Sous Chef

lelé kitchen | Los Gatos, CA

At lelé kitchen, we believe Eastern European cuisine deserves the same level of respect as the world’s great culinary traditions.

Our food is rooted in the flavors and techniques of Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, Georgia, and the Baltics, interpreted through California’s extraordinary farm produce.

Because a wonderful member of our team is moving to another state, we are looking for a strong candidate to replace them. We’re looking for a Sous Chef who wants more than another kitchen job. We want someone who is excited to be part of one of the most interesting independent restaurants in the Bay Area while maintaining a very reasonable for the industry work-life balance.

What You’ll Do

• This is a cooking-heavy role. Most of your time will be spent prepping for service, cooking during service, and planning for the following day.
• Lead the hot line.
• Lead dinner service alongside the chef.
• Help develop new dishes. You will have the freedom to create and execute.
• Train and mentor other chefs while maintaining high culinary standards.
• Manage prep, organization, and quality control in a small kitchen.
• Maintain an organized, respectful, and detail-driven kitchen.

Who We’re Looking For

We’re interested in chefs who have developed strong fundamentals in ambitious kitchens.

Experience at California restaurants such as Rich Table, State Bird Provisions, The Progress, Nopa, Octavia, Frances, Pomet, Ernest, The Anchovy Bar, Zuni Café, Cotogna, Foreign Cinema, Penny Roma, The Morris, or restaurants of a similar caliber is highly valued, though not required.

You should:

• Be easy to work with and a true team member. We spend 10 hours a day, five days a week together, so we want to like and respect one another.
• Care deeply about ingredients and food.
• Have knowledge of different cuisines and culinary traditions.
• Be calm under pressure.
• Have strong knife skills and good organization.
• Be eager to teach and continue learning.
• Be genuinely excited about building something special.
• Have experience working with pasta.
• Have experience working with proteins such as venison and rabbit.
• Have personality, but no ego. Good food can be made without unnecessary stress.
• Be yourself.

About lelé kitchen

We are a chef-driven, independently owned restaurant serving modern California cuisine through an Eastern European lens, or Eastern European cuisine interpreted through California produce.

Our menu changes constantly with the seasons and features handmade pasta, bread, fermentation, and preservation. We offer refined à la carte and tasting-menu experiences.

Every plate reflects precision and curiosity.

We value humility, consistency, craftsmanship, and hospitality as much as technical ability.

• Competitive salary based on experience, starting at no less than $80,000.
• Five-day workweek, averaging 46–52 hours.

If you’re looking for a place where your ideas matter, your cooking continues to grow, and your work has a real impact, we’d love to hear from you.

Please send your resume, a few words about yourself, and a couple of photos of your food, and let’s meet in person.