Required Years of Experience
2 years
Job Details
Location: SEMM NYC – New York, NY
Compensation: $55,000 ~ $75,000.00 (Salary)
Employment Type: Full-Time
About SEMM NYCSEMM is a dual-concept Korean-inspired destination in New York City. We operate as a high-end specialty cafe and pastry program by day, transitioning into a natural wine and sool bar featuring elevated Korean small plates by night.
We are seeking a highly organized, systems-driven Kitchen Manager to oversee our culinary operations. This role is designed for a leader who excels at the "business" of the kitchen—inventory, ordering, and cost control—without losing the creative edge required for modern Korean menu development and 하high-level staff training.
The RoleThe Kitchen Manager is responsible for the back-of-house engine. You will ensure the kitchen is profitable, organized, and performing at a two-star standard. You will bridge the gap between our daytime pastry/cafe needs and our evening small-plates service, ensuring seamless transitions and consistent quality.
Key Responsibilities- Inventory & Ordering: Manage all primary vendor relationships. Maintain tight control over inventory levels to support both the morning cafe and evening bar service.
- Financial Oversight: Drive profitability by managing food costs, labor hours, and waste reduction.
- Training & Mentorship: Lead the hiring, onboarding, and continuous training of line cooks and prep staff. Ensure the team is cross-trained on both daytime and evening menus.
- Menu Development: Collaborate with ownership to develop new seasonal Korean small plates, ensuring recipes are standardized, costed out, and easily executable.
- Recipe Standardization: Maintain a master recipe book to ensure every dish—from the morning pastries to the evening sool pairings—is consistent regardless of who is on shift.
- Operational Excellence: Oversee daily prep lists, kitchen organization, and strict adherence to NYC DOH sanitation standards.
- Experience: 2+ years in a kitchen leadership role (Kitchen Manager, Sous Chef, or CDC) in a fast-paced NYC environment.
- Korean Culinary Knowledge: Strong familiarity with Korean ingredients, fermentation, and techniques.
- Administrative Skill: Proficient in inventory management software, spreadsheet tracking for food costs, and labor scheduling.
- Leadership: A proven track record of training line cooks and building a respectful, high-performance kitchen culture.
- Certification: Valid NYC Food Handlers License is mandatory.
- Adaptability: Comfortable managing a "transformer" concept that shifts service styles mid-day.
- Salary: $55,000 ~ $75,000.00 per year.
Compensation Details
Compensation: Salary ($55,000.00 - $75,000.00)
Required Skills
Organizational Skills
Attention to Detail
Communication Skills
Team Building
Problem Solving Skills
Creativity
Time Management
Customer Service Orientation
Read more
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SEMM is a modern oasis — a reimagined “healing well” — in NYC blending east and west, tradition and modernity, working with artists and designers across various mediums.
Our mission is to establish SEMM as a communal home where nourishing food, drinks, art, craft and design inspire a tranquil depth in conversations and friendship.
Embodying the ‘dado’ philosophy of tea and food as medicine, SEMM focuses on natural ingredients, fermentation and seasonal ingredients as a foundation to the menu.
During the day, SEMM is a Korean-inspired tea house and cafe
At night SEMM evolves into a listening lounge + wine/sool bar with tea-infused cocktails.
SEMM curates exhibitions in partnership with SWPK Gallery,
located on the second floor of the building.
SEMM DAY
TEA HOUSE + CAFE
By weaving in the rituals and aesthetics of Korean heritage, a café becomes more than a space for tea; it transforms into a stage where the rhythms of daily life and the echoes of history converge.
SEMM brews a seasonally changing variety of tea leaves, herbs, roots and flowers throughout the year, each with its own unique properties. Discover house formulated tea blends that harmonize with a variety of effects, taking consideration the time of day/year and weather.
SEMM specialty coffee selections represent a wide spectrum of farms and tastes. Washed, natural, geisha, anaerobic and co-fermented varietals across regions and flavor profiles ranging from clean, nutty, fruity, funky to experimental.
SEMM house made baked goods/pastry + hangwa (korean snacks/dessert) along with brunch offerings rotate seasonally and are made daily.
SEMM @ NIGHT
WINE, SOOL, MUSIC + LOUNGE
Layered atop this sense of ritual is SEMM as a reflection of modern cultural rhythms. The space evolves throughout the day—a calm refuge for quiet reflection in the morning, a buzzing hub for creative exchange over wine/sool by afternoon, and an intimate venue for music & performances.
SEMM wines range from classic to natural with a wide variety of heritage, organic and biodynamic wines. You can find a luxurious Grand Cru Bordeaux to esoteric blends of red pignatello and white catarratto by Gabrio Bini.
SEMM sool presents the new wave of artisanal rice wine/spirits production happening in Korea. Experience a variety of fermented rice wine ‘cheong-ju’, cloudy fermented rice mash ‘makgeolli’ (reminiscent of a pet nat) and regionally denominated artisanal rice spirit ‘soju’
SEMM signature tea infused highball/cocktails combine low abv craft soju with a variety of tea, roots, flowers and seasonal fruit preserves, avoiding mass market filler spirits/liqueurs.
SEMM @ night rotates Korean-inspired seasonal vegetarian small plates that are perfect to pair with wine, as well as become a wholesome composed dinner.
@ SEMM, every sip of tea & wine, every dish served, and every moment spent carries meaning. It’s not just about feeding or caffeinating—it’s about nurturing a connection to the past while inviting the future to the table. In this space, daily life becomes a celebration of the layers that shape us, a constellation of culture and creativity.
