Aviation Catering Sous Chef Lead High-Volume Production

Abby; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Abby’s Catering in Houston, TX, is seeking an experienced Sous Chef to lead daily hot and cold culinary production for in-flight and corporate catering. You will collaborate with the Executive Chef to maintain HACCP compliance and ensure 24/7 operations meet airline presentation standards.

The role includes leading culinary crews, coordinating prep by flight schedules, ensuring recipes, portions, and plating accuracy, and delivering finished products on time for all flights.

Qualifications

• 3+ years culinary leadership experience in high-volume environments.
• Ability to thrive in cold-room production as low as 36°F for extended periods.
• Rotating shifts, weekends, and holiday availability required.
• Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
• Bilingual English/Spanish strongly preferred.
• Ability to read/interpret airline plating instructions and batch recipes.

Responsibilities

• Lead, train, and supervise culinary crews for high-performance execution.
• Conduct daily production meetings and coordinate prep priorities by flight schedules.
• Verify compliance with recipes, portion standards, and plating instructions.
• Deliver finished products on time to meet Kitchen Departure Times for all flights.
• Control cost through portion control, waste reduction, FIFO rotation, and labor oversight.
• Provide food safety and plating technique training to front-line staff.
• Maintain a clean, organized production environment across all shifts.
• Promote teamwork, communication, and a positive work culture.
• Support menu launches, production tests, and special airline programs.

Skills

Culinary leadership

Leadership

Communication

Organizational skills

Teamwork

Bilingual English/Spanish

Education

High School Diploma

Culinary Arts certificate

Culinary Arts degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Production systems

Job description

Abby’s Catering in Houston, TX, is seeking an experienced Sous Chef to lead daily hot and cold culinary production for in-flight and corporate catering. You will collaborate with the Executive Chef to maintain HACCP compliance and ensure 24/7 operations meet airline presentation standards.

The role includes leading culinary crews, coordinating prep by flight schedules, ensuring recipes, portions, and plating accuracy, and delivering finished products on time for all flights.