Field Sous Chef
On-siteIthaca, New York, United States
Job Summary
Receive daily assignments from the Area Manager or Operations Specialist and report to the assigned house ready to lead service. When covering an absent Chef, execute the house's planned menu to the standard expected by the house's clients. Manage back-of-house operations including prep coordination, station setup, food safety compliance, and service execution while partnering with front-of-house teams on logistics and guest needs. Rotate across all houses served on campus, building relationships with each team and learning equipment, inventory systems, and vendor relationships. Document insights and standards observed across houses to inform campus-wide best practices. Provide pre-service prep assistance during high-volume periods, support new house onboarding, and execute special events including philanthropies and formal dinners. Complete structured shadow time with senior chefs as part of a documented development plan.
Required Qualifications
- Culinary degree or equivalent professional kitchen experience
- 3+ years in a professional kitchen, with at least 1 year at the Sous Chef level or equivalent
- Demonstrated ability to execute a menu designed by another chef to that chef's standard
- Strong food safety knowledge; ServSafe certification or ability to obtain within 60 days of hire
- Flexibility and mobility — willingness to work across multiple kitchens on short notice, including early mornings, evenings, and occasional weekends
- Strong interpersonal skills; ability to integrate quickly into established kitchen teams
- Capability to work in a kitchen environment that may involve exposure to extreme heat or cold
- Required to stand for long periods, up to 8+ hours, as well as walk, bend and stoop
- Must be able to lift and/or move objects up to 50 pounds
- Exposure to cleaning chemicals
Desired Qualifications
- Prior experience in high-volume residential, hospitality, or institutional food service
- Experience with menu design, recipe costing, and inventory management
- Exposure to dietary accommodation programs (allergen management, religious and lifestyle diets)
Hiring someone like this?
Get your role in front of qualified candidates on Sorce.