Sous Chef

Upper Crust Food Service; Knoxville (TN); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision insurance

Pet insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid vacations

Holidays off

Job summary

Upper Crust Food Service is seeking a classically trained Sous Chef to support the Head Chef in food preparation and staff management. You’ll help maintain a clean kitchen and dining area, ensure safety standards, and deliver exceptional customer service daily.

The role emphasizes collaboration on seasonal menus, strong communication with management, and a hands-on approach to producing high-quality dishes while managing kitchen operations.

Qualifications

• Ability to work well as part of a team.
• Follow sanitation procedures.
• Understand food handling and cooking procedures.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to learn industry best practices.
• Be able to work under pressure in a busy kitchen.

Responsibilities

• Work with the Head Chef to prepare food safely and efficiently.
• Collaborate to create seasonal, evolving menu concepts.
• Maintain a clean and sanitary kitchen and dining room.
• Wash kitchen utensils, equipment and dishes.
• Assist in unloading, inspecting, and storage of ingredients and supplies.
• Enforce sanitation and food safety standards per regulations.
• Maintain a professional attitude with coworkers and customers.
• Assist in planning and executing special events as directed by management.
• Communicate regularly with management via calls, emails, and texts.

Skills

Team collaboration

Sanitation procedures

Food handling techniques

Interpersonal communication

Communication skills

Work under pressure

Education

2+ years of food service experience

High school diploma or equivalent

Food safety certification

Job description

Sous Chefs are responsible for supporting the Head Chef in food preparation, management of additional staff, maintaining a clean kitchen/dining room, and ensuring best practices with safety and sanitation. Maintain outstanding communication with management and customers. Consistently deliver outstanding products and customer service.

If you are excited to create cool from-scratch food and make people happy every day. We’re currently looking for a classically trained Sous Chef who is driven by their love and passion for food.

What’s in it for you?

• Very few late nights and weekend hours
• Time off for most holidays
• Paid vacations
• A competitive 401K with company match
• Health, dental, vision, and pet insurance

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Work with the Head Chef, ensuring that food is prepared safely, efficiently, and according to specifications or requests.
• Collaborate with the Chef to create seasonal, relevant and evolving menu concepts
• Maintain a clean and sanitary kitchen and dining room
• Wash kitchen utensils, equipment and dishes
• Help with unloading, inspecting, and storage of raw ingredients and supplies.
• Enforce sanitation and food safety standards per state and local regulations.
• Maintain a professional and positive attitude with coworkers and customers.
• Assist in planning and executing special events as directed by management.
• Communicate regularly with management via calls, emails, and texts.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Required Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to work well as part of a team
• Ability to follow all sanitation procedures
• Understand food handling techniques, preparation, and cooking procedures.
• Exhibit excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to work well with a variety of personalities and under pressure.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Understanding of or the ability to learn food handling techniques, preparation, and cooking procedures.
• Be familiar with the industry’s best practices

Preferred Education and Experience:

• 2+ years of food service skills or related experience preferred
• Have experience with bulk food prep and production in a commercial kitchen setting.
• Ability to pass a background check
• Have a valid food safety handler and sanitation certification in accordance with state and local regulations or obtain one within 30 days of employment
• High school or vocational school coursework in kitchen basics such as food safety, is preferred.

Special Demands:

• The work environment can be loud and busy. There are many kitchen hazards such as hot surfaces and liquids, sharp knives, and slippery floors.
• Capability to work in a kitchen environment that may involve exposure to extreme heat or cold.
• Required to stand for long periods, up to 8+ hours, as well as walk, bend and stoop.
• Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds at times.
• Exposure to cleaning chemicals