About Us:
We are a fast-growing catering company serving high-profile corporate, social, and private clients throughout New York City. We pride ourselves on delivering exceptional culinary experiences — from VIP breakfasts to large-scale galas. We are looking for a dynamic, organized, and creative Head Chef to lead our kitchen operations and drive culinary excellence.
Position Summary:
The Head Chef will oversee all kitchen operations, manage and mentor the culinary team, and ensure consistency, quality, and efficiency in every dish produced. In addition to culinary leadership, this role requires strong proficiency in Excel, recipe management, and costing to support profitable menu development and operational performance.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead daily kitchen operations in a high-volume, fast-paced catering environment
- Develop, document, and maintain accurate recipes, batch sheets, and prep lists
- Manage menu costing, portioning, and inventory to ensure profitability
- Collaborate with ownership and sales teams to design menus for a wide range of event types
- Maintain food quality, consistency, and presentation standards across all events
- Hire, train, and manage back-of-house staff (chefs, prep cooks, dishwashers, temp staff)
- Implement and enforce kitchen safety, sanitation, and DOH compliance
- Manage vendor relationships and ordering to ensure cost-effective sourcing
- Utilize Excel and kitchen software to maintain accurate records of food costs, waste, and labor
- Work with operations team to ensure smooth event execution and logistics coordination
- Stay current on culinary trends and bring fresh ideas to menu development
Qualifications:
- Minimum 5+ years as a Head Chef, Executive Chef, or Senior Sous Chef — preferably in catering, banquets, or high-volume event production
- Strong understanding of catering kitchen workflows (prep, pack-out, execution, recovery)
- Proven experience with recipe management, menu costing, and food/labor cost controls
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel (formulas, costing sheets, inventory tracking) — required
- Strong leadership and team management skills
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
- Flexible work schedule — ability to support early mornings, nights, weekends, event days
- Culinary degree preferred, but not required with relevant experience
Compensation: Competitive salary based on experience + performance-based incentives
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $90,000.00 - $110,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Food provided
- Paid time off
Shift:
Work Location: In person
