conference Center events.
• Conduct menu taste tests with clients 
• Ensure quality control and establish systems to optimize efficiency.
• Provide recipes and cooking procedures for menu execution 
• Establish and implement storeroom and refrigerator stocking, rotation, and FIFO
• Develop and maintain storage pars.
• Oversee sanitation and maintenance procedures in the kitchen including health department regulations.
• Prepare monthly inventory of all food and equipment-related items.
• Maintain policies and procedures for kitchen safety and security.
• Coordinate and provide training for kitchen staff, including occasional temporary labor, as needed.
• Attend BEO, all-staff, safety, CCAEF and departmental meetings as requested
• Attend client meetings as requested 
• Assist in ensuring kitchen staff follow their assigned schedules, including taking required meal and rest breaks in accordance with policy.
• Provide support with scheduling, employee performance, and other operational duties when the Banquet Operations Manager is unavailable.

Perform other tasks as assigned.

Position Requirements:

• A minimum of three years of culinary experience in a Banquet Catering or high volume kitchen environment 
• A culinary degree from an accredited culinary school is preferred but not required.  
• Require 2 years experience in banquet menu design and food production for banquets 
• Strong verbal and communication skills.
• 1 – 2 years supervisory or management skills preferred
• Strong organizational and inventory control skills.
• Skilled in food purchasing, waste control and menu planning.
• Proficient in employee training and development.
• Excellent food presentation skills.
• Current Serv Safe Certificate.
• Working knowledge of Google Workspace 
• Experience with Caterease or like catering software helpful but not required

Physical demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, sit, use hand to finger, handle or feel objects, tools and/or controls, reach with hands and arms, climb stairs, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, talk and hear.  The employee must occasionally lift and or move between 25 to 50 lbs.  Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and an ability to adjust focus.  In addition, this employee will be exposed to the following:

• Exposure to all types of food and sanitation products utilized in a kitchen area. 
• Exposure to very warm temperatures and cold temperatures in freezers and walk-ins. 
• Exposure to sharp instruments while preparing food. 
• Stand a great deal during working hours and may also have to walk on slippery floors.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Work Environment:

The primary work location for this position is the Conference Center commercial kitchen. Work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing this job, the employee may also be exposed to weather conditions prevalent at the time, as food service may take place indoors or outdoors. The noise level in the work environment is moderate, and temperatures in the kitchen may be elevated due to ongoing cooking operations.

The California Center for the Arts, Escondido is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers qualified applicants without regard to race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identify, age, disability, veteran status or any other protected factors under federal, state or local law.