Sous Chef — Cultivar Sausalito
Location: 690 Bridgeway, Sausalito, CA
Reports to: Executive Chef / Chef de Cuisine
Type: Full-time, salaried
About Cultivar Sausalito:
Cultivar Sausalito is our third and most ambitious location — a farm-to-table restaurant, wine destination, and premier private event venue on the waterfront in Sausalito, steps from the Ferry Terminal. Farm-to-table is at the heart of everything we do: ingredients are sourced largely from Caspar Estate, our own 25-acre certified organic farm and winery in Napa Valley, supplemented by local farmer partners within an hour of the kitchen. The menu changes weekly with the farm and centers on our Farmers Market Menu, built around produce and herbs grown in our own Culinary Garden in Napa Valley and picked within hours of service, alongside local seafood.
The space itself is built for serious culinary work: a massive two-level, fully equipped kitchen with an Italian pizza oven, indoor and patio seating for 130, and a full calendar of private events — corporate lunches, rehearsal dinners, wine club dinners, and milestone celebrations.
The Role:
We're looking for a Sous Chef who leads, teaches and cooks — someone who can run a large brigade across a two-level kitchen, set the tone for how the team works under pressure, and act as a true second-in-command capable of running the full kitchen independently. This is one of the most dynamic kitchens in Cultivar's portfolio, spanning multiple concurrent service formats (à la carte dining, patio, private events, and wine-pairing dinners), and it needs a leader who can hold that scope together — not just execute within it. Above all, this role is about championing true farm-to-table cooking: building menus and daily specials around what's fresh from the Farmers Market and our own Culinary Garden in Napa Valley.
Key Responsibilities:
Leadership:
- Set the standard for how the kitchen operates — leading by example on the line, under pressure, and in every interaction with the team
- Directly supervise, schedule, mentor, and develop a large culinary team, including line cooks, prep cooks, and kitchen support staff, building a culture of accountability, respect, and growth
- Run full service independently in the Executive Chef's absence, including private events and the pizza oven station, making sound decisions on the fly and keeping the team calm and focused
- Act as the primary point of leadership on the floor during service, resolving issues, coaching in the moment, and keeping morale high during high-volume pushes
Operations:
- Co-lead daily kitchen operations across both levels of the kitchen, ensuring consistency and quality across all stations and service periods
- Own and run the Italian pizza oven station, managing wood/fuel selection and oven temperature (typically 700–900°F) to hit proper leopard-spotted char and consistent bake times across a high-volume service
- Cook beyond pizza in the oven — roasted vegetables, meats, and other dishes suited to live-fire cooking — expanding its use across the menu
- Train and cross-train cooks on live-fire technique — dough handling and stretching, launching and turning pies with a peel, reading dome and floor heat, and adjusting for weather and humidity swings in a waterfront location
- Pair the pizza program with the Farmers Market Menu, rotating toppings around fresh produce and herbs from our Culinary Garden in Napa Valley and seasonal availability from local farmer partners
- Maintain the pizza oven itself — proper cleaning, ash removal, and fuel management to keep it performing safely and consistently
- Partner with the Executive Chef to translate seasonal availability from the Farmers Market and our Culinary Garden in Napa Valley, plus local farmer partners, into fresh menu items and daily specials
- Oversee execution of private events and banquet menus alongside the events team, managing timing, plating, and quality at scale
- Manage kitchen labor, food cost, ordering, and inventory across a high-volume, multi-format operation
- Enforce food safety, sanitation, and health code standards across a large kitchen footprint
- Maintain close coordination with front-of-house and event coordination staff to ensure smooth, elevated guest experiences
What We're Looking For:
- A genuine leader — someone who leads by example on the line, stays calm and clear-headed under pressure, communicates directly and respectfully, and brings out the best in the team through mentorship rather than fear
- 3+ years of experience as a Sous Chef or senior kitchen leader in a high-volume, full-service restaurant, with proven success managing and developing a large team
- Experience with private events, banquets, or high-volume plated service a strong plus
- Comfort working across varied cooking formats (à la carte, wood-fired/pizza oven, banquet-style)
- Hands-on experience running a wood-fired or live-fire pizza oven, including dough technique, temperature management, and high-volume execution
- Experience cooking a range of food in a pizza/wood-fired oven, not just pizza — comfortable using it for vegetables, meats, and other live-fire dishes
- Passion for farm-to-table, seasonal cooking, and sourcing-driven menus
- Genuine enthusiasm for cooking with fresh, seasonal ingredients from the Farmers Market and our own Culinary Garden — someone who wants to build dishes around what's picked that day, not work from a fixed menu
- Strong organizational skills — food cost, scheduling, ordering, and inventory management
- ServSafe Manager
- Ability to stand, lift, and move through a large, multi-level kitchen for extended shifts
Why Cultivar:
Join a growing, vertically integrated wine and hospitality company where what's on the plate is genuinely connected to the land it came from. You'll have real leadership scope in one of our largest and newest kitchens, with room to grow as Cultivar expands.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $75,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Flexible schedule
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
Application Question(s):
- What excites you about this job?
- What is the size of the team you managed & then type of kitchen (fine dining, fast casual, high volume).
Experience:
- executive chef or head chef: 2 years (Required)
Work Location: In person
