Sous Chef

Job Summary

Provide exceptional service for University at Buffalo’s Campus Dining Program. Set up, service, cook specialty foods, under constant pressure to prepare meals quickly while ensuring quality is maintained and safety and sanitation guidelines are observed, and cleanup of the kitchen space. This role leads and directs the prep and production team in the kitchen.

Job Assignments

• High volume food preparation and cooking, following established recipes and production system.
• Butcher, trim, season and grill special cuts of beef and other meats.
• Communicate with production manager on pars, recipes, & progress of the kitchen.
• Maintain production and usage records as required.
• Maintain high sanitary, hygienic, and safety standards and conditions, adhering to HACCP & NYS Dept. of Health guidelines.
• Includes cleanliness & maintenance of kitchen & equipment.
• Direct work assignments of support staff in cooks’ area and train student workers.
• General cleaning, other food service duties, and projects as requested by management.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of high-volume, professional cooking experience required.
• Knowledge of equipment used in high-volume kitchens including grills, deep fat fryers, alto shams, etc.
• Must be able to demonstrate proficiency in professional knife-handling skills with ability to cut/trim meat or carcasses.
• Pleasant customer service focused demeanor.
• Experience in directing work assignments of support staff in cooks’ area.
• Experience in following and extending standardized recipes.
• Experience at organizing and maintaining kitchen workstations.
• Experience in maintaining production and usage records.
• Experience in safe food handling, preventing food-borne illness, and sanitation techniques.
• Able to correctly identify product and read production sheets.
• Able to prioritize work and execute tasks with speed, efficiency, and accuracy, in a high-volume environment.
• Able to work independently and part of a team to fulfill customer orders.
• Excellent customer service.
• Ability to speak, read, and write English, and have accurate math skills.
• Maintain professional appearance, demeanor, and hygiene.
• Reliable transportation and attendance.
• Must be able to pass Cook 1 screening test.

Physical and Mental Demands

• The position is very active and the employee must be able to stand and walk for a minimum of 8 hours.
• The employee is occasionally required to sit; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, bend, stretch, twist, or reach out.
• While performing the duties of the job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear.
• The position requires manual dexterity; auditory and visual skills; and the ability to follow written and oral instructions and procedures.
• The employee must have the ability to use hands to finger, manipulate fingers; and reach with hands and arms, to stir, measure, pour, cut, chop, dice, and decorate, etc.
• The position requires working taste buds, ability to smell, feel with fingers and visually inspect, include close and distance vision.
• The employee must frequently lift, move, push and pull items weighing 25 lbs and occasionally lift and/or move items like cres carts (on wheels) weighing up to 50 lbs or more.