Are you passionate about creating high-quality food, developing recipes, and leading a team in a fast-paced kitchen environment? As our Executive Chef, you'll play a key role in shaping our prepared foods program by overseeing culinary production, menu development, recipe execution, food quality, and kitchen operations. You'll work alongside our Deli leadership team to create exceptional products our customers love while mentoring employees and helping drive innovation, consistency, and growth within the department.
At Sendik's Fine Foods, we're more than just a grocery store—we're a family-owned company that values our employees and promotes a positive, supportive work environment. We offer flexible scheduling, opportunities to learn and grow within the company, and a comprehensive benefits package for all team members that includes a 401(k) with company contribution and employee discounts. Full-time team members also enjoy health, dental, and vision insurance, paid time off, and more. If you're looking for a workplace where your contributions are appreciated and you can build a long-term career, we'd love to have you on our team!
Executive Chef Job Description:
Position Summary
The Executive Chef is responsible for culinary leadership and kitchen production within the Deli Department, including prepared foods development, recipe execution, production planning, food quality, consistency, kitchen inventory, production staff training, and efficient kitchen operations.
The Executive Chef works as a peer partner with the Deli Manager. The Executive Chef leads culinary production, recipes, kitchen execution, and prepared foods quality, while the Deli Manager leads front-of-house deli service, merchandising, scheduling, department conditions, and daily retail execution.
This position reports to the Deli and Cheese Department Operations Manager and coordinates closely with the Deli Manager, Cheese Manager, Store Director, Human Resources, vendors, and other store leaders to support sales, gross profit, shrink, labor, food safety, and customer experience goals.
Primary Role Ownership
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Owns menu development, recipe standards, production systems, prep lists, cooking execution, kitchen quality, consistency, and prepared foods innovation.
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Leads kitchen production employees and ensures effective training, task completion, food safety, sanitation, and production accountability.
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Partners laterally with the Deli Manager to ensure production plans support service case needs, grab-and-go availability, catering, promotions, and customer demand.
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Escalates operational priorities, staffing needs, product concerns, quality issues, and major decisions to the Deli and Cheese Department Operations Manager.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Culinary Leadership, Recipes and Menu Development
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Develop seasonal, on-trend, high-quality recipes and prepared foods that support customer demand, sales growth, gross profit, and store standards.
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Create menu plans, recipe standards, prep lists, cooking plans, and production lists.
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Maintain culinary standards for flavor, appearance, freshness, consistency, yield, portioning, labeling, rotation, and presentation.
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Provide input to the Operations Manager and Deli Manager regarding sale items, production priorities, product opportunities, and customer demand.
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Use approved recipe and costing systems to support accurate ingredient usage, recipe costing, and margin objectives as assigned.
Production Planning and Kitchen Execution
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Manage food preparation and production to support product availability, freshness, quality, and customer demand.
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Monitor production processes, prep schedules, cooking standards, labeling, rotation, and finished product presentation.
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Ensure sale items and promoted prepared foods are produced in appropriate quantities and available throughout the week.
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Monitor sales, shrink, waste, and product movement to adjust production levels and kitchen labor needs.
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Coordinate with the Deli Manager on service case needs, grab-and-go replenishment, catering orders, deliveries, and production timing.
Kitchen Inventory, Ordering and Vendor Coordination
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Conduct inventory processes for kitchen ingredients and production supplies, including ordering, receiving, storage, and waste control.
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Submit orders according to supplier guides, par levels, production needs, promotions, and seasonal demand.
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Check deliveries for quality and accuracy, match product to invoices, and communicate discrepancies or credit needs according to store procedures.
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Store products in appropriate locations, following proper refrigeration, labeling, rotation, and food safety regulations.
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Monitor slow-moving, high-shrink, and high-opportunity prepared foods and recommend appropriate action.
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Use approved systems and reports to support ordering, inventory accuracy, pricing, recipe costing, production planning, and margin management.
Production Staff Leadership and Training
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Schedule and supervise kitchen production staff to ensure efficient labor utilization and effectiveness in meeting department objectives.
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Communicate tasks, production priorities, prep needs, quality standards, and performance expectations clearly and consistently.
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Follow up to ensure task completion and adherence to store and department policies and procedures.
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Oversee and assist in training production staff to ensure competence in current positions and support future development.
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Participate in interviews, onboarding, coaching, recognition, performance documentation, and corrective actions in coordination with the Operations Manager, Deli Manager, Human Resources, and Store Director as appropriate.
Food Safety, Sanitation and Safety
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Work with the Deli Manager and Operations Manager to supervise department safety and sanitation programs.
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Ensure employees follow food safety, temperature control, handwashing, personal hygiene, product handling, storage, labeling, rotation, allergen awareness, and cross-contamination prevention procedures.
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Ensure employees are trained in equipment use, maintenance, sanitation standards, proper lifting, cleaning procedures, and required personal protective equipment.
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Ensure hazardous equipment is used only by employees who are properly trained and legally permitted to operate it.
