Sous Chef | Hotel Leo

Columbia Hospitality, Inc.; Bellingham (WA); On-site; USD 34,000 - 41,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Commuter/Parking Allowance

Paid Time off & Holiday Pay

Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability,

401K

HSA/FSA Plans with employer contribute

Discounted lodging, dining, spa, golf,

Retail discounts

Employee Assistance Program

Columbia Cares

Volunteer opportunities

Committee participation

Task Force work opportunities

Online learning platform

Job summary

Columbia Hospitality, Inc. is seeking a Sous Chef for Hotel Leo to lead daily kitchen operations, uphold safety and quality standards, and collaborate with management to optimize menus and service. You will supervise staff, manage costs, and ensure timely guest satisfaction.

The role requires culinary leadership, training, and a commitment to exceptional hospitality in a dynamic hotel setting.

Qualifications

• Culinary degree with 7+ years in a kitchen leadership role.
• Excellent written and verbal business communication.
• Knowledge of employment laws relevant to kitchen operations.
• Conflict management and negotiation skills.
• Ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency with MS Word/Excel/Outlook.
• Strong people skills and professional demeanor.
• Detail-oriented, reliable, and punctual.
• State Food Handler’s License.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily kitchen operations and full kitchen responsibility.
• Develop and implement standard procedures for food safety and quality.
• Communicate daily with General Manager about updates and changes.
• Maintain food quality, presentation, sanitation, and safety standards.
• Ensure timely responses to client, guest, and team requests.
• Supervise hiring, training, scheduling, and staff development.
• Lead by example to empower staff to meet standards.
• Monitor food and labor costs.
• Conduct daily walk-throughs of storage and food lines for rotation and cleanliness.
• Prepare daily production requirements and maintain par levels.
• Help create new menu items and ensure attractive presentations.
• Supervise line cooks and monitor quality and consistency.
• Handle customer requests promptly.
• Open and close kitchen procedures.

Skills

Culinary arts degree

7+ years in industry

Business communication

MS Word/Excel/Outlook

People skills

Detail-oriented

State Food Handler’s License

Education

Culinary Arts Degree

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel

Outlook

Job description

Sous Chef | Hotel Leo

Let’s start off with the most important part-what’s in it for you:

The Perks

*Eligibility of perks is dependent upon job status

• Hourly Range: $25 to $30 DOE
• Commuter/Parking Allowance
• Get Paid Daily (Make any day payday)
• Paid Time off & Holiday Pay (Because Balance Matters)
• Benefits - Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, 401K
• HSA/FSA Plans -with employer contribution
• Values Based Culture (#OMGLIFE)
• Culture Add (Creating Space for Fresh Perspectives)
• Referral Bonus (Get Paid to Recruit)
• Discounted Lodging, Dining, Spa, Golf, and Retail (Yes, Discounted Travel!)
• Employee Assistance Program
• “Columbia Cares” Volunteer Opportunities
• Committee Participation Opportunities (Fun, Philanthropic, Diversity/Equity/Inclusion)
• Task Force Work Opportunities (Grow your career in idyllic locations across the globe)
• Online Learning Platform to Help You Grow!
• Third Party Perks (Including discounts on Pet Insurance, Rental Cars, Movie and Concert Tickets, Theme Park and Attractions & so much more)

Our Commitment to you:

“People never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou’s famous statement serves as a rallying cry throughout Columbia Hospitality and fuels our collective drive - and success.

Our people are our purpose, and our brand is our people. We seek extraordinary individuals who drive our brand promise of Creating Exceptional Experiences. We are a people-first organization, ignited from the inside to succeed on the outside. We are a tight-knit, inclusive, values-driven team and we trust one another to have each other’s backs. We show up every day with open hearts, an inclusive mindset, and a genuine respect for those around us. We have fun, grow together, and strive to leave a positive lasting impression on everyone we meet.

What Success Looks Like:

Your Impact

• Maintains responsibility for day-to-day operation of the kitchen and has complete responsibility for the kitchen in its entirety
• Develops and implements procedures to ensure that all work practices meet or exceed the established standards
• Communicates daily with General Manager for updates, changes and revisions to existing contracts
• Maintains standards for food quality, presentation, handling, sanitation and safety. Follows all appropriate policies and procedures
• Ensures timely and courteous follow-through on all client, guest, and team member requests
• Assists in the selection, supervision, training, development, scheduling, evaluating, disciplining, and counseling of staff
• Demonstrates positive leadership characteristics that empower and inspire employees to meet and exceed standards
• Monitors food and labor costs
• Conducts daily walk-through of all walk-in refrigerators, dry storage areas and food lines to ensure rotation, usage, cleanliness and proper sanitation
• Utilizes specification sheets to prepare daily preparation requirements, maintains par levels of necessary items
• Prepares and manages creation of new menu items
• Ensures attractive, consistent presentations of food items, both buffet and plated Interacts/supervises line cooks to monitor quality, presentation and consistency of food items prepared
• Handles all needs and accommodates customer requests in a timely manner
• Sets up, re-stocks, maintains, and cleans food preparation areas
• Responsible for ensuring presentation standards are meet for all hot and cold items
• Reads and interprets recipes
• Conducts product inventories, ordering and receiving of product
• Responsible for team maintenance of grooming standards
• Responsible for team adherence to standards for sanitation and safe food handling
• Responsible for all opening and closing kitchen procedures
  

What You Bring

• A culinary arts degree and/or equivalent training with 7+ years in industry and 2+ years of experience in culinary management role in a similar environment
• Must possess excellent business communication skills (both written and verbal) in order to respond effectively to the most sensitive inquiries
• Ability to manage according to employment and industry-relevant laws
• To successfully perform the duties described, conflict management and negotiation skills are required
• Must be flexible and able to perform multiple tasks, work in stressful situations with shifting priorities
• Must be familiar with Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and other computer programs.
• Must demonstrate excellent people skills and a professional, friendly, and enthusiastic demeanor
• Be detail-oriented, reliable and punctual, and have exceptional organizational skills
• Necessary State Food Handler’s License(s)

Don’t meet every single requirement? At Columbia Hospitality we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may just be the right candidate for this or other roles.