Sous Chef

Aparium; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Aparium is seeking a passionate Sous Chef for their Clayton Hotel + Members Club in Denver. This role involves collaborating with the Executive Chef, leading a culinary team, and ensuring exceptional guest experiences through high-quality food preparation. Ideal candidates will have extensive culinary experience and a commitment to excellence.

Benefits

Paid time off to volunteer

Free shift-meal

Up to 50% Food and Beverage Discounts

Discounted room rates for Aparium properties

401k participation

Medical, dental, vision insurance

Qualifications

• Five or more years progressive culinary experience required.
• Experience in a wide range of cuisines.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Executive Chef on menu planning and development.
• Coach and mentor culinary team on skill development.
• Ensure consistency in kitchen operations.

Skills

Culinary arts

Interpersonal communication

Team leadership

Menu planning

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Job description

Transforming Hospitality, Together.

We enable every associate to create remarkable moments for each guest. The foundation of our unique service model includes thoughtfulness, sincerity, intuitiveness, knowledge, and above all, graciousness. Our proven approach increases efficiency and dramatically improves our guest’s experience. We meticulously train staff at every level in the art of anticipatory service—we encourage genuine, unscripted interactions with guests and an acute sense of ownership in the success of the company.

At Aparium, we are always in search of individuals with hospitality in their DNA.

We then train our team to be anticipatory, thorough, and thoughtful and have input in their role and the hotel as a whole.

The result: Aparium has crafted something rare and quite special, a place where associates are deeply involved in their work.

Our belief in the power of people, place and character extends to everything we do and we invite those with the following characteristics in our journey to build the best independent hotel company in the world.

BE PASSIONATE

Passion is what drives individuals to invest their time, energy, and dedication wholeheartedly and it fuels a relentless pursuit of excellence, pushing one to continuously learn, grow, and overcome challenges.

BE PROUD OF YOUR CITY

To have pride in one’s city is to hold a deep sense of attachment, loyalty, and admiration for the place you call home.

CELEBRATE UNIQUENESS

We recognize that every individual possesses their own distinct set of talents, perspectives, and experiences, which contribute to the rich tapestry of humanity, and of our team.

We encourage every Aparium Associate to work with an entrepreneurial spirit, actively engaging in their discipline to identify ways to help us move forward and deliver experiences that matter.

Why You Belong At Aparium

DIVERSITY
Diversity is an appreciation and respect for what makes an individual unique in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, education and national origin. We see each employee as unique as each of our hotels with differing roots, history, perspectives and talent. All deserve to be part of an organization in which our differences matter and are valued.

EQUITY
Equity is in our practices and processes to ensure that every person has the same opportunities. It provides people who have marginalized identities to contribute and develop to their own potential. Equity promotes impartiality and fairness within our company procedures, processes and decision making to eliminate practices that may create disparities within our company.

INCLUSION
Inclusion is our ability to ensure people of all backgrounds feel welcomed, are treated equally and are respected. We were founded on purposeful collaboration, encouraging everyone to share their experiences and at times, differing perspectives. Our foundational practice of Inclusion creates a sense of belonging for all associates and stakeholders alike.

Reports to: Executive Sous Chef; Position is Exempt

Clayton Members Club + Hotel, Denver, CO

Accepting applications until May 30, 2025 or until filled.

WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU

• Salary: $65,000 to $75,000 per year
• Multiple restaurants under one roof to continuously grow your career
• Paid time off to volunteer in your community for the causes you care about
• Strong sense of belonging through Opportunity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Free shift-meal prepared by our in-house culinary experts
• Up to 50% Food and Beverage Discounts
• Greatly discounted room rates for Aparium properties for you and your out-of-town guests
• Discounted parking in the Clayton Lane parking garage in Cherry Creek
• Discounted pet insurance available through ASPCA to care for your best friend
• 401k participation available for full-time associates to grow your nest egg
• All full-time regular associates are eligible to enroll in our benefit plans that include medical, dental, vision and supplemental insurance

WHO WE ARE

Hotels done differently. It is not just a slogan or catchphrase; it is who we are in everything we do. We believe in the power of People, Place and Character; ensuring our properties are a place where individuals are valued and celebrated as a tribute to the communities in which we operate; elevating our associates’ pride in who they are, where they live and who we serve.

A little bit rebel, a little bit refined, Clayton Hotel + Members Club is smart and sophisticated, charming, and confident, and always down for shaking up the status quo. Consistently moving the needle on what a membership club can be, Clayton demonstrates a unique spirit, constantly challenging what it means to gather and engage while connecting guests to each other and what inspires them. Clayton believes the more interested you are, the more interesting you are!

Clayton Hotel + Members Club is managed by Aparium Hotel Group which was founded in 2011 by Chicago hospitality executive and entrepreneur Mario Tricoci and Michael Kitchen. The duo saw a clear need for a company that could bring c-suite service and accommodations to underserved, yet distinct and important cities while maintaining and celebrating the unadulterated character of each. Driven by the belief that all hospitality experiences should be fueled by the poetics of their surroundings, Aparium was born with an intense focus on unearthing the amazing moments unique to every city.

Since its founding, Aparium has grown into a new kind of hotel brand, one that ventures off the beaten path, both geographically and philosophically. It is a sophisticated hotel brand known for its singular ability to combine the business acumen of large hospitality companies with the charm of boutique hotels. At Clayton Hotel + Members Club, the ideals of Opportunity, Equity, and Inclusion (OEI) for our members are at the forefront of the community and the environment we will create.

