Regional Chef

Kijung Hospitality; California; On-site; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Paycom - ATS is seeking a Culinary Standards & Consistency Lead to oversee recipe integrity, portioning, marinades, and plating across locations. You own core KBBQ items and ensure drift correction aligns with approved specs.

You will drive food cost control, partner with procurement, and support new menu rollouts while mentoring site-level culinary teams and preparing for health inspections.

Qualifications

• Owns standardized recipes and prep specs for core items and corrects drift
• Calibrates palates and technique across the region through regional training
• Leads onboarding for new hires and new location openings

Responsibilities

• Conducts regular line checks, kitchen audits, and taste-standard reviews to ensure recipes and plating match specs
• Owns recipe standards and prep specs for core KBBQ items and corrects drift immediately
• Supports new menu rollouts and limited-time offerings to translate recipes regionally
• Monitors food cost and COGS at each location and implements yield testing and waste tracking
• Ensures ServSafe/HACCP compliance and health inspections readiness

Skills

Culinary leadership

Quality assurance

Training & mentoring

Job description

Culinary Standards & Consistency• Conducts regular line checks, kitchen audits, and taste-standard reviews at all assigned locationsto ensure recipes, portioning, marinades, and plating match approved specs• Owns standardized recipes and prep specs for core KBBQ items — marinated and unmarinatedproteins (galbi, bulgogi, brisket), banchan, sauces, and tabletop grill protocols — and correctsdrift immediately• Supports new menu rollouts and limited-time offerings so recipes translate cleanly across theregionFood Cost & Procurement Partnership• Monitors food cost and COGS at each location; corrects variances through yield testing, portioncontrol audits, and waste tracking• Serves as culinary partner to Procurement, communicating site-level quality issues, specchanges, and sourcing needs, and applying knowledge of beef and protein markets (grade, cut,seasonal pricing) to sourcing decisions and kitchen practice• Supports inventory accuracy and ordering discipline to reduce shrinkage and overorderingTraining & Team Development• Builds and delivers regional training programs that calibrate palates and technique to thestandard• Coaches site-level culinary leaders, supporting succession planning and reducing kitchenturnover• Leads onboarding for new hires and new location openingsCompliance & Safety• Ensures all locations meet ServSafe/HACCP guidelines and applicable county health codes• Prepares kitchens for health inspections and leads corrective action on any findingsCross-Functional Communication• Reports to the Director of Culinary on consistency audits, food cost trends, training progress, andstaffing/turnover risk• Collaborates with General Managers to influence kitchen execution and standards without directreporting authority• Perform other duties as assigned