Campus Café Executive Sous Chef — High-Volume & Innovative

Bon Appétit Management Company; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid parking

Uniforms provided

Safety shoes provided

Growth opportunities

Exposure to high-volume cafe ops

Collaborative culinary culture

Job summary

Bon Appetit Management Company is seeking a Café Executive Sous Chef for Arbuckle Café at Stanford Graduate School of Business. You will lead daily kitchen operations, oversee 20 union culinary staff, and partner with the Executive Chef on menus and features for breakfast and lunch service in a high-volume environment.

Join a team delivering diverse cuisines with strong safety standards and a focus on hospitality. This role offers growth opportunities within a renowned campus dining program.

Qualifications

• Associate's Degree in Culinary Arts, culinary certificate, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Progressive culinary leadership experience in corporate dining, higher education, hospitality, restaurant, or catering environments.
• Experience leading teams in a high-volume foodservice operation.
• Experience working within a union environment preferred.
• Strong background in scratch cooking and a variety of global cuisines.
• Catering and special event experience strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of food costing, inventory management, and purchasing practices.
• P&L experience is a plus but not required.
• Comprehensive knowledge of food safety, sanitation, production systems, and culinary trends.
• ServSafe Certification preferred.
• Strong computer skills including Microsoft Office applications.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day café kitchen operations, ensuring exceptional food quality, consistency, and service execution.
• Supervise, coach, and develop approximately 20 hourly union culinary associates.
• Partner with the Executive Chef to develop menus, seasonal offerings, recipes, and daily features that align with guest preferences and current culinary trends.
• Oversee food production for breakfast and lunch service, ensuring efficient execution in a high-volume environment.
• Support catering operations as needed, including large-scale events, conferences, leadership functions, and annual commencement activities.
• Maintain high standards of food safety, sanitation, workplace safety, and HACCP compliance.
• Assist with purchasing, receiving, inventory management, product utilization, and cost controls.
• Monitor labor efficiency and support staffing and scheduling initiatives across the operation.
• Ensure proper training, onboarding, and professional development of culinary team members.
• Collaborate closely with front-of-house and catering teams to deliver exceptional hospitality experiences.
• Assist in implementing new culinary programs, recipes, and initiatives developed by Bon Appétit's regional culinary leadership.
• Contribute to financial performance through effective management of food cost, waste reduction, and operational efficiencies.

Skills

Culinary leadership

Union experience

Scratch cooking

Catering & events

Food costing

Food safety

ServSafe

Microsoft Office

Education

Associates degree in Culinary Arts

Job description

Bon Appetit Management Company is seeking a Café Executive Sous Chef for Arbuckle Café at Stanford Graduate School of Business. You will lead daily kitchen operations, oversee 20 union culinary staff, and partner with the Executive Chef on menus and features for breakfast and lunch service in a high-volume environment.

Join a team delivering diverse cuisines with strong safety standards and a focus on hospitality. This role offers growth opportunities within a renowned campus dining program.