Executive Sous Chef Temporary

reitmr; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 80,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance

Health Savings Account with Company $

401(k) Retirement Plan with Company $

Paid Vacation and Sick Days

Sonesta Hotel Discounts

Educational Assistance

Paid Parental

Job summary

Sonesta International Hotels is seeking an Executive Sous Chef to lead day-to-day culinary and kitchen operations across restaurants, banquets, catering, room service, and events. You will supervise teams, enforce quality, and partner with leadership to deliver exceptional guest dining experiences.

The ideal candidate has 3+ years in culinary leadership in high-volume hospitality, strong HACCP knowledge, and a passion for teamwork, cooking innovation, and guest satisfaction.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of culinary leadership experience in hotels, restaurants, resorts, banquets, or high-volume hospitality environments.
• Previous Sous Chef or Kitchen Leadership experience preferred.
• Strong knowledge of food preparation, banquet operations, catering, inventory management, and kitchen operations.
• Strong leadership and team development skills with the ability to motivate and support culinary teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Knowledge of food safety regulations, HACCP standards, sanitation practices, and health department compliance requirements.
• Ability to multitask, problem-solve, and remain calm under pressure during busy service periods.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day culinary and kitchen operations across restaurants, banquets, catering, room service, and events.
• Supervise kitchen team members with coaching, scheduling, and hands-on leadership.
• Ensure high-quality food preparation, presentation, and service standards.
• Assist with menu development and seasonal offerings.
• Oversee inventory management, food ordering, and quality control.
• Monitor food and labor costs and waste to support profitability.
• Ensure compliance with HACCP and health department requirements.
• Collaborate with Banquets, Catering, F&B and hotel leadership to execute events.
• Maintain a clean, safe, and high-performing kitchen.
• Step in as interim operations lead when the Executive Chef is absent.
• Support employee engagement and culinary training.

Skills

Culinary leadership

Team leadership

Menu development

Food safety

Education

Culinary degree

Job description

We're People People. Are you?

We're Sonesta International Hotels-the 8th largest hotel company in the U.S. (and growing fast).

With a dynamic mix of full-service and focused hotels across major cities, our diverse portfolio of owned, managed, and franchised properties means we're everywhere our guests need us to be.

But here's the thing-we're not just in the business of hotels, we're in the business of people. We bring service with passion, loyalty with purpose, and create experiences that genuinely connect-delivering quality, value, and memorable stays across 1,000+ properties in eight countries (and counting).

What this role is all about

Incredible guest experiences start in the kitchen. As the Executive Sous Chef, you'll play a key leadership role in delivering exceptional culinary experiences while helping lead the day-to-day operations of our kitchen teams.

What this role is all about

This role is perfect for someone who thrives in a fast-paced hospitality environment and loves combining culinary creativity with operational leadership. You'll partner closely with the Executive Chef to oversee restaurant dining, banquets, catering, room service, and special events while ensuring consistency, quality, efficiency, and an exceptional guest experience across all culinary operations.

You'll help lead and inspire kitchen teams, support menu execution, drive operational excellence, and create a positive, collaborative culture that reflects Sonesta's people people philosophy.

If you're passionate about food, leadership, hospitality, and creating memorable dining experiences - we'd love to meet you.

What you'll be doing

• Support the Executive Chef in leading all day-to-day culinary and kitchen operations across restaurants, banquets, catering, room service, and special events.
• Supervise kitchen team members, providing coaching, training, scheduling, and hands-on leadership to ensure operational excellence and strong team performance.
• Ensure food quality, consistency, presentation, portioning, and service standards are maintained across all culinary outlets.
• Assist with menu development, seasonal offerings, banquet menus, and food innovation initiatives.
• Oversee food preparation, kitchen workflow, and line operations to ensure efficiency during high-volume service periods.
• Support inventory management, food ordering, receiving, and product quality control processes.
• Monitor food costs, labor costs, waste reduction, and kitchen productivity to support profitability goals.
• Ensure compliance with food safety regulations, sanitation standards, HACCP guidelines, and health department requirements.
• Partner closely with Banquets, Catering, Food & Beverage, and hotel leadership teams to execute meetings, weddings, conferences, and events , successfully.
• Help maintain a clean, safe, organized, and high-performing kitchen environment.
• Step into operational leadership responsibilities in the absence of the Executive Chef as needed.
• Support employee engagement, culinary training, development, and succession planning initiatives within the kitchen team.
• Any other duties as assigned.

What great looks like

• Culinary degree or formal culinary training preferred.
• 3+ years of culinary leadership experience in hotels, restaurants, resorts, banquets, or high-volume hospitality environments.
• Previous Sous Chef or Kitchen Leadership experience preferred.
• Strong knowledge of food preparation, banquet operations, catering, inventory management, and kitchen operations.
• Experience managing food quality, labor productivity, food costs, purchasing, and operational performance standards.
• Strong leadership and team development skills with the ability to motivate and support culinary teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Knowledge of food safety regulations, HACCP standards, sanitation practices, and health department compliance requirements.
• Ability to multitask, problem-solve, and remain calm under pressure during busy service periods.Excellent communication, organizational, and collaboration skills.
• Creative mindset with a passion for hospitality, food innovation, teamwork, and exceptional guest experiences.
• Flexible availability including evenings, weekends, and holidays as required in a hospitality environment.

Anticipated Pay Range & Additional Job Information

Pay range is $80,000 - $90,000 and are eligible for a Bonus Plan.

The base pay offered may vary based on various factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and specific/overall experience.

Sonesta recognizes that benefits play a vital role in helping ensure the health and financial security of employees and their families. We offer a variety of benefits to our employees including:

• - Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance
• - Health Savings Account with Company Match
• - 401(k) Retirement Plan with Company Match
• - Paid Vacation and Sick Days
• - Sonesta Hotel Discounts
• - Educational Assistance
• - Paid Parenta