Banquet Cook - The National

Coury Hospitality; Oklahoma City (OK); On-site; USD 22,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Coury Hospitality operates The National in Oklahoma City and is seeking a Banquet Cook to help deliver exceptional events. You will prepare a variety of banquet dishes, following standardized recipes and production records, and maintain high quality at volume.

Join our culinary team to set up, maintain, and break down your station, ensure food safety, and present meals with consistent taste and presentation during weddings, meetings, and conferences.

Qualifications

• One year of previous food preparation or professional kitchen experience required.
• Previous banquet, catering, fine dining, hotel, or luxury hospitality experience preferred.
• Ability to read, write, and perform basic mathematical calculations.
• Ability to follow banquet menus, standardized recipes, production records, and written and verbal instructions.
• Ability to accurately weigh and measure ingredients.
• Experience with high-volume food preparation preferred.
• Strong understanding of food preparation, sanitation, food safety, and proper food-handling procedures.
• Good knife skills and the ability to safely operate a variety of kitchen equipment.
• Ability to adapt to changing event schedules, guest counts, procedures, and business needs.

Responsibilities

• Prepare food for weddings, meetings, private dining, conferences, and other banquet events.
• Set up, maintain, and break down your assigned kitchen station according to event needs and company standards.
• Follow banquet menus, standardized recipes, production records, and portion sizes and quality standards.
• Prepare a variety of menu items using techniques such as roasting, broiling, baking, frying, steaming, and stewing.
• Work with the culinary team to prepare large-volume food while maintaining consistency, quality, and presentation.
• Safely operate a variety of kitchen equipment.
• Keep workstations, storage areas, tools, equipment, and floors clean and organized throughout the shift.

Skills

Knife skills

Food safety knowledge

Read recipes

Teamwork

Tools

Kitchen equipment operation

Job description

The National is hiring for aBanquet Cook.

You should join our team if you believe...

• That great food is at the heart of every memorable event.
• That consistency, quality, and attention to detail matter whether preparing food for ten guests or hundreds.
• That successful banquet service starts with preparation, organization, and teamwork behind the scenes.
• That following recipes, portion standards, and proper food safety practices ensures every guest receives an exceptional experience.
• That flexibility and communication are essential when event schedules, menus, and guest counts can change.
• That every plate prepared is an opportunity to create an UNMATCHED MOMENT.

You’re a great fit for this role if you love...

• Preparing food for weddings, meetings, private dining, conferences, and other banquet events.
• Setting up, maintaining, and breaking down your assigned kitchen station according to event needs and company standards.
• Following banquet menus, standardized recipes, production records, portion sizes, and quality standards.
• Preparing a variety of menu items using techniques such as roasting, broiling, baking, frying, steaming, and stewing.
• Working with the culinary team to prepare large-volume food while maintaining consistency, quality, and presentation.
• Safely operating a variety of small and large kitchen equipment.
• Keeping workstations, storage areas, tools, equipment, and floors clean and organized throughout the shift.
• Properly disassembling and assembling kitchen equipment and components for cleaning.
• Maintaining proper food rotation, temperatures, storage, cooling, and food-handling procedures.
• Helping control food waste and maintain food costs through proper preparation, portioning, and product handling.
• Identifying food safety hazards, assessing risks, and promptly communicating concerns or maintenance issues to leadership.
• Working closely with the Banquets and Culinary teams to ensure food is prepared and ready according to event timelines.
• Adjusting to changing event needs, guest counts, menus, staffing levels, and service schedules.
• Supporting fellow Kitchen Curators and maintaining open, respectful communication throughout service.
• Responding professionally to questions and requests while helping deliver excellent food and service to every guest.

We’re excited to have you join us because...

• You understand that exceptional banquet food requires preparation, consistency, organization, and teamwork.
• You have previous food preparation experience and are excited to continue developing your culinary skills.
• You can read, write, perform basic mathematical calculations, and accurately follow recipes and production records.
• You are comfortable weighing and measuring ingredients and working with large-volume food preparation.
• You can maintain food quality and consistency during busy events and periods of high business volume.
• You are adaptable and comfortable responding to changes in event schedules, guest counts, menus, staffing, and procedures.
• You can learn and retain a large amount of information and apply it quickly in a fast-paced banquet environment.
• You have good knife skills and understand how to safely operate kitchen equipment.
• You work well independently while also being a dependable and collaborative member of the Culinary team.
• You take initiative and are willing to step in wherever needed to support a successful event.
• You understand that the best banquet experiences are created through teamwork, even when guests never see the work happening behind the scenes.

Education and Experience

• One year of previous food preparation or professional kitchen experience required.
• Previous banquet, catering, fine dining, hotel, or luxury hospitality experience preferred.
• Ability to read, write, and perform basic mathematical calculations.
• Ability to follow banquet menus, standardized recipes, production records, and written and verbal instructions.
• Ability to accurately weigh and measure ingredients.
• Experience with high-volume food preparation preferred.
• Strong understanding of food preparation, sanitation, food safety, and proper food-handling procedures.
• Good knife skills and the ability to safely operate a variety of kitchen equipment.
• Ability to maintain consistent food quality during high-volume events and changing staffing levels.
• Ability to adapt to changing event schedules, guest counts, procedures, and business needs.
• Ability to work independently, demonstrate initiative, and contribute positively to a team environment.
• Ability to work nights, weekends, holidays, and overtime based on event schedules and business needs.

Work Environment and Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand and work on hard surfaces for up to eight hours during a shift.
• Ability to walk, bend, stoop, reach, and move throughout the kitchen during food preparation and service.
• Ability to lift and pull boxes, pans, trays, and other items weighing up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to work in an environment with varying levels of heat and noise depending on event and guest volume.
• Ability to work safely around wet floors, heavy-duty cutlery, cooking equipment, hot surfaces, and other common kitchen hazards.
• Ability to safely handle food, kitchen equipment, cleaning supplies, and other materials according to established safety procedures.
• Ability to maintain professionalism, focus, and attention to detail during high-volume banquet events.
• Must wear closed-toe, non-canvas, non-skid-soled shoes while working.

Here’s the Core of Coury Hospitality:

We have a place for you on our team if your passion is to curate UNMATCHED MOMENTS.

What else do YOU need to know...

This job posting is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. It is not intended to include all duties and responsibilities. The order in which duties and responsibilities are listed is not significant. We are an equal opportunity employer. Employment with the Company is at-will and may be terminated by either the employee or the Company at any time, with or without cause or notice, in accordance with applicable law.