Chef de Cuisine: Lead Coastal Kitchen & Banquets

Dream Inn Santa Cruz; Santa Cruz (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Dream Inn Santa Cruz is seeking a Chef de Cuisine to oversee the daily culinary operations of Jack O’Neill Restaurant & Lounge. You will partner with the Executive Chef to ensure exceptional food quality, menu execution, sanitation, and guest dining excellence.

You will lead and support kitchen operations, including banquet production, ordering, inventory, training, and labor management in a high-volume setting.

Qualifications

• Culinary degree or professional culinary certification preferred.
• 2–3 years of experience in a culinary leadership role (Sous Chef, Chef de Cuisine, Banquet Chef).
• Experience in high-volume restaurant, hotel, or resort operations preferred.
• Experience with coastal cuisine, seafood, banquet production, and upscale dining preferred.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily food preparation and execution for all service periods.
• Ensure all items are prepared and presented per recipes and standards.
• Assist in menu development with Executive Chef.
• Supervise and train culinary staff to maintain performance and consistency.
• Coordinate kitchen production and timing for efficient service.
• Uphold sanitation, safety, and health-regulation standards.
• Monitor inventory, food costs, and waste; manage labor costs.
• Communicate with front-of-house teams about daily specials and menu items.
• Attend meetings and complete duties assigned by Executive Chef or leadership.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Team player

Customer focus

Organizational skills

Time management

Problem solving

Culinary innovation

Education

Culinary degree or culinary certification

Tools

MS Office

POS systems

Job description

Dream Inn Santa Cruz is seeking a Chef de Cuisine to oversee the daily culinary operations of Jack O’Neill Restaurant & Lounge. You will partner with the Executive Chef to ensure exceptional food quality, menu execution, sanitation, and guest dining excellence.

You will lead and support kitchen operations, including banquet production, ordering, inventory, training, and labor management in a high-volume setting.