Banquet Chef

Reitmr

St. Louis (MO)

On-site

USD 70,000 - 95,000

Full time

3 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance

Health Savings Account (HSA) with 401k

401(k) Retirement Plan with Company  M

Paid Vacation & Sick Time

Paid Parental Leave

Company-Paid Life Insurance

Company-Paid Disability insurance

Educational Assistance

Hotel Discounts

Job summary

Sonesta International Hotels in St. Louis seeks an experienced Banquet Chef to lead day-to-day kitchen operations, oversee banquets, catering, and events, and partner with the Executive Chef to deliver exceptional guest experiences.

You will supervise production, drive culinary excellence, mentor kitchen staff, and ensure safety, quality, and efficiency across high-volume services in a dynamic hospitality environment.

Qualifications

Culinary degree or formal culinary training preferred.
3+ years in a similar role with multi-outlet and large-volume banquet experience.
Understanding of professional cooking and banquet production
Strong knowledge of food preparation, banquet operations, catering, inventory management, and kitchen operations.
Experience managing food quality, labor productivity, food costs, purchasing, and operational performance standards.
Strong leadership and team development skills with the ability to motivate and support culinary teams in a fast-paced environment.
Knowledge of food safety regulations, HACCP standards, sanitation practices, and health department compliance requirements.
Ability to multitask, problem-solve, and remain calm under pressure during busy service periods.
Excellent communication, organizational, and collaboration skills.
Creative mindset with a passion for hospitality, food innovation, teamwork, and exceptional guest experiences.
Flexible availability including evenings, weekends, and holidays as required in a hospitality environment.

Responsibilities

Supervise the daily production and distribution of all banquet foods; ensure recipes, production sheets and standards are followed, safety standards observed.
Supervise kitchen team members, providing coaching, training, scheduling, and hands-on leadership to ensure operational excellence.
Ensure food quality, consistency, presentation, and portioning across all culinary outlets.
Assist with menu development, seasonal offerings, banquet menus, and food innovation initiatives.
Oversee food preparation, kitchen workflow, and line operations to ensure efficiency during high-volume service periods.
Support inventory management, food ordering, receiving, and product quality control processes.
Monitor food costs, labor costs, waste reduction, and kitchen productivity to support profitability goals.
Ensure compliance with food safety regulations, sanitation standards, HACCP guidelines, and health department requirements.
Partner with Banquets, Catering, F&B, and hotel leadership teams to execute meetings and events.

Skills

Leadership

Banquet operations

Menu development

Food safety (HACCP)

Inventory management

Communication

Education

Culinary degree

Job description

We're People People. Are you?

We're Sonesta International Hotels-the 8th largest hotel company in the U.S. (and growing fast).

With a dynamic mix of full-service and focused hotels across major cities, our diverse portfolio of owned, managed, and franchised properties means we’re everywhere our guests need us to be.

But here's the thing-we're not just in the business of hotels, we're in the business of people. We bring service with passion, loyalty with purpose, and create experiences that genuinely connect-delivering quality, value, and memorable stays across 1,000+ properties in eight countries (and counting).

What this role is all about

Incredible guest experiences start in the kitchen. As the Banquet Chef, you'll play a key leadership role in delivering exceptional culinary experiences while helping lead the day-to-day operations of our kitchen teams.

This role is perfect for someone who thrives in a fast-paced hospitality environment and loves combining culinary creativity with operational leadership. You'll partner closely with the Executive Chef to oversee banquets, catering, and special events while ensuring consistency, quality, efficiency, and an exceptional guest experience across all culinary operations.

You’ll help lead and inspire kitchen teams, support menu execution, drive operational excellence, and create a positive, collaborative culture that reflects Sonesta's people people philosophy.

If you're passionate about food, leadership, hospitality, and creating memorable dining experiences - we'd love to meet you.

What you'll be doing

Supervise the daily production and distribution of all banquet foods; ensure recipes, production sheets and standards are followed, the appropriate quantity is prepared and safety standards and regulations are followed in order to provide top quality goods for an enhanced guest experience
Supervise kitchen team members, providing coaching, training, scheduling, and hands-on leadership to ensure operational excellence and strong team performance.
Ensure food quality, consistency, presentation, portioning, and service standards are maintained across all culinary outlets.
Assist with menu development, seasonal offerings, banquet menus, and food innovation initiatives.
Oversee food preparation, kitchen workflow, and line operations to ensure efficiency during high-volume service periods.
Support inventory management, food ordering, receiving, and product quality control processes.
Monitor food costs, labor costs, waste reduction, and kitchen productivity to support profitability goals.
Ensure compliance with food safety regulations, sanitation standards, HACCP guidelines, and health department requirements.
Partner closely with Banquets, Catering, Food & Beverage, and hotel leadership teams to execute meetings, weddings, conferences, and events, successfully.
Help maintain a clean, safe, organized, and high-performing kitchen environment.
Step into operational leadership responsibilities in the absence of the Executive Chef as needed.
Support employee engagement, culinary training, development, and succession planning initiatives within the kitchen team.
Any other duties as assigned.

Anticipated Pay Range & Additional Job Information

What great looks like

Culinary degree or formal culinary training preferred.
3+ years in a similar role with multi-outlet and large-volume banquet experience.
Understanding of professional cooking and banquet production
Strong knowledge of food preparation, banquet operations, catering, inventory management, and kitchen operations.
Experience managing food quality, labor productivity, food costs, purchasing, and operational performance standards.
Strong leadership and team development skills with the ability to motivate and support culinary teams in a fast-paced environment.
Knowledge of food safety regulations, HACCP standards, sanitation practices, and health department compliance requirements.
Ability to multitask, problem-solve, and remain calm under pressure during busy service periods.
Excellent communication, organizational, and collaboration skills.
Creative mindset with a passion for hospitality, food innovation, teamwork, and exceptional guest experiences.
Flexible availability including evenings, weekends, and holidays as required in a hospitality environment.

How we reward you

At Sonesta, we know showing up for our guests starts with showing up for our people. That means supporting your health, your financial future, and everything in between.

Here's a snapshot of what we offer: