Sous Chef

J-1 Connect Inc.; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 22,730 - 32,373; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Michelin-level leadership exposure

Chef mentorship

Tasting-menu operations

Team communication

Job summary

Birdsong in San Francisco offers a culinary leadership training equivalent designed for advanced candidates seeking exposure to kitchen supervision, station oversight, and Michelin-level operational standards. You will observe and train in prep organization, service coordination, quality control, and team communication, with emphasis on sanitation, production planning, and tasting-menu support.

The program focuses on leadership development, kitchen systems, coaching, ingredient stewardship, and

Qualifications

• Culinary or gastronomic graduate with prior fine-dining kitchen experience.
• Strong technical fundamentals, mise en place discipline, sanitation knowledge.
• Leadership potential, professionalism, calm under pressure, and coachability.

Responsibilities

• Observe and train in prep organization, service coordination, quality control, team communication, sanitation monitoring, ordering awareness, production planning, and support of tasting-menu execution.
• Help maintain Michelin-level kitchen standards and operations.
• Collaborate with senior culinary leadership on training goals and leadership development.

Skills

Leadership potential

Mise en place discipline

Sanitation knowledge

Team communication

Kitchen systems

Coaching

Education

Culinary degree or culinary management

Job description

# Sous Chef@BirdsongSan Francisco, California, United States* Start dateAug 1, 2026* End dateAug 1, 2027* Applications0* Views33Apply now Export PDFShare## Opportunity details* PositionSous Chef* Program categoryTrainee* DepartmentCulinary Arts/Gastronomy* Positions available1* Housing providedNo## DescriptionThis culinary leadership training equivalent is best suited for advanced candidates seeking exposure to kitchen supervision, station oversight, and Michelin-level operational standards. The participant would observe and train in prep organization, service coordination, quality control, team communication, sanitation monitoring, ordering awareness, production planning, and support of tasting-menu execution. Learning opportunities may include leadership development, kitchen systems, coaching, consistency, ingredient stewardship, and collaboration with senior culinary leadership.## General requirementsThe ideal candidate is a culinary, gastronomy, hospitality, or culinary management graduate with prior fine-dining kitchen experience. Candidates should have strong technical fundamentals, mise en place discipline, sanitation knowledge, leadership potential, professionalism, humility, attention to detail, and interest in Michelin-level kitchen leadership. Prior chef de partie, junior sous chef, line leadership, apprenticeship, or fine-dining experience is strongly preferred. The candidate must be coachable, punctual, respectful, calm under pressure, adaptable, organized, accountable, and committed to structured training and cultural exchange.## Pay rate & gratuitiesPay rate: $20+ per hour, based on the participant’s experience and qualifications.## Benefits & perksMichelin-level leadership exposure, chef mentorship, tasting-menu operations, team communication, ingredient stewardship, cultural exchange, and staff meals where applicable.## Additional informationThis is the closest advanced culinary leadership training equivalent for Birdsong because public job information shows a Sous Chef pathway and identifies Birdsong as a two-Michelin-starred restaurant focused on whole-animal and heritage cuisine. While a Sous Chef role is typically not an entry-level internship, it may be relevant for a qualified J-1 trainee candidate with prior culinary education and progressive kitchen experience.For J-1 suitability, this pathway should be structured carefully as supervised training rather than independent management or ordinary staffing. The training should focus on progressive exposure to prep systems, service readiness, station oversight, team communication, quality control, kitchen organization, sanitation standards, tasting-menu execution, ingredient utilization, and leadership development. The participant should not be positioned as replacing a permanent manager, but rather as an advanced trainee learning how a Michelin-starred kitchen maintains consistency, discipline, and professional standards.This pathway is best suited for candidates with previous fine-dining or chef de partie experience who are ready to understand the leadership side of a serious kitchen. It would be especially attractive to culinary management, gastronomy, or advanced culinary arts candidates seeking structured exposure to Michelin-level operations, mentorship, and kitchen leadership culture.