First Cook Banquet

Sandia Resort & Casino; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Sandia Resort & Casino in Albuquerque, NM is seeking a First Cook to lead culinary operations with limited supervision, ensuring high quality food preparation, display, storage and exceptional guest experiences.

Responsibilities include training line cooks, scheduling, maintaining standards, and coordinating with service staff to deliver outstanding meals while upholding safety and sanitation policies.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of culinary techniques and food preparation methods.
• Ability to lead, delegate tasks, and foster a collaborative work environment.
• Strong organizational and communication skills for menu planning and execution.
• Supervise cooks and kitchen staff; ensure safety, sanitation and standards.

Responsibilities

• Assist the Sous Chef/Banquet Chef with training line cooks and with weekly/daily schedules.
• Ensure sanitary, safe, and productive kitchen operations; follow recipes and prep to schedule.
• Oversee food preparation for quality, taste, and presentation to match standards.
• Coordinate with kitchen and service staff to deliver excellent guest experiences.
• Maintain cleanliness of workstations and storage areas; assign daily cleaning tasks.
• Identify equipment needs and follow up on repairs in a timely manner.
• Monitor food temperatures, safety gloves usage, and accurate portions to minimize waste.
• Open and close the kitchen as needed; communicate guest complaints to supervisors.
• Adhere to safety regulations and standards for food handling and sanitation.

Skills

Culinary techniques

Team leadership

Organizational skills

Communication (verbal/written)

Staff supervision

Personnel management

Flexibility

Job description

Position Summary

Lead and manage culinary operations for food venues under limited supervision, ensure high quality food preparation, adherence to standards, display, storage, and exceptional guest experiences

Our philosophy is built on the principles of integrity, fairness, collaboration, communication, and recognition for performance excellence. Meeting all performance standards leads to attracting and retaining a qualified workforce, provides opportunities for qualified team members, and contributes towards the ongoing success of the Pueblo of Sandia today and in the future.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1. Assist the Sous Chef/Banquet Chef with the training of line cooks, and with the preparation of weekly work schedules, and daily break schedules for the pantry staff, daily food production schedule (conforming to cover forecast), and work assignments, ensure kitchen recipes are followed preparation and storeroom requisition preparation to maintain par levels.
2. Assures that all kitchen staff works in a sanitary, safe and productive manner, adheres to our standard recipes and plating instructions and prepares quality food, in a timely fashion conforming to the daily production schedule for appetizers, salads, soups, sauces, entrée items, vegetables.
3. Assures that all food going out on the service line is excellent regarding preparation, taste and presentation. Oversee food preparation processes to maintain consistency, quality, and adherence to standards.
4. Assures that all kitchen employees co-operate with both other kitchen employees as well as restaurant service employees, to assure the best guest service possible.
5. Assures that all kitchen workstations and storage areas are always kept in clean and orderly condition. Assigns daily cleaning tasks to kitchen staff.
6. Advises the Sous Chef/Banquet Chef of any necessary equipment repairs and follows up that repairs are done in a timely manner.
7. Ensures proper temperature requirements are maintained, and temperature logs are completed.
8. Ensures personnel maintain the highest standard of personal sanitation.
9. Investigates and resolves customer guest complaints about food quality/service and informs the Sous Chef/Banquet Chef of guest complaints.
10. Responsible for the opening and closing of the kitchen as necessary.
11. Knowledge of proper safe handling temperatures of food products.
12. Ensure safety gloves and latex food preparation gloves are worn when appropriate.
13. Ensures the correct amount of food is prepared. Does not overproduce to protect against waste.
14. Performs additional duties and responsibilities as necessary or assigned.
15. Punctual and regular attendance is an essential responsibility for all team members and are expected to report to work based upon the assigned schedule each day in accordance with the attendance Policy for Pueblo of Sandia.

