District Winery-Sous Chef
The First Batch wineries create magic for our guests everyday, whether that’s bringing a dream wedding to life, creating a new delicious food dish from our wine, or letting people discover a new passion on one of our winery tours. We do this while maintaining an approachable, warm, inclusive, down-to-earth attitude that reflects our passion to bring traditional winemaking into urban centers so people don’t feel they have to travel to experience the magic of winemaking.
We are searching for team members who are committed to working as hospitality professionals. People who deeply care about creating a friendly, warm experience for our guests. People who live and breathe passion for food, wine and events. People that love to learn, share, and tell others about their stories and adventures.
Position Summary
A Sous Chef at First Batch will be responsible for the hiring, training and development of the chef management team. They will supervise and actively participate in all the food production areas of the venue including the tasting room, winery, off site catering, with a particular emphasis on event spaces. All tasks will be performed to the defined standards of FB in order to maintain high standards of quality in terms of food produced and management / direction provided to our teams. This position reports to the Chef de Cuisine and Executive Chef.
Core Responsibilities:
Client Journey & Guest Experience
- Communicate effectively with FOH teams to ensure all staff has the knowledge necessary to execute menus and ensure guest satisfaction
- Ability to interact with guests in dining room, at events, building menus with brides and grooms, etc
Operational Excellence
- Identify opportunities within the culinary department to make the department and venue better
- Approves requisitions for supplies and food items for production on workstation
- Monitor receiving, storage, and rotation of food products to comply with Health Department regulations, including coverage, labeling, dating and placing items in proper containers to ensure products freshness.
- Visually inspects, selects and uses only the freshest fruits, vegetables, meats, fish and other food products of the highest standard in the preparation of all menu items.
- Order appropriately for restaurant kitchen operations to minimize waste and ensure product quality and availability
- Oversees completion of all menu specifications, recipes, production forecasts, and ensures they are being followed
- Oversees the winery culinary spaces in totality to ensure cleanliness and organization exceeding guidelines dictated by local government regulations
- Thorough knowledge of hot and cold food preparation and presentation
Leadership & Collaboration
- Work with Executive Chef and Chef de Cuisine to develop and execute seasonal menus
- Trains culinary teams and FOH into inspiration and motivation behind menus and food philosophy
- Responsible for evaluating and directing staff performance to provide guidance and discipline as necessary
- Manages stewards at their disposal to ensure proper support of culinary operations
- Participate in daily pre-service meetings to communicate kitchen workings and inspire staff
- Willingness to participate in at least two community outreach or charity events a year
Financial Performance
- Proficient in forecasting sales and labor in order to make adjustments in real time
- Builds templates for daily orders for produce, meats, seafoods, dry goods, and supporting goods
- Maintain reasonable labor and food costs for the restaurant based on Vice President of Operations instruction
- Responsible for monitoring and responding to comp set as defined by Vice President of Operations
- Understands and analyze food and labor cost, top line sales, operating costs in order to manage PN&L effectively
Role Requirements:
- At least 3 years of related progressive supervisory / management experience; or a culinary graduate with at least 3 years of progressive experience in a hotel or a related field with some banquet / event experience. Some formal technical training relative to this position is required
- Sufficient manual dexterity in order to use all kitchen small wares i.e. knives, spoons, spatulas, tongs, slicers, etc.
- Extensive skill in usage of all kitchen equipment including slicers, mixers, grinders, food processors, etc.
- Kitchen Spanish is a plus but not required
- Ability to monitor and respond to social media and PR. ie open table, Yelp, trip advisor
- Ability to travel to other wineries, do off site dinners, promote wineries at offsite locations
- Ability to expedite a la carte services up to 350 covers
- Ability to communicate in multiple languages preferred but not required
- Must be proficient in Microsoft Office and Google Workspace suites including Excel, Word, Sheets, Docs, Drive
- Knowledge of accepted sanitation standards and Health codes required
- Flexible schedule with all nights and weekends available
Physical Requirements:
- Regularly required to reach, carry, push, pull and lift up to 50 pounds.
- Must be able to walk/and or stand for 8-10 hours per day
- Must be able to climb stairs in the venue
- Able to independently lift up to 50lbs for an extended period of time
- Must be able to walk and/or stand for 8-10 hours per day
- Hand-eye coordination
- Reaching, bending twisting, stooping
- Pushing and Pulling
- Lifting overhead
- Must be able to climb stairs in venue that have multiple levels
Compensation:
- $65,000k-$70,000k annually
Benefits and Perks:
- Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance
- Employer covered deductible plan
- 15 Days of Paid Time Off
- 7 days of Sick & Safe Leave
- 3 Floating Holidays
- Food and Wine Discounts at District, Brooklyn, and Chicago Winery
The above requirements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required of personnel so classified. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
First Batch Hospitality provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
