Chef jobs in United States

Job Purpose:

To proactively ensure the safety, quality, and consistency of all food products leaving the central kitchen through rigorous inspection, supplier coordination, and process control. This role is hands-on, requiring constant presence on the production floor and strong coordination with kitchen, packing, and receiving teams.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Incoming Goods & Supplier Verification

• Inspect all incoming ingredients (dry, chilled, frozen) for:

• Foreign objects

• Spoilage, moisture, discoloration, infestation

• Conformance to specs (size, cut, weight, packaging)

• Maintain an Incoming Goods Log with photos and detailed remarks.

• Escalate and return non-conforming items to suppliers before they enter production.

• Work with Procurement to blacklist / flag repeated supplier issues and assist with incident documentation.
  

2. Production Process Oversight

• Conduct pre-production checks: ensure mise en place stations are clean, ingredients are thawed correctly, and expiry dates are validated.

• Perform random in-process checks during cooking, mixing, and packing stages:

• Cooking temperature logs (critical for chicken, fish, rice)

• Allergen separation

• Personal hygiene (gloves, masks, hairnets)

• No foreign object risk (no open pens, sharp plastics, loose tapes)

• Ensure SOPs are followed for cooling and storage (chillers/freezers).
  

3. Finished Goods Inspection

• Sample and inspect each SKU batch for:

• Correct weight, portioning, and labeling with correct dates

• Oil residue, clumping, burnt/undercooked portions

• Presence of unexpected or inconsistent ingredients (e.g. anchovy bones, shell fragments)

• Sign off before dispatching any product from CK.
  

4. Incident Investigation & Reporting

• Be the first responder to any complaint from outlets or partners.

• Conduct root cause analysis: collect affected items, take photos, verify batch logs.

• Prepare an internal report and coordinate with the R&D Chef and Ops for corrective action.

• Track trends (e.g. repeated issues with ikan bilis, RTE & RTH) and propose permanent fixes.
  

5. Documentation & Compliance

• Maintain accurate records of:

• Incoming goods inspections

• Daily temperature logs

• Cleaning schedules

• Batch release forms

• Assist with SFA audits, supplier traceability requests, and food hygiene grading prep.
  

6. Training & Culture Enforcement

• Conduct short weekly refresher briefings to kitchen and packing teams:

• Visual examples of past incidents

• How to spot and report contamination

• “One Minute Hygiene Checks” at random intervals

• Lead by example – enforce zero tolerance for shortcuts.
  

Must-Haves:

• At least 2 years’ QC/QC-related experience in a food production, catering, or central kitchen environment

• Working knowledge of SFA regulations and HACCP principles

• Detail-oriented, hands-on, not afraid to get involved in production

• Strong communicator (English + Mandarin)

• Comfortable handling complaints and resolving issues without blame culture