Additional Responsibilities

1. Builds a professional relationship with all team members and work associates, while supporting a strong collaborative work environment.
2. Cooperates with other team members, reinforcing a culture of mutual respect, honesty, and Integrity.

Key Performance Indicators

This position has Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) identified as a measurement of success. KPI’s will be shared with all team members who work in this job title and feedback will be provided regarding the successful completion of the KPI’s as part of the performance review process.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

1. Knowledge of culinary techniques, food preparation methods, flavor profile, create high quality dishes for banquet events.
2. Skills in developing diverse and customizable banquet menus, dietary preferences, culinary trends.
3. Ability to lead and motivate a team, delegate tasks effectively, and foster a collaborative and positive work environment.
4. Strong organizational skills to coordinate banquet events, from menu planning to execution, ensuring seamless operation.
5. Strong verbal and written communication skills conveying information clearly and professionally.
6. Ability to supervise and direct the work of cooks and other kitchen staff as assigned.
7. Ability to exercise sound personnel management practices while illustrating firm dispositions in dealing with employee issues.
8. Flexibility to work in a fast pace, dynamic environment with changing priorities and diverse clientele, adapting to different event requirements and challenges.
9. Ability to write and prepare standard reports and documents.
10. Knowledge of buffet line operations.
11. Knowledge of minimum temperature requirements for food/drink preservation.
12. Knowledge of Casino purchasing requirements and regulations desirable.
13. Knowledge of Tribal, Federal, State and local sanitary regulations regarding the preparation, maintenance, storage and sales of food/drink products.

First Cook Qualifications

Education and Experience

1. Two (2) years food preparation experience in a restaurant or food service capacity including one (1) year of supervisory experience.

Note: Relevant work experience or education may be substituted to satisfy education and/or work experience.

License/Certifications/Registrations

1. Must successfully complete the New Mexico Food Handlers course upon.
2. Must be able to successfully pass a stringent background investigation.
3. Will require a pre-employment and random drug screening.

Physical Requirements / Working Conditions

• Crouching – Bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine.
• Feeling – Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature, or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips.
• Finger Dexterity – Picking, pinching, typing or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand as in handling.
• Grasping – Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.
• Hearing – Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discriminations in sound.
• Kneeling – Bending legs at knee to come to a rest on knee or knees.
• Lifting – Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-to-position. This factor is important if it occurs to a considerable degree and requires substantial use of upper extremities and back muscles.
• Pulling – Using upper extremities to exert force to draw, haul, or tug objects in a sustained motion.
• Pushing – Using upper extremities to press against something with steady force to thrust forward, downward, or outward.
• Reaching – Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.
• Seeing – The ability to perceive the nature of objects by the eye.
• Walking – Job requirements include, in the performance of duties, walking throughout the work area, on various work surfaces throughout internal or external locations.
• Standing – Particularly for sustained periods of time.
• Stooping – Bending body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist. This factor is important if it occurs to a considerable degree and requires full motion of the lower extremities and back muscles.
• Talking – Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word. Those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.

Working Conditions Required:

1. Work is performed indoors and outdoors. Outdoor work is subject to extreme temperatures and inclement weather conditions.
2. Must be able to work a flexible schedule including weekends and holidays.
3. Work hours are subject to change with overtime work required.
4. Subject to hazards, which may cause personal bodily harm; smoke, common colds, influenza, dust, odors and elevated noise levels.
5. Tasks may be performed on uneven, inclined, hard and soft-carpeted floors, outdoor surfaces, cement structures and surfaces.
6. Duties may involve walking, standing for long periods of time, sitting and crouching.
7. Specific required movements include the following:
   • Trunk - bend, twist, rotate, push, pull, carry
   • Arms – reach, carry, lift, twist, and rotate
   • Legs – lift, push, pull, twist, and rotate
   • Hands – Grasp, manipulate bilateral coordination, hand and eye coordination, and overall and finger dexterity.
8. Requires the ability to lift 50 lbs.