Bar Lento is an Italian wine bar and bistro in Chelsea, at 158 Eighth Avenue and West 18th Street, from Verona to New York, open since September 2026: a strictly Italian wine list of more than sixty labels, and a short menu of simple seasonal plates cooked the Italian way (crudi, pasta, roasts, vegetables). A main room, a cosy salottino and a covered garden open all year. Lunch and brunch Tuesday to Sunday 12 to 4 PM, dinner menu all day. Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 12 to 10 PM, Friday and Saturday 12 to 11 PM, Sunday 11 AM to 6 PM, closed Monday.
After our first two months we want to make a real step up in quality, and it starts in the kitchen. We are looking for a Sous Chef: the chef's right hand, a real professional who runs the line with the chef, leads the cooks and keeps orders, labor and food cost under control. Not a title for a cook, a real role for a real sous chef.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
- Deep knowledge of Italian cuisine, mandatory: fresh pasta, sughi, crudi, roasts, vegetables, regional dishes and techniques, respect for the ingredient and the season. You cook Italian for real, not "Italian style".
- At least 5 years of documented professional experience in serious restaurant kitchens, part of it as sous chef or in a leadership role, with verifiable references.
- Able to run the pass and the line through a full service next to the chef, and when the chef is not there.
- Used to leading and training line cooks: stations, mise en place, timing, standards, cleanliness.
- Organised with orders, receiving, inventory and par levels, and comfortable reading labor and food cost numbers and acting on them.
- Italian-speaking kitchen: Italian required, working English for suppliers, the floor and paperwork.
- NYC Food Protection Certificate, or ready to obtain it right away.
- Serious, punctual, calm under pressure, no shortcuts. Available evenings and weekends. Authorized to work in the United States.
THE JOB
- Working side by side with the chef during service: pass, line, quality and timing of every plate.
- Supervising and training the line cooks, covering stations when needed, keeping prep and mise en place on schedule.
- Helping with orders and receiving from suppliers, inventory, storage, labels and rotation.
- Helping track labor and food cost: schedules, portions, waste, recipe costing, monthly targets.
- Keeping the kitchen to Department of Health standards at all times.
- Full time, 48 hours a week, Tuesday to Sunday on a schedule set with the chef. Closed Monday.
WHAT WE OFFER
$75,000 per year, full time (48 hours a week), a real second-in-command role next to an Italian chef in a small kitchen where you cook real food and your opinion counts, and the chance to grow with a restaurant that is stepping up.
STRAIGHT TALK
We are making a serious step up and we hold a firm standard. We are looking for a real sous chef, not someone trying the title for the first time and not someone passing through. If you have the experience, the Italian cooking and the discipline, we want to meet you quickly. If not, please do not waste your time or ours.
HOW TO APPLY
Apply here on Culinary Agents, or send your resume to [email protected], with a few lines about the kitchens where you have worked and the Italian dishes you know best. We answer here on the portal or by email. Interview with the chef and a trial shift in the kitchen for selected candidates. Se sei italiano o parli italiano, scrivici pure in italiano.
