Executive Sous Chef at JFK Airport (Paris Cafe)

Paradies Lagardère; New York (NY); On-site; USD 45,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Paradies Lagardère is seeking a seasoned foodservice professional to oversee vendor relations and strategic alliances for prepared foods in New York. You will negotiate terms, drive product innovation, and ensure quality across multiple programs.

You will lead tastings and audits, manage line launches and expansions, and mentor culinary staff while aligning with seasonal and customer expectations. The role emphasizes data-driven decisions, space planning, and operational leadership.

Qualifications

• Excellent customer service skills with strong communication abilities.
• Self-starter capable of prioritizing and handling multiple tasks.

Responsibilities

• Builds cooperative relationships with national and local market prepared food vendors.
• Develop strategic alliances based on innovation and product development.
• Negotiate pricing, vendor programs, delivery, and payment terms for prepared food products.
• Facilitate promotional opportunities and support agreements.
• Be first to market in new products, innovation, and points of difference.
• Conduct regular Quality Assurance tastings and evaluations for recipe adherence and food quality.
• Launch/expand ready-to-sell prepared food lines and manage exit strategies for underperforming merchandise.
• Complete required reports, logs, and culinary audits in a timely manner.
• Contribute to and execute parts of the culinary strategic plan for the division.
• Launch line reviews aligning with customer and seasonal expectations.
• Use data-driven decisions to drive growth and profitability.
• Assist with kitchen schematics and arrange efficient space adjacencies.
• Orientate new cooks to standards and established food programs.
• Support new restaurant openings and renovations.
• Provide leadership to culinary team members and kitchen managers.
• Assist with training, coaching and development of staff.

Skills

Customer service

Effective communication

Team oriented

Self-starter

Education

ServSafe Food Manager Certification

Job description

• Builds cooperative relationships with national and local market prepared food vendors.
• Develop strategic alliances based on innovation and product development.
• Negotiate pricing, vendor programs, delivery, and payment terms for prepared food products.
• Facilitate mutually beneficial agreements around promotional opportunities and support.
• Be first to market in new products, innovation, and points of difference.
• Conduct regular Quality Assurance tastings and evaluations to ensure recipe adherence, food quality, and consistency.
• Launch/expand successful prepared food product lines and implement successful exit strategies for unproductive merchandise.
• Completes all required reports, logs, and culinary audits/reviews in a timely manner.
• Lead, contribute to and execute parts of the culinary strategic plan for the division.
• Launch line reviews in support of customer and seasonal expectations.
• Leverage fact-based decision making to drive growth and profitability.
• Assists in kitchen schematics design and recommends adjacencies that support the efficiency of the space.
• Orientates new cooks within their respective area, core culinary standards and established food programs.
• Provides support for new restaurant openings and/or renovations.
• Provides leadership to culinary team members and kitchen managers.
• Assists with training, coaching and development of culinary team members.

Duties And Responsibilities

• Builds cooperative relationships with national and local market prepared food vendors.
• Develop strategic alliances based on innovation and product development.
• Negotiate pricing, vendor programs, delivery, and payment terms for prepared food products.
• Facilitate mutually beneficial agreements around promotional opportunities and support.
• Be first to market in new products, innovation, and points of difference.
• Conduct regular Quality Assurance tastings and evaluations to ensure recipe adherence, food quality, and consistency.
• Launch/expand successful prepared food product lines and implement successful exit strategies for unproductive merchandise.
• Completes all required reports, logs, and culinary audits/reviews in a timely manner.
• Lead, contribute to and execute parts of the culinary strategic plan for the division.
• Launch line reviews in support of customer and seasonal expectations.
• Leverage fact-based decision making to drive growth and profitability.
• Assists in kitchen schematics design and recommends adjacencies that support the efficiency of the space.
• Orientates new cooks within their respective area, core culinary standards and established food programs.
• Provides support for new restaurant openings and/or renovations.
• Provides leadership to culinary team members and kitchen managers.
• Assists with training, coaching and development of culinary team members.

Education, Experience, Certifications

• Proficient in the following dimensions of restaurant functions: food planning and preparation, purchasing, sanitation, security, company policies and procedures, personnel management, record-keeping, and preparation of reports.
• Obtain and maintain current ServSafe Food Manager’s Certification within six months of hire/promotion.

Position Qualifications

• Ability to work various shifts in a 7/365 team oriented environment
• Excellent customer service skills and an ability to communicate effectively
• Self-starter able to prioritize and handle various tasks simultaneously
• Proficient in the following dimensions of restaurant functions: food planning and preparation, purchasing, sanitation, security, company policies and procedures, personnel management, recordkeeping, and preparation of reports.
• Ability to lift a minimum of 25 lbs. perform essential job functions such as standing, bending, reaching, climbing on ladder, and walking long distances.
• Standing for long periods of time and the ability to work in environment with varying temperatures.

Paradies Lagardere is an equal opportunity employer.