About Us
Since 2002, Little Ruby's has brought Australian cafe culture to New York City, offering casual, locally sourced cuisine, specialty drinks, and a full coffee program.
Position Summary
The Executive Commissary Chef leads all production out of our central commissary kitchen, which supplies every venue in the group. This role owns batch production, recipe standardization, food safety and traceability, packaging and labeling, inventory, and distribution — with accountability for consistency and cost across all locations. Unlike a venue kitchen, success here is measured in yield, spec adherence, on-time delivery, and food-safety compliance rather than service execution. The ideal candidate is highly organized, systems-driven, comfortable with volume production, and able to partner effectively with venue chefs and operations leadership.
ResponsibilitiesProduction & Quality
- Build and own the daily and weekly production schedule based on venue par levels, sales forecasts, seasonality, and the events calendar.
- Execute batch production of sauces, doughs, proteins, dressings, bases, pastry, and packaged items to exact spec.
- Scale recipes from R&D test batches to production volumes without loss of quality, texture, or yield.
- Maintain the master recipe database, including spec sheets, batch cards, yields, and standard portion weights.
- Run quality checks on every production lot before release; hold or reject product that does not meet spec.
- Partner with venue chefs and culinary leadership on new menu items — assess which components should be centralized, then test for scalability, shelf life, transport stability, and plate cost.
- Manage packaging formats and portioning to reduce venue-level prep labor and waste.
Food Safety, Sanitation & Compliance
- Own the commissary HACCP plan, including cooking, cooling, cook-chill, reheating, and cold-chain controls, with documented logs.
- Own product labeling: production and use-by dating, ingredient and allergen declarations, and lot coding sufficient for full traceability and recall.
- Enforce allergen segregation and cross-contact controls, and uphold the company-wide allergy and dietary protocol across all commissary output.
- Ensure compliance with all Department of Health, federal, state, and local regulations, plus any applicable licensing for wholesale or off-site production.
- Maintain audit readiness at all times, including third-party and insurance audits.
- Own sanitation SSOPs, chemical program, pest control, and equipment cleaning schedules.
- Ensure completion of all opening and closing procedures as assigned by the company.
Inventory, Purchasing & Logistics
- Set and maintain par levels for every venue; manage the requisition and transfer process between commissary and venues.
- Coordinate delivery routes and schedules, and ensure temperature compliance in transport.
- Manage receiving, storage, rotation, and inventory counts; maintain accurate stock levels and minimize spoilage.
- Manage vendor relationships, sourcing, and pricing; work with purchasing on contracts, specs, and substitutions.
- Track yield, shrink, and waste, and work with existing systems to drive continuous waste reduction.
Financial
- Control commissary food cost, labor, and operating expenses within budget.
- Own transfer pricing and cost allocation to each venue, and support venue-level COGS targets.
- Provide cost analysis on new and existing items, and identify centralization opportunities that improve margin.
- Submit and justify equipment and capital requests; maintain preventative maintenance schedules.
Leadership & Communication
- Recruit, train, schedule, and develop the commissary production team; manage schedules against forecast and performance measures.
- Provide hands-on guidance to production staff in prep, batch cooking, portioning, packaging, and sanitation.
- Lead daily production huddles and participate in departmental meetings and training sessions.
- Adhere to all appearance standards as outlined in the Employee Handbook.
- Communicate clearly and consistently with venue chefs, operations, purchasing, and events teams on availability, substitutions, and production changes.
- Ensure all employees are compliant with back-of-house standards and procedures.
- Work as part of a team and provide help and support to all fellow team members.
Requirements
- Minimum 5 years of culinary supervisory/management experience, with at least 2 years in a commissary, central production kitchen, high-volume catering production, or food manufacturing environment.
- Multi-unit or multi-outlet support experience strongly preferred.
- Two-year associate degree (60 credit hours) in Culinary Arts or equivalent work experience preferred.
- ServSafe Manager certification and NYC Food Protection Certificate required; HACCP certification required or to be obtained within 90 days of hire.
- Demonstrated ability to scale recipes, calculate yields, and manage production math accurately.
- Strong systems and process orientation, with the ability to build and document SOPs.
- Strong coaching, team-building, problem-solving, and leadership skills required.
- Must be organized, self-motivated, and proactive with a strong attention to detail.
- Proficient with computers (Microsoft products, Excel/Google Sheets), POS, and inventory technology.
- Experience with Craftable, Foodager, 7shifts, TripleSeat, and Google Drive is preferred.
- Valid driver's license preferred.
- Must be able to stand, lift, and bend for extended periods of time.
- Must be able to bend and lift up to 50 lbs.
- Role may include job duties or tasks requiring repetitive motion.
- Regular exposure to hot kitchen elements, walk-in coolers and freezers, and cleaning materials.
- Must be able to work and remain focused in a fast-paced and ever-changing environment.
- Ability to work a flexible schedule inclusive of varying shifts such as early mornings, days, evenings, weekends, and holidays.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $100,000.00 - $110,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Shift:
- 10 hour shift
- 12 hour shift
- 8 hour shift
- Day shift
- Evening shift
- Morning shift
- Night shift
Ability to Commute:
- New York, NY 10022 (Preferred)
Work Location: In person
