Sous Chef

Stew Leonard; Paramus (NJ); On-site; USD 52,000 - 56,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Weekly pay

Pay range $25-$27/hr

Medical, Dental, Vision, 401K, Life

Job summary

Stew Leonard’s is seeking a talented and experienced Sous Chef to join our fast-paced kitchen team in Paramus, NJ. You will work closely with the Executive Chef to oversee daily operations, lead kitchen staff, and uphold top standards of food quality, safety, and presentation.

This role requires strong culinary skills, leadership experience, and the ability to manage evenings, weekends, and holidays. Competitive hourly pay and benefits are provided.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or equivalent.
• Minimum 2 years of experience as a Sous Chef or Senior Line Cook in a high-volume kitchen.
• Strong culinary skills and a passion for high-quality food.
• Proven leadership abilities and team management experience.
• In-depth knowledge of food safety and hygiene standards.
• Ability to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as required.
• Good computer skills with basic knowledge of Excel/Word.
• Good organizational skills.
• Ability to delegate tasks and communicate directions clearly.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate with the Executive Chef to plan service and manage workflow.
• Assist in the development of new menu items and specials.
• Supervise and support all kitchen staff during food prep and service.
• Train, mentor, and evaluate kitchen team members.
• Maintain efficiency and quality throughout busy service periods.
• Ensure dishes are prepared and presented in line with recipes and standards.
• Assist with scheduling, shift coverage, and staff development.
• Provide encouragement to team members, including communicating deadlines and goals.
• Provide quality customer service, including interacting with customers.
• Monitor inventory levels and assist with ordering supplies.
• Ensure proper storage, labeling, and rotation of stock.
• Ensure compliance with food safety and sanitation standards.

Skills

Leadership

Culinary skills

Customer service

Excel/Word basics

Communication

Organization

Education

High School Diploma or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Job description

Full-Time Kitchen Sous Chef

Hourly – Weekly pay

Pay range: $25/hr.- $27/hr.

Reports to: Executive Chef, Salad Bar

Must be at least 18 years or older

Job Description

We are seeking a talented and experienced Sous Chef to join our dynamic kitchen team. You will work closely with the Executive Chef to oversee daily operations, manage kitchen staff, and ensure the highest standards of food quality, safety, and presentation. This is a fast-paced, high-volume kitchen environment, ideal for a hands-on leader who thrives under pressure.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate with the Executive Chef to plan service and manage workflow.
• Assist in the development of new menu items and specials.
• Supervise and support all kitchen staff during food prep and service.

• Train, mentor, and evaluate kitchen team members.
• Maintain efficiency and quality throughout busy service periods.
• Ensure dishes are prepared and presented in line with recipes and standards.
• Assist with scheduling, shift coverage, and staff development.

• Provides encouragement to team members, including communicating deadlines and goals.
• Provides quality customer service, including interacting with customers.
• Monitor inventory levels and assist with ordering supplies.
• Ensure proper storage, labeling, and rotation of stock.
• Ensure compliance with food safety and sanitation standards.

Education and Experience (include knowledge, skills and abilities)

• High School Diploma or equivalent
• Minimum 2 years of experience as a Sous Chef or Senior Line Cook in a high-volume kitchen.
• Strong culinary skills and a passion for high-quality food.
• Proven leadership abilities and team management experience.
• In-depth knowledge of food safety and hygiene standards.
• Ability to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as required.
• Great customer service skills.
• Good computer skills and a basic knowledge of Microsoft Excel / Word.
• Good organizational skills.
• The ability to delegate tasks and communicate directions clearly.

Personal Characteristics

• Lead by example
• Excellent work ethic
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• The ability to solve problems
• Honest
• Flexible

Working Conditions

• The temperature in the department can be warmer than room temperature due to the ovens, fryers and other equipment used in department production.
• Exposure to different weather conditions may be possible.
• Exposure to smoke produced by grills and grease and oil from fryers may be possible.
• The position requires frequent walking, standing, lifting, pushing, pulling, squatting, and lifting is required with a maximum of 50lbs.

Why you’ll love working here!

Family Oriented: We respect the personal balance between work and family with career opportunity and growth- over 80% of our managers have been promoted from within.

Benefits

High value, high quality Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage, 401 K plan for FT & PT team members, family & personal time, life insurance, and more!

Environment

Have you seen the Avocado Girls? Chiquita Banana? Or the singing Parrot?

Pay Day

We’re thrilled to offer our employees Dayforce Wallet – a new way to get paid. Say bye-bye to pay day and hello to pay your way. Get your pay as soon as you earn it, at no cost to you – It’s your money, why should you have to wait? Request your pay as you earn it.

We take pride in the power of diversity, inclusion, and being socially responsible to the communities which we live and do business