Creative Sous Chef - Lead Kitchen & Menu Innovation

Bon Appétit Management Company; Portland (OR); On-site; USD 65,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

Life Insurance/ AD

Disability Insurance

Retirement Plan

Paid Time Off

Holiday Time Off

Associate Shopping Program

Health and Wellness Programs

Discount MarketplaceIdentity Theft Pro

Pet Insurance

Commuter Benefits

Employee Assistance Program

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

Paid Parental Leave

Personal Leave

Job summary

Bon Appetit in Portland seeks a hands-on Sous Chef to support a high-volume foodservice operation. You will work closely with the Executive Chef, oversee daily kitchen activities, and develop culinary team members while ensuring top quality and safety standards.

The ideal candidate brings strong culinary expertise, cost control, and catering event experience, with a collaborative leadership style suited for a fast-paced environment. This role emphasizes menu development and guest satisfaction.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of progressive culinary experience, including at least 1 year in a supervisory or management role.
• Experience in high-volume restaurants, hospitality, corporate dining, catering, or related foodservice environments.
• Demonstrated success leading, coaching, and developing culinary teams in fast-paced operations.
• Strong knowledge of food production, culinary techniques, menu execution, and quality assurance practices.
• Experience creating menu specials, seasonal offerings, and innovative food concepts.

Responsibilities

• Lead back-of-house operations, ensuring food quality, consistency, presentation, and guest satisfaction standards are met daily.
• Supervise, train, coach, and develop culinary team members in food preparation, cooking techniques, sanitation standards, workplace safety, and operational excellence.
• Create and execute weekly menu specials and featured offerings, including bowls, sandwiches, burgers, salads, and other fresh culinary concepts.
• Conduct daily food tastings to ensure flavor profiles, quality standards, recipes, and presentation expectations are met.
• Forecast, order, receive, and manage inventory levels to support business needs while minimizing waste and controlling costs.
• Plan, coordinate, and execute catering events with minimal supervision while ensuring timely delivery and exceptional presentation.
• Maintain and audit all required operational logs, including production, sanitation, cleaning, deep-cleaning, temperature, cooling, receiving, and cooking documentation.
• Lead daily safety meetings and reinforce a culture of safety, accountability, and operational excellence.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Problem-solving

Education

Associate's Degree in Culinary Arts

ServSafe Certification

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Bon Appetit in Portland seeks a hands-on Sous Chef to support a high-volume foodservice operation. You will work closely with the Executive Chef, oversee daily kitchen activities, and develop culinary team members while ensuring top quality and safety standards.

The ideal candidate brings strong culinary expertise, cost control, and catering event experience, with a collaborative leadership style suited for a fast-paced environment. This role emphasizes menu development and guest satisfaction.