Catering & Events - Head Chef/Culinary Lead

Workstream; Bel Air (MD); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Lib's Catering is seeking an Event Head Chef to drive culinary execution and final-stage event prep. You will interpret the client vision, coordinate with the Event Manager, and lead the HOH crew for flawless service from setup to cleanup.

You will attend pre-event walkthroughs, contribute to menu planning, and provide post-event summaries. The role requires flexibility for evenings/weekends/holidays and strong collaboration with the Catering Director.

Qualifications

• Experience in a high-volume catering environment.
• Proven experience as a Head Chef or similar role.
• Strong organizational and multitasking skills.
• Excellent communication skills, particularly with the Event Manager and HOH team.
• Ability to adapt to new venues and operational plans, attending walkthroughs as needed.
• Experience contributing to and leading discussions in team meetings.
• Flexibility to work evenings, weekends and holidays as required by event schedules.
• Familiarity with Kanban project management tools, Google Calendar, Hotschedules logbook and related software.

Responsibilities

• Participate in the Final Walkthrough with the Event Manager and update notes in the Kanban board.
• Receive event updates and contribute to menu planning and preparation.
• Attend the Event Leads Meeting the week before the event and confirm assigned HOH team members.
• Report to the venue on event day with the HOH Crew for seamless execution from setup to cleanup.
• Provide an event summary and recap in post-event records and Kanban board.
• Collaborate on post-event feedback with the Catering Director and Event Manager to drive improvements.

Skills

High-volume catering experience

Head Chef experience or equivalent

Organizational multitasking

Excellent communication

Venue adaptability

Team meeting leadership

Evenings/weekends/holidays flexibility

Kanban knowledge and calendar tools

Job description

• Catering & Events - Head Chef/Culinary Lead

Catering & Events - Head Chef/Culinary Lead

As an Event Head Chef at Lib's Catering, you will play a pivotal role in coordinating the final stages of planning and the culinary execution of events. To ensure the seamless delivery of our services in line with our brand vision and values. This role reports directly to the Executive Chef and offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the growth and success of a dynamic catering company.

Description of the Event Head Chef Role:

The initial client meetings, planning and coordination will be conducted by the Sales Manager and Catering Director. As we approach an event date, the Event Manager, will be assigned a “Final Walkthrough” via Google Calendar. Most of the time, the Event Head Chef will not have a responsibility to attend a walkthrough. In the case that we will be executing at a new venue and/or the venue has changed its operational plans, the head chef would attend to ensure seamless culinary execution. based on their scheduled events for the following month. The Head Chef will participate in the “Final Walkthrough” alongside the Event Manager, taking copious and detailed notes of the client’s vision for execution, asking pertinent culinary execution related questions and be responsible to update these notes in the Kanban board.

From the date of “Final Walkthrough” until execution of the event, the Head Chef will be available to receive updates about the event, answer any questions related to culinary execution that the Event Manager may have coming from the client as well as contribute the planning and prep of the menu execution. Responses to clients will often be incumbent on responses from the Head Chef so it is important that the communications between the Head Chef and Event Manager occur in a timely manner.

The week prior to the event, the Event Head Chef will be required to attend the “Event Leads Meeting” and actively contribute to the discussion of their event (generally held on Tuesday at 5pm, but subject to change). After this meeting, they will also be responsible for messaging and confirming their assigned HOH team members for the event (via text message).

On the day of the event, the Event Head Chef will report to the venue with the HOH Crew and be responsible for the seamless execution of the event from setup through clean up. After an event, the Event Head Chef will contribute an event summary and recap in the Hotschedules logbook and Kanban Events Board.

The Catering Director will send all post-event feedback correspondence and communicate any information provided about the event to the Event Manager in a constructive, solution-seeking or celebratory manner. This feedback, from the client as well as our team members, is very important to the continued growth and success of our brand.

Responsibilities:

• As Needed, participate in the "Final Walkthrough" alongside the Event Manager, taking detailed notes of the client's vision for execution, asking pertinent culinary execution related questions, and updating these notes in the Kanban board.
• Be available to receive updates about the event, answer culinary execution-related questions from the Event Manager, and contribute to the planning and prep of the menu execution.
• Attend the "Event Leads Meeting" the week prior to the event, actively contributing to the discussion of their event and messaging/confirming assigned HOH team members for the event via text message.
• On the day of the event, report to the venue with the HOH Crew and be responsible for the seamless execution of the event from setup through clean up.
• Contribute an event summary and recap in the Hotschedules logbook and Kanban Events Board after each event.
• Collaborate with the Catering Director on post-event feedback correspondence, ensuring timely communication with the Event Manager and addressing client and team feedback constructively.

Qualifications:

• Experience in a high-volume catering environment
• Proven experience as a Head Chef or similar role, with a track record of successful event execution.
• Strong organizational and multitasking skills, with the ability to manage details and contribute to event planning.
• Excellent communication skills, particularly in timely and effective communication with the Event Manager and HOH team members.
• Ability to adapt to new venues and operational plans, attending walkthroughs as needed for seamless culinary execution.
• Experience in contributing to and leading discussions in team meetings.
• Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as required by event schedules.
• Familiarity with Kanban project management tools, Google Calendar, Hotschedules logbook, and other relevant software.