Assistant Sous Chef

This role is an academic year position.

Schedule

• Sunday & Monday: 11:45 AM – 8:15 PM
• Tuesday & Wednesday: Off
• Thursday – Saturday: 11:45 AM – 8:15 PM
• Working weekends & evenings will be expected.

About the Role

Tufts Dining is a self-operated food service provider managing a comprehensive collegiate dining program on the Tufts University Medford/Somerville and SMFA/Fenway campus. We deliver high-quality, contemporary, and innovative food and hospitality services to meet the needs of students, staff, faculty, administrators, and visitors in a fiscally responsible manner. Our team provides a progressive resident dining program, innovative retail services, and a distinctive university catering program serving a campus community of 6,500 undergraduates, 2,200 graduate students, and 2,300 staff, faculty, and administrators. Residential dining centers and catering operate seven days a week.

Responsibilities

• Support the operation of complex, fast-paced, high-volume, well-equipped kitchens under the unit Sous Chef and management.
• Master cooking techniques, including cook-chill technology, recipe development and testing, and preparation of a wide variety of international cuisines.
• Prepare and present hot and cold foods following standardized department recipes in forecasted quantities using various preparation methods.
• Assist with evaluating daily kitchen workload, suggesting job assignments, and overseeing cooks and kitchen personnel in the absence of the unit Sous Chef or manager.
• Evaluate finished products for quality and address sub-quality production or presentation by analyzing problems and implementing solutions in collaboration with the culinary leadership team.
• Work in all kitchen areas as needed, focusing on production and presentation.
• Research, develop, test, and adjust recipes for all production areas.
• Execute kitchen sanitation and food safety practices; assign side work and equipment maintenance duties to kitchen personnel.
• Coordinate and expedite food preparation from the kitchen and action stations, ensuring safe food handling and on-time production.
• Assist in planning and executing production and presentation for assigned meals, including designing and executing buffet presentation.
• Collaborate with the Sous Chef and management to fulfill culinary goals, implement management initiatives, and exceed customer expectations.
• Prepare specialty meals as needed, meeting deadlines for specific meals.
• Perform line checks and complete all standard forms, service records, and checklists properly.
• Demonstrate the ability to work under fast-paced, high-pressure conditions.
• Adhere to posted schedules; time off requests must follow proper procedure and are subject to approval based on business needs. No requests will be honored for Senior Week, Holidays, Alumni Weekend, Commencement, Orientation, Matriculation, or Special Events during the Academic Year.
• Supervise and manage shifts to ensure high-quality food and service, adhering to dining policies and procedures.
• Handle emergencies and menu changes professionally.
• Assist in conducting performance reviews and creating work schedules for culinary employees.
• Assign and oversee the work of culinary teams to meet quality, quantity, and service deadlines with minimal waste.
• Train and coach culinary staff to develop skills and plan culinary training as needed.
• Ensure proper portion control, garnish, and food presentation, as well as appropriate food quantities and minimal waste.
• Maintain regular communication with the Sous Chef and management to receive feedback on menus, recipes, and products.
• Delegate and oversee assigned culinary teams to meet established standards and deadlines.
• Ensure kitchen, production stations, and food storage areas are clean, sanitary, and well-organized.
• Monitor equipment operation and report on performance and needs.
• Use the FoodPro system for ordering food and supplies, recipe functions, and preparing transfers.
• Assist with weekly physical inventory and ongoing skill evaluations for employee performance reviews.
• Execute all other related duties as assigned, including various food service tasks based on daily and seasonal business demands.

Requirements

• 5–7 years of experience planning and preparing hot and cold foods for service and coordinating a culinary crew in a restaurant, hotel, or institutional operation.
• Expertise or high interest in various cuisines, cooking methods, quantity food preparation, batch cookery, and general culinary techniques.
• Demonstrated mastery of all cooking methods.
• Practical experience leading a kitchen crew, coaching and training culinary skills, designing plate and buffet presentations, and assisting in recipe and menu development.
• Comprehensive knowledge of kitchen sanitation and food safety practices, with the ability to enforce safe food handling guidelines.
• Ability to work as a team player, held accountable for product quality, meeting tight deadlines, and contributing to kitchen success.
• Ability to read, speak, and understand English, with a working knowledge of basic food service math.
• Customer service sensitivity, as Tufts Dining is a hospitality-oriented service provider.
• ServSafe Certification (preferred).

Preferred Qualifications

• Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts.
• Experience cooking and leading in a university or institutional setting within a top-tier program.
• Experience utilizing computers for work and willingness to learn the FoodPro software system.
• Experience supervising the culinary work of others.

Pay

$29.46 per hour.