WHO YOU ARE
Your past experiences have led you to understand that there is an art + science to the how and what a hospitality operations professional is responsible for. You are committed to the Chef life and go through your day-to-day activities saying, “behind” and “hot” in your own home. Your cookbook collection is dog-eared and worn from use and has outgrown its boundaries on your shelves. Your days off are spent sharpening, obsessing over, or purchasing knives (your friends have become legitimately concerned about this, by the way). You are a mentor to your team and capable of working any station in your kitchen, but are hungry for the next step. You are an intrinsically motivated individual who finds their moment of Zen in a dining room filled with happy guests. You lead your team with a composed disposition and gentle correction, passing along your culinary acumen in the process. You have the utmost respect for the ingredients and the process: you strive to work directly with local farmers and artisans to obtain your ingredients at their height of freshness and peak of flavor. You have tremendous culinary aptitude and are just beginning your journey to understanding the financial side of the business, and are eager to learn more.

THE ROLE
The Sous Chef reports to and works directly with the Executive Chef, collaborating with menu planning and development, productivity, menu cost controls, and ordering processes to ensure production meets business levels. It is critical that you possess a background and basic knowledge of culinary technique related to the F+B concept(s) for the hotel. You are a highly organized individual and an expert in constant and consistent communication, able to reinforce efficiencies while ensuring consistency in the kitchen operations. You lead the team through your collaborative approach—you understand that the ability to act as a soldier is as critical as being a general. Having the skills to mentor and teach your team of culinarians is a must for this position, as is demonstrating humility and genuine care for the items you create and the individuals who execute upon them.

At Aparium, our culinary teams are expected to hold themselves, the guests, and each other in high regard. You will actively develop trusting and transparent relationships with all associates throughout the hotel. You will have the opportunity to work with a phenomenal group of individuals with whom collaboration, humbleness, and open-minds are the norm—no egos are allowed. The ability to work with controlled measure and respect for your leadership team and peers is imperative; we have a no-tolerance policy for the “old school way”.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Uphold and role model the company’s principles of People, Place, and Character, while encouraging your direct reports to embody our values that drive collaboration, intuitive service, and translocal hospitality
• Be a key partner with the Executive Chef, Sous Chefs, and F+B Management team, demonstrating a united front committed to providing the best possible guest experience
• Collaborate with and coach your team to uphold the integrity of the food, guest experience, cleanliness, and maintenance of the culinary spaces
• Demonstrate your aptitude of how to deliver on a guest’s expectation for an amazing culinary experience, including balancing flavor combinations, considerations for temperature and texture, guest satisfaction, and menu flow
• Understanding of operational metrics (KPI’s and P&L’s), demonstrating critical thinking skills by connecting those with operational observations
• Coach and mentor your team on development of their skill set, technique, and menu execution, fostering an environment of continuous growth; effectively use corrective action to address root causes of issues, course-correcting any missed opportunities
• Foster open lines of communication within the department by helping to facilitate daily line ups, weekly culinary leadership meetings, and quarterly culinary all staff meetings to create a transparent dialogue among the team to voice ideas and concerns, while addressing the department’s key priorities
• Actively participate in recruitment, training, scheduling, supervising, coaching, and motivation of all culinary associates in order to create an environment that nurtures ideas and develops future talent for succession planning in the culinary program
• Observe conditions of all physical facilities and equipment in the culinary operation, working in collaboration with the Chef, engineering department, and any third-party vendors to make corrections and improvements as needed
• Maintain regular communication with the Executive Chef and F+B Management team to provide updates, discuss plans, communicate needs, and align on priorities, understanding that flexibility with your responsibilities is paramount to support a successful operation

HOW YOU LEAD

• Offer direct support for your team through coaching, counseling, gentle correction, and constructive feedback
• Collaborate effectively with all hotel departments including Sales, Banquets & Catering, Food & Beverage, and Hotel Operations to provide an exemplary guest experience
• Be respectful in your daily interactions with your managers, direct reports, and peers, exemplifying the utmost level of professionalism and being a pillar within your community
• Be a subject matter expert in food and culinary techniques as well as understanding the history of the cuisine most closely related to the hotel food and beverage concept(s), effectively guiding others in their personal search with a gentle hand, never admonishing their lack of knowledge
• Demonstrates the beginnings of business acumen by ensuring that initiatives align with operational goals and budgets; shows passion to further develop this skill-set

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

• Five or more years progressive culinary experience required, preferably in a multi-service hotel or restaurant
• Passion for culinary arts, experience in a wide range of cuisines
• Basic skills in Microsoft Excel and Word to create spreadsheets and proposals
• Adaptable interpersonal communication skills to address all employee levels of the hotel
• Proficiency of the English language in reading, writing and verbal communication
• Ability to calculate basic math principles to meet proper menu ingredients and perform inventory
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment for extended periods of time to meet high volume business
• Ability to lift, balance and carry up to 25 lbs. to transport dry goods inventory, equipment, etc.
• Ability to lift, balance and carry (with assistance) up to 100 lbs. to transport dry goods inventory, equipment, etc.
• Ability to stand or walk for prolonged periods to cook required menu items
• Ability to withstand warm to hot environments for prolonged periods while utilizing ovens, stoves, or fryers

Salary: $65,000 - $75,000 per year

Benefits:We are pleased to offer a comprehensive array of valuable benefits to protect your health, your family and your way of life. All full-time regular associates are eligible to enroll in our benefit plans that include medical, dental, vision and supplemental insurances.

Aparium Hotel Group does not discriminate based on disability, veteran status or on any other basis protected under federal, state, or local laws.The hoteland company are a smoke-free, drug-free facility, and equal opportunity employer.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Aparium Hospitality Services celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an equitable and inclusive environment, and sense of belonging for all employees. We do not discriminate and believe every individual should be proud of who they are, where they come from and take pride in who we serve.Aparium is an E-Verify employer.