Sous Chef Tournant - The Langham, Pasadena

The Langham Huntington, Pasadena, Los Angeles is a luxury resort located in an upscale residential neighborhood near historic landmarks, vibrant shopping, entertainment, and cultural attractions. The hotel is part of Langham Hospitality Group, a global family of distinctive brands with over 40 hotels and residences.

About the role

The Chef Tournant is a key culinary leadership position reporting directly to the Executive Chef, serving as a versatile extension of the resort's culinary leadership team. This role provides leadership, operational support, and culinary expertise across all food and beverage outlets in a large, multi-outlet luxury resort. The position combines hands-on culinary leadership with menu development, financial analysis, purchasing, labor management, and operational support.

Responsibilities

• Culinary Leadership & Operations
  • Provide flexible culinary leadership and support across all resort outlets and culinary operations.
  • Be fully proficient in the standards, recipes, systems, and operating procedures of each culinary outlet.
  • Step into leadership roles during high-volume periods, staffing gaps, vacations, special events, openings, and other operational needs.
  • Maintain consistently high standards of food quality, presentation, execution, sanitation, and organization.
  • Support Executive Sous Chefs, Chef de Cuisines, Sous Chefs, and other culinary leaders with daily operational challenges.
  • Provide hands-on leadership during service and ensure smooth execution of daily operations.
  • Assist in training, coaching, mentoring, and development of culinary team members.
  • Promote consistency and adherence to the resort's culinary standards across all outlets.
• Menu Development & Culinary R&D
  • Assist the Executive Chef with menu development and seasonal culinary projects.
  • Participate in recipe development, testing, tastings, and menu implementation.
  • Conduct culinary research and development for new concepts, dishes, techniques, and products.
  • Assist with special events, VIP experiences, activations, and new outlet projects.
  • Ensure recipes are properly documented, standardized, and communicated.
  • Evaluate new products and culinary techniques for quality, consistency, guest appeal, and financial viability.
• Menu Costing & Financial Management
  • Assist with recipe and menu costing to ensure alignment with established food cost objectives.
  • Maintain an understanding of ingredient pricing, yields, portions, and product utilization.
  • Analyze food cost performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
  • Monitor high-cost ingredients and product usage.
  • Assist in identifying waste, overproduction, spoilage, and other areas negatively affecting food cost.
  • Partner with the Executive Chef, Finance, and Purchasing to address food cost variances.
  • Ensure culinary decisions consider both guest experience and financial impact.
• Purchasing & Ordering
  • Be fully proficient in ordering for all culinary areas of the resort.
  • Understand product specifications, par levels, lead times, and ordering schedules for each outlet.
  • Place accurate orders based on forecasted business, occupancy, reservations, events, and operational requirements.
  • Maintain appropriate inventory levels while avoiding unnecessary purchasing and excess inventory.
  • Monitor product pricing, availability, market changes, and substitutions.
  • Work closely with Purchasing and Receiving to ensure quality, quantity, and specification compliance.
  • Ensure all purchasing decisions remain aligned with established food cost obligations and budgetary expectations.
  • Identify opportunities to improve purchasing efficiency and product utilization.
• Labor Analysis & Productivity
  • Assist the Executive Chef with labor analysis, forecasting, and productivity initiatives.
  • Evaluate staffing levels against business volume and operational requirements.
  • Review scheduled versus actual labor hours.
  • Identify opportunities to improve productivity and efficiency.
  • Assist with labor planning for outlets, events, and seasonal business.
  • Monitor overtime and additional labor usage.
  • Support cross-training initiatives to maximize flexibility and efficiency throughout the culinary operation.
• Month-End Reporting & Analysis
  • Assist the Executive Chef with month-end financial reporting and analysis.
  • Support monthly food cost and labor reviews.
  • Assist with physical inventory and inventory reconciliation.
  • Analyze food cost and labor variances against budget and forecast.
  • Review purchasing trends and identify significant fluctuations.
  • Assist in preparing information and recommendations for monthly financial reviews.
  • Follow through on corrective actions designed