Sous Chef - Catering Commissary Kitchen

Green-Top-Farms; New York (NY); On-site; USD 70,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Sick leave

Paid time off

401(k)

Daily family meal

Bonuses via Green Shares

Job summary

Green Top Farms is seeking a Sous Chef to support the Executive Chef in a high-volume commissary environment in New York. You will execute the daily work orders, verify yields and inventory, and lead the floor during shifts to keep production on schedule.

You must maintain strict food safety standards, follow recipes and BOMs, and train cooks while coordinating with Purchasing and QC. The role is Monday–Friday with a competitive salary and benefits.

Qualifications

• 7 years of high-volume production experience in commissary, catering, or institutional kitchen.
• NYC Food Protection Certificate.
• Ability to read and execute a recipe, BOM, and production schedule without supervision.
• Comfortable with scales, thermometers, digital logs, and basic computer entry.
• Able to lead a team on a moving schedule and maintain standards under time pressure.

Responsibilities

• Run the daily production schedule against released work orders and ensure quantities meet specs.
• Own the floor during shift, decide production sequence and handoffs, and communicate across teams.
• Maintain yield integrity and report discrepancies with causes.
• Follow recipe, BOM, and strict food safety and allergen controls.
• Record production transactions and keep paperwork audit-ready.

Skills

High-volume production

Team leadership

Food safety & HACCP

Time management

Conversational Spanish

Education

Culinary degree or equivalent apprenticeship

Tools

Fishbowl

ERP system

Job description

About UsGreen Top Farms is a New York-based food service company specializing in farm-fresh meals for enterprise workplace dining and corporate catering. We partner with leading companies to deliver elevated daily dining and hospitality experiences, using seasonal ingredients and thoughtful operations to create consistent, high-quality service at scale.Our mission is to build a more sustainable and equitable food system, starting by reconnecting consumers and local farmers. We believe the results of strengthening that connection are better nutrition, tastier food, greater social justice, and reduced environmental impacts. Our menus reflect this attention to bringing nutritious, delicious food to those who need it most.Position OverviewThe Sous Chef supports the Executive Chef in running daily production at the commissary. This is a volume production role, not a restaurant line role. The job is to execute the daily work order schedule on time, at spec, at yield, and in full compliance with food safety requirements.The Sous Chef owns the floor during their shift. They set the pace, hold the standard, and make the calls that keep production moving when something breaks. They are accountable for what leaves the building.Responsibilities40% Production ExecutionRun the daily production schedule against released work orders. Confirm quantities, components, and due dates before production starts.Validate work orders against recipe specs and on-hand inventory. Escalate discrepancies to the Executive Chef and Production Manager before cooking, not after.Produce to the work order quantity. Do not overproduce. Flag any variance in output against the work order and record the reason.Sequence batches to protect equipment throughput, especially blast chill and combi capacity.Stage components and complete kitting so downstream assembly and pack-out are not delayed.Cook and finish product to recipe spec on taste, texture, portion, and appearance.20% Shift Coverage and HandoffOwn the floor for the assigned shift. The Sous Chef on duty is the decision maker for production sequence, station assignment, and hold or release calls.Complete a written end of shift handoff covering work orders closed, work orders carried over, product held or tagged, equipment issues, and staffing gaps.The Sunday through Thursday position owns Sunday production start and sets the week up for Monday.The Monday through Friday position owns Friday close out and sets the building up for the Sunday restart.On overlap days, split the floor by production zone or work order group as directed by the Executive Chef. Do not run two schedules against the same equipment without a plan.15% Recipe and Yield IntegrityFollow the approved recipe and BOM. Substitutions require approval from the Executive Chef.Weigh and record yields at each stage. Report yield misses with a cause, not an estimate.Verify portion weights and pack counts against the spec sheet before product moves to pack-out.Flag ingredient substitutions, spec changes, and out of stocks to Purchasing the same day.15% Food Safety and QualityFood safety requirements are hard constraints. There is no production reason that overrides them.Enforce cooking, hot holding, cooling, and cold holding parameters.Enforce date coding and labeling on every container.Maintain allergen control and segregation. Enforce separation protocols including dedicated tools, surfaces, and scheduling sequence.Enforce foreign object controls. Report any foreign object find immediately and hold the affected lot.Support the Food Safety and QC Manager on inspections, audits, corrective actions, and CAPA follow-through.Hold and tag any product that does not meet spec. Escalate before release.Enforce clean as you go and end of shift breakdown to the master cleaning schedule.Report equipment failures immediately.5% Team LeadershipAssign stations and workloads at the start of shift. Run a shift huddle covering the production schedule, priorities, and any spec or allergen changes.Train cooks on recipes, knife work, equipment operation, sanitation, and documentation.Coach in the moment and correct problems directly. Escalate performance issues to the Executive Chef with specifics.Enforce uniform, hygiene, and PPE standards.Support cross-training so no single production step depends on one person.5% Systems and DocumentationRecord production transactions in Fishbowl accurately and on time. Issue material, complete work orders, and report scrap the same day it happens.Maintain accurate counts on raw and WIP inventory in the production area. Support cycle counts.Track and log waste and scrap with a cause code.Keep production paperwork organized, legible, and complete for audit.Required Qualifications7 years of high volume production, commissary, catering, or institutional kitchen experience, including 5 years in a supervisory role.NYC Food Protection CertificateWorking knowledge of HACCP principles, cook-chill, and cold chain management.Ability to read and execute a recipe, BOM, and production schedule without supervision.Comfortable with scales, thermometers, digital logs, and basic computer entry.Able to lead a team on a moving schedule and hold a standard under time pressure.Stand and walk for 10 hour shifts.Lift and carry up to 50 pounds.Work in refrigerated, freezer, and hot kitchen environments.Repetitive knife work, lifting, and reaching.Preferred QualificationsCulinary degree or equivalent apprenticeship.Experience with an ERP or production system. Fishbowl experience is a plus.Experience with halal, kosher, or allergen-controlled production.Experience in a USDA or NYC DOHMH inspected facility.Conversational Spanish.Key CompetenciesOn time completion of the daily work order scheduleYield accuracy against recipe specFood safety log completion and audit resultsWaste and scrap as a percent of productionInventory accuracy in the production areaTeam retention and cross-training coverageRole DetailsTitle: Sous ChefReports to: Executive ChefLocation: Commissary Kitchen in Williamsburg, BrooklynSchedule: Monday–Friday 6am - 4pm, or Sunday - Thursday 6am - 4pmCompensation: $70,000–$75,000 salariedBenefitsMedical insuranceSick leavePaid time off that increases with tenure401(k)Daily family mealPotential for bonuses through our Green Shares employee bonus programEligibility and details subject to company policyGreen Top Farms is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, citizenship status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law, including the New York State Human Rights Law.We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and for religious observances, in accordance with applicable laws.