Culinary Lead for Taproom & Beer Pairings

Big Grove Brewery

West Cedar Rapids (IA)

On-site

USD 70,000 - 100,000

Full time

22 hours ago

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Job summary

Big Grove Brewery in West Cedar Rapids is seeking a Chef de Cuisine to lead the culinary team in our bustling taproom, crafting menus that celebrate local ingredients and pair beautifully with our award-winning beers.

You will direct menu development, pricing, inventory control, and back-of-house scheduling, while mentoring cooks and ensuring top-tier food safety and sanitation standards. This is a hands-on leadership role focused on guest experience and financial performance.

Qualifications

5+ years of leadership experience in a professional kitchen.
Proven ability to create innovative brewery/taproom menus.
Experience managing high-volume kitchens.
Strong team recruitment, training, and mentoring.
Solid food costing, inventory controls, and budget targets.
Mastery of diverse cooking techniques and seasonal menu planning.
In-depth knowledge of food safety regulations and sanitation.

Responsibilities

Create raving fans through culinary experiences by demand, creativity and quality.
Menu planning and development. Keep up on culinary trends and continually innovate and improve the menu offerings.
Menu Costing and Pricing: Work with the Culinary Director, Executive Chef, and Store Director to determine menu prices by considering factors such as ingredient costs, labor expenses, and desired profit margins. Analyze menu performance and make adjustments as necessary.
Inventory controls: Order appropriate inventory levels, monitor costs of products, reduce waste, keep accurate inventory records.
Work as a leadership team to hit location goals and metrics; accountable for the financial performance of the Back of House.
Food Safety and Sanitation: enforce strict adherence to food safety regulations and sanitation standards. Ensure proper storage, handling, and cooking of food, as well as cleanliness and maintenance of kitchen equipment and facilities.
LMA. Create an environment for growth for yourself and those around you; responsible for developing the Back of House leadership team.
Staff Training and Development: Provide guidance on cooking techniques, food preparation, and presentation. Conduct training and promote a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
Accountable for Back of House scheduling that achieves labor cost goals
On a daily basis- Ensure pre and post shift tasks are being completed by all to open and close restaurant in tip top condition
Effectively manage the BOH team for the entirety of the employee cycle. Use performance tools tied to values with staff: Quarterly Conversations, Culture Builders, Annual Pay Reviews, PIPs, Write Ups, etc .
Team focused approach
Safety minded
Advanced culinary skills
High competency in kitchen math
Detailed, Organized and Thorough
Be a high performing Big Grove team member with ability to look at business as a whole, communicate with all people, collaborate with all departments, work to solve organizational problems, and accomplish goals. Contribute to and exemplify Big Grove values, vision, standards, and culture.
Supervisory Responsibility: Yes. Supervises all Back of The House staff. Works closely with Front of the House Leadership to ensure Big Grove is operative the best way possible.
This position operates in a hospitality/ brewery environment. This role routinely uses cleaning supplies, point of sale terminal systems and potentially dangerous equipment.