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Immediately report unsafe conditions, equipment issues, injuries, product concerns, or sanitation issues to the Operations Manager or person in charge.
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Uphold all store, OSHA, and State food safety practices and guidelines.
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Conduct kitchen inspections, maintain safety and sanitation checklists as assigned, and ensure personal protective equipment is used as required.
Required Qualifications
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Demonstrated ability to lead, train, coach, communicate clearly, and hold employees accountable within assigned areas of responsibility.
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Strong customer service skills and ability to model professional, friendly, knowledgeable service standards.
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Ability to plan, prioritize, delegate, follow up, and make sound decisions in a fast-paced retail food environment.
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Ability to communicate with employees and customers and follow safety procedures.
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Ability to perform basic math and use approved store systems for reporting, ordering, inventory, scheduling, recipe costing, pricing, or department communication as assigned.
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Ability to obtain and/or maintain required food safety certification within the time period designated by the employer.
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Ability to work a flexible schedule based on department needs, including early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays as required.
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Demonstrated culinary, kitchen production, prepared foods, restaurant, deli, or food service leadership experience.
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Strong understanding of food quality, recipe execution, production planning, yield, portioning, freshness, and presentation standards.
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Ability to collaborate effectively with a peer Deli Manager and other department leaders.
Preferred Qualifications
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Formal culinary training, culinary certification, or equivalent demonstrated culinary leadership experience.
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Experience with retail prepared foods, catering, recipe costing, production planning, or high-volume food service production.
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Experience using Reciprofity, Catapult, Microsoft Office, or similar recipe, costing, ordering, or retail food systems.
Physical and Work Environment Requirements
This position requires the ability to perform the following with or without reasonable accommodation:
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Stand and walk for extended periods of time.
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Bend, stoop, reach, twist, squat, kneel, climb, push, pull, and perform repetitive hand and arm movements.
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Lift and carry product and supplies up to 50 lbs. and push/pull heavy loads up to 250 lbs. with appropriate equipment.
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Work in cold, refrigerated, freezer, hot kitchen, hot foods, sales floor, receiving, and backroom environments.
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Work around knives, ovens, stoves, fryers, slicers, hot surfaces, hot oils, cleaning chemicals, slippery surfaces, and wet floors.
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Use computers, printers, scales, labeling equipment, knives, ovens, stoves, fryers, slicers, carts, pallet jacks, and other approved department equipment as assigned.
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Wear required personal protective equipment, which may include gloves, cut-resistant gloves, chemical-resistant gloves, aprons, eye protection, or other safety equipment.
Mental and Cognitive Requirements
This position requires the ability to perform the following with or without reasonable accommodation:
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Understand, remember, and follow verbal and written instructions, policies, procedures, and safety requirements.
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Exercise sound judgment and make timely decisions in a fast-paced retail food environment.
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Prioritize competing tasks and adjust plans based on customer needs, production needs, staffing levels, sales activity, and department conditions.
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Communicate clearly and professionally with customers, employees, vendors, Store Director, Human Resources, and other store leadership.
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Maintain attention to detail when reviewing schedules, orders, invoices, product quality, food safety logs, pricing, signage, production plans, inventory, shrink, and labor information.
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Read, write, perform basic math, and use approved store systems as required for the position.
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Provide coaching, feedback, direction, and follow-up to employees in a calm, professional, and consistent manner.
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Respond appropriately to customer concerns, employee questions, equipment issues, food safety concerns, and changing business needs.
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Work independently and collaboratively while maintaining confidentiality and professionalism.
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Apply culinary judgment, creativity, recipe knowledge, production planning, and quality standards to prepared foods and kitchen operations.
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Use judgment to balance production volume, food quality, freshness, staff capacity, shrink control, and customer demand.
Skills and Competencies
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Culinary leadership and recipe execution
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Production planning and prep organization
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Prepared foods quality and consistency
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Kitchen staff coaching and accountability
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Food safety, sanitation, and allergen awareness
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Shrink, waste, yield, and margin awareness
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Inventory, ordering, and vendor follow-up
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Peer collaboration with front-of-house deli operations
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Attention to detail and sense of urgency
Equal Employment Opportunity and Reasonable Accommodation
The employer is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any legally protected status. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position, unless doing so would cause undue hardship.
Job Description Disclaimer
The duties, responsibilities, qualifications, physical requirements, and working conditions described in this job description are representative of the role and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all tasks that may be required. The employer reserves the right to revise this job description or require additional duties as business needs, operating conditions, or work requirements change.
This job description does not constitute an employment contract and does not alter the at-will nature of employment, if applicable under company policy and applicable law.
Employee Acknowledgment
I acknowledge that I have received and reviewed the job description for the position of Executive Chef. I understand the essential duties, responsibilities, qualifications, physical requirements, and working conditions of this position as described above.
I understand that this job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed and is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or requirements. I understand that my job duties may change on a temporary or regular basis according to the needs of the department or business.
I understand that I should discuss any questions about this job description with my supervisor, Store Director, or Human Resources before signing. I also understand that reasonable accommodations may be available to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.
