Executive Chef

City Colleges of Chicago; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 63,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

City Colleges of Chicago's Washburne Culinary & Hospitality Institute seeks an Executive Chef to lead daily kitchen operations for the Restaurant, Café/Bakery, and catering functions. You will recruit, train, and supervise staff, ensure food safety, control costs, and uphold CCC standards.

Reporting to the Executive Dean-Washburne, you will design menus, mentor students, manage inventory, and collaborate with dining services to deliver high-quality experiences while supporting the college's

Qualifications

• Associates Degree in Culinary Arts and at least 5 years of relevant experience.
• Illinois Food Handler's Certificate, where applicable.
• Certificate of Completion from an Approved Culinary Institute.
• Advanced understanding of culinary principles and practices.
• HR management experience with staff development and supervision.
• Experience training and supervising employees, organizing work and schedules.
• Strong knowledge of back-of-house systems, purchasing and inventory.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to meet deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Oversees kitchen operations and maintains a safe, sanitary environment.
• Trains kitchen staff on cooking techniques, safety and SOPs.
• Manages food deliveries, creates dishes, and maintains freshness.
• Ensures SOP compliance and updates procedures as needed.
• Hygiene inspections and equipment sanitation.
• Designs recipes, plans menus, and presents plates.
• Assesses staffing needs and assists in hiring/training.
• Manages inventory and purchases; tracks budget and costs.
• Develops performance standards and monitors quality and teamwork.
• Gathers feedback from guests and resolves concerns promptly.
• Instructs CCC students in kitchen operations and related domains.
• Represent WCHI at events and support marketing and outreach.

Skills

Culinary leadership

HR management

Staff development

BOH systems

Food prep skills

Cooking skills

Inventory control

Education

Associates Degree in Culinary Arts

Culinary Institute certificate

Job description

EXECUTIVE CHEF – FULL TIME

WASHBURNE CULINARY & HOSPITALITY INSTITUTE

KENNEDY-KING COLLEGE

City Colleges of Chicago’s vision is to be recognized as the city’smost accessible higher education engine of socioeconomic mobilityand racial equity – empowering all Chicagoans to take part inbuilding a stronger and more just city. The community collegesystem’s more than 3,500 faculty and staff serve more than 60,000students annually at seven colleges and five satellite sites.

Founded in 1936, Washburne Culinary & Hospitality Institute(WCHI) is one of the oldest culinary schools in the nation andprovides students with the latest culinary and baking techniques,along with essential hands-on experience to ensure they areequipped to work in Chicago’s most successful restaurants, hotels,private clubs and other culinary establishments.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

Reporting to the Executive Dean-Washburne, the Executive Chef isresponsible for leading and managing the daily culinary operationsof the Restaurant, Café/Bakery, and catering related functions forthe WCHI Enterprise. This role is pivotal in enhancing guest andemployee/student satisfaction while maximizing the financialperformance across all operational areas. The Executive Chef plays a crucial role in recruiting and retainingtalented staff, fostering a collaborative work environment,optimizing team productivity, and seamlessly stepping in to fillany staffing gaps when team members are absent. Performs relatedduties as required.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Oversees kitchen operations while maintaining a safe andsanitary work environment for staff and students.
• Provides comprehensive training to kitchen staff on foodpreparation techniques, safe handling procedures, equipmentoperation, and adherence to food safety and sanitation regulations, in alignment with CCC guidelines and regulatory standards.Addresses any issues or concerns promptly and effectively, fostering a culture of proactive problem-solving and continuousimprovement within the kitchen team.
• Manages food supply deliveries, creates distinctive dishes, andmaintains a focus on timely service, freshness, and dishquality.
• Oversees and ensures compliance with standard operatingprocedures (SOPs). Reviews and enhances existing SOPs as requiredto ensure relevance and effectiveness.
• Ensures strict adherence to hygiene policies and standardsthroughout all areas of the kitchen and dining facility. Conductsregular inspections of kitchen equipment, surfaces, and utensils toverify cleanliness and sanitation levels.
• Designs new recipes, plans menus, and selects platepresentations.
• Assesses staffing needs to achieve service, operational, andfinancial objectives. Assists in hiring and training kitchenpersonnel, including cooks, food preparers, and dishwashers.
• Conducts various administrative duties, including inventorymanagement of food and equipment supplies within establishedguideline, as well as completing purchase orders for necessaryitems.
• Develops performance standards and metrics for all kitchenstaff, outlining expectations and benchmarks for quality,efficiency, professionalism, and teamwork.
• Gathers feedback on food and service quality and addresses anycustomer concerns or complaints promptly and effectively.
• Instructs WCHI students about kitchen operations within therestaurant industry and other food preparation domains
• Represents WCHI at community events, conferences, and otherrelevant forums to promote the school's restaurant, catering andeducational missions. Performs other marketing and promotionalduties as needed.
• Develops and tests recipes and techniques for food preparationand presentation, to ensure consistent high quality whilecontrolling food costs, exercising portion control across menuitems served. Assists in establishing menu selling prices.
• Compiles essential data for the budget within the designatedarea of responsibility. Projects annual expenses for food, labor,and waste costs, and closely monitors actual financial outcomes.Implements corrective measures as needed to ensure alignment withfinancial objectives.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Associates Degree from an accredited college or university inCulinary Arts with at least 5 years of relevant experience.
• Ability to obtain State of Illinois Food Handler's Certificate,where applicable.
• Certificate of Completion from an Approved CulinaryInstitute.
• Advanced understanding of culinary principles andpractices.
• Proficiency in human resources management, including staffdevelopment and supervision.
• Experience in training and supervising employees, organizingwork assignments and schedules, and prioritizing tasks.
• Excellent knowledge of back-of-house (BOH) systems, orderingand inventory management.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Ability to meet deadlines effectively.
• Flexibility to work on-call, shifts, after hours, weekends, andholidays as needed.
• Knowledge of planning and scheduling techniques.
• Knowledge of supplies, equipment, and/or services ordering andinventory control.
• Knowledge and enforcement of safety procedures.
• Expertise in planning a variety of menus.
• Ability to coordinate quality assurance programs in area ofspecialty.
• Ability to develop and test recipes and/or techniques for foodpreparation/presentation.
• Proficiency in ala carte and function set-up procedures.
• Strong cooking and food preparation skills.

Salary Range: $63,394-$80,000

Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education,knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as other factors such asinternal equity.

Benefits information is found at https://www.ccc.edu/departments/Benefits/

Chicago residency is required for all full-time employees within six months of hire.

We are an equal opportunity and affirmative actionemployer.

Thank you for your interest in City Colleges of Chicago!