Catering Chef- Pastry and Culinary Event Management

About the role

CRAVE Catering is seeking an experienced, organized, and creative Catering Chef with a focus on pastry and culinary event management to join our growing team. This role combines hands-on pastry and culinary production with leadership responsibility for the successful execution of weddings, corporate functions, social celebrations, venue events, and large-scale catered experiences. The ideal candidate has a strong pastry background, is comfortable supporting savory production, and can confidently manage culinary operations at events.

Responsibilities

Culinary Event Management

• Serve as a culinary lead for assigned catering events from final preparation through event completion.
• Review banquet event orders, menus, guest counts, dietary requirements, timelines, floor plans, equipment needs, and service expectations before each event.
• Coordinate with culinary leadership, sales, operations, venue teams, and service managers to ensure all event details are understood and properly executed.
• Develop and manage culinary production timelines, packing lists, pull sheets, equipment lists, and on-site execution plans.
• Confirm that food, supplies, serving equipment, smallwares, signage, and specialty items are complete and properly packed before departure.
• Lead culinary setup at event venues, including temporary kitchens, plating areas, buffets, action stations, dessert displays, and back-of-house workspaces.
• Direct culinary staff during setup, service, replenishment, plating, station execution, and breakdown.
• Conduct pre-event culinary briefings so team members understand assignments, timing, menu details, dietary accommodations, and presentation standards.
• Monitor food quality, temperature, portioning, presentation, timing, and sanitation throughout the event.
• Communicate proactively with event managers and service leadership to adjust timing or resolve operational concerns.
• Troubleshoot culinary challenges calmly and professionally while protecting the guest experience.
• Ensure all dietary meals and allergy-sensitive items are properly labeled, protected, communicated, and delivered to the correct guests.
• Oversee post-event food handling, equipment organization, loading, cleanup, and return procedures.
• Provide timely post-event feedback regarding staffing, production, equipment, menu performance, and opportunities for improvement.
• Help train and mentor culinary team members in event execution, organization, presentation, and CRAVE service standards.

Pastry and Dessert Production

• Prepare and execute pastries, plated desserts, cakes, bars, cookies, mini desserts, and other specialty items for catered events.
• Assist with the development of seasonal desserts, tasting-menu selections, dessert displays, and interactive dessert stations.
• Produce pastry items consistently according to CRAVE recipes, portion specifications, and presentation standards.
• Decorate and finish desserts with exceptional attention to detail and visual appeal.
• Adapt recipes and menu items to accommodate gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, vegan, and other dietary needs.
• Package and organize delicate pastry items for safe transportation, storage, and off-site service.
• Manage pastry production priorities based on event schedules, guest counts, staffing, and available kitchen space.
• Monitor pastry ingredients, inventory, and supplies and communicate purchasing or production needs.

Catering Culinary Production

• Support savory preparation and general kitchen production based on event volume and business needs.
• Assist with cooking, portioning, plating, packaging, labeling, and loading for weddings, corporate events, tastings, and special functions.
• Participate in client tastings, menu-development sessions, venue events, and promotional showcases.
• Contribute creative ideas for seasonal menus, plated desserts, dessert displays, interactive stations, and elevated guest experiences.
• Follow recipes, production sheets, banquet event orders, packing lists, and established culinary procedures.
• Collaborate with culinary leadership to determine staffing, production, transportation, and equipment requirements for upcoming events.
• Help identify operational improvements that increase efficiency, consistency, and event readiness.

Quality, Organization, and Safety

• Maintain exceptional standards for flavor, freshness, consistency, portioning, and presentation.
• Follow all food-safety, sanitation, allergen-management, labeling, transportation, and storage procedures.
• Maintain clean, organized, and efficient kitchen and event workspaces.
• Help minimize food waste through accurate production, proper storage, and responsible handling.
• Communicate production concerns, shortages, equipment needs, staffing issues, and timing challenges promptly.
• Assist with receiving, inventory, organization, and rotation of ingredients and supplies.
• Ensure company equipment and event supplies are handled carefully and returned in an organized condition.
• Represent CRAVE Catering professionally when interacting with clients, guests, venues, planners, and vendor partners.

Qualifications

• Culinary or pastry degree preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience.
• Three or more years of professional culinary, pastry, banquet, hotel, restaurant, or catering experience preferred.
• Previous experience leading culinary teams or managing food operations at catered events strongly preferred.
• Strong knowledge of baking methods, pastry production, dessert presentation, recipe scaling, and high-volume preparation.
• Ability to support both pastry and savory culinary production.
• Demonstrated ability to read and execute banquet event orders, production plans, timelines, and packing lists.
• Strong leadership, organization, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Ability to remain composed and make sound decisions in fast-paced, high-pressure event environments.
• Understanding of dietary restrictions, food allergies, and cross-contact prevention.
• Ability to balance creativity with consistency, efficiency, food cost, and operational requirements.
• Dependable, flexible, team-oriented, and committed to delivering an exceptional guest experience.
• Food-safety certification or willingness to obtain the required certification.
• Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation may be required for event responsibilities.

Schedule and Physical Requirements

• Availability for a flexible catering schedule, including early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays based on event needs.
• Ability to stand and work for extended periods.
• Ability to lift and carry up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to safely work around ovens, mixers, hot equipment, refrigeration, and commercial kitchen tools.
• Ability to work in both permanent and temporary kitchen environments.
• Ability to travel between the production kitchen and event venues as required.

Benefits

• Free uniforms
• Health insurance
• Opportunity for advancement
• Paid time off
• Training & development
• Competitive salary
• Employee discounts

Pay

$55,000.00 – $62,000.00 per year