Executive Banquet & Production Chef
High-End Off-Premise Catering | Teaneck, NJ
We are an established, high-volume off-premise catering and event company serving New Jersey, New York City and the greater metropolitan area. We are seeking an experienced Executive Banquet & Production Chef to lead the culinary execution of our catering division.
This is not a traditional restaurant Executive Chef position.
Our culinary team produces food in our Teaneck commissary, carefully packs and transports it to venues throughout the NY/NJ area, and completes final preparation, presentation and service onsite.
We produce everything from intimate private events to large-scale weddings, galas, corporate events and celebrations for hundreds of guests.
We are looking for a chef who understands both sides of exceptional off-premise catering:
Great food AND flawless execution.
The ideal candidate combines strong classical culinary skills with creativity, organization, production experience and an exceptional eye for presentation.
What You Will Be Responsible For Culinary Development & Creativity
- Develop new hors d'oeuvres, appetizers, entrées, sides, salads, stations and specialty presentations
- Continually elevate existing menus and presentations
- Develop seasonal and event-specific menu concepts
- Create food that is visually exciting while remaining practical for high-volume off-premise execution
- Develop and standardize recipes, portioning, plating and presentation
- Participate in client tastings and menu development
- Stay current with culinary, catering and presentation trends
We are looking for someone who sees a plate, buffet or food station as more than simply a way to serve food.
Presentation matters. Detail matters. Creativity matters.
Production
- Plan and oversee weekly catering production
- Create detailed production schedules based upon upcoming events
- Direct prep cooks, production cooks and banquet chefs
- Personally participate in production when necessary
- Maintain consistency across events ranging from small dinners to several hundred guests
- Coordinate hot food, garde manger, sauces, garnishes, proteins, vegetables and starches
- Ensure food is produced in the correct quantities and to established specifications
- Maintain exceptional standards for taste, consistency and appearance
Butchering & Protein Fabrication
Strong butchering skills are important to this position.
The Executive Banquet & Production Chef must be comfortable working with and supervising the fabrication and portioning of:
The chef should understand yields, portion control, trim utilization and cost.
Purchasing, Ordering & Cost Control
- Determine product requirements based upon upcoming events
- Order proteins, produce and specialty ingredients
- Work with vendors and management regarding quality, availability and pricing
- Maintain appropriate inventory levels
- Minimize waste and unnecessary overproduction
- Understand food cost, yields and portion control
Off-Premise Packing & Logistics
This is a critical part of the position.
Unlike a restaurant kitchen, our food must leave our commissary completely organized and arrive at an event ready for successful execution.
The Executive Banquet & Production Chef will oversee:
- Packing food by event, course and station
- Accurate quantities and counts
- Labeling and organization
- Hot and cold food requirements
- Garnishes, sauces and finishing components
- Specialty culinary equipment
- Loading and transportation requirements
- Final review of culinary packing before departure
Nothing can be forgotten.
Event Execution
The position includes working events throughout New Jersey, New York City and the surrounding area.
Responsibilities include:
- Setting up temporary/off-premise event kitchens
- Organizing culinary staff upon arrival
- Coordinating with banquet and event managers
- Establishing plating and presentation standards
- Creating sample plates before service
- Directing cocktail-hour and station execution
- Managing plated dinner service for large guest counts
- Maintaining consistency from the first plate to the last
- Troubleshooting quickly when circumstances change
- Supervising breakdown, leftovers and return packing
A ballroom, tent, museum, private residence or raw event space must become a functioning kitchen—and the culinary team must execute as though it were working in a permanent facility.
Leadership
You will be expected to:
- Lead, train and motivate culinary staff
- Help recruit and develop full-time and freelance culinary personnel
- Establish clear expectations and accountability
- Create efficient production and event assignments
- Maintain a clean, organized and professional kitchen
- Communicate effectively with management, event staff and culinary personnel
- Lead by example and work alongside the team when necessary
Who We Are Looking For
The strongest candidates will have:
- 5+ years of high-end banquet, catering or large-scale event culinary experience
- Direct experience with off-premise catering strongly preferred
- Experience producing and executing upscale weddings, galas, corporate events and/or large social events
- Strong culinary and production skills
- Strong butchering and knife skills
- Experience managing large-volume food production
- Experience with plated dinners, cocktail receptions, stations and buffets
- Excellent organizational and logistical skills
- Strong understanding of food safety and sanitation
- The ability to remain calm and decisive under event pressure
- A creative eye for contemporary food presentation
- Leadership experience managing culinary teams
Experience exclusively in restaurants or hotels does not necessarily translate to this position. Candidates should understand—or be exceptionally prepared to learn—the unique logistics involved in producing, packing, transporting and executing food at off-premise events.
Location & Transportation
Our commissary is located in Teaneck, New Jersey.
Because this is a hands-on leadership position requiring early production days, changing schedules and frequent event responsibilities, we strongly prefer candidates who live in New Jersey within a reasonable commuting distance of Teaneck.
Candidates must also have reliable transportation and the ability to travel to events throughout New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area.
Schedule
Catering is not a Monday-through-Friday business.
The schedule changes according to our event calendar and includes early mornings, evenings, and weekends.
Candidates must understand and be comfortable with the schedule demands of a senior culinary position in the special-events industry.
Compensation
$125,000+ annually, depending upon experience and qualifications.
For an exceptional candidate with significant high-end off-premise catering experience, compensation will reflect the experience and value they bring to our organization.
To Apply
Please submit:
- Resume
- Current city/state of residence
- Brief description of your off-premise catering experience
- Approximate size of the largest event for which you have had culinary responsibility
- Examples or photographs of your food and presentation work, if available
We are particularly interested in hearing from chefs who believe exceptional event food requires the combination of culinary skill, creativity, organization, presentation and flawless execution.
Pay: From $125,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Food provided
- Paid time off
Application Question(s):
- How many years of professional OFF-PREMISE catering culinary experience do you have?
- Have you personally supervised culinary production and onsite execution for off-premise events of 250+ guests?
- What is the largest off-premise event for which you personally supervised culinary production and/or execution?
- Which of the following have you personally been responsible for?
Select all: Menu development / Purchasing & ordering / Production scheduling / Butchering / Food costing / Packing off-premise events / Onsite kitchen setup / Plated dinner execution / Chef-attended stations / Managing culinary staff
- Please briefly describe your direct off-premise catering experience. What company did you work for, what was your position, and what types/sizes of events did you execute?
- Our commissary is in Teaneck, NJ. In what city and state do you currently live?
- Do you have strong professional butchering/fabrication skills with beef, veal, lamb and poultry?
- Are you available to work a catering-driven schedule that may include early mornings, evenings, and Weekends?
- Do you have reliable transportation for travel to our Teaneck commissary and event locations throughout NJ/NY?
- Please provide a link to photographs, Instagram, portfolio or other examples of food you have personally prepared and/or plated, if available.
Work Location: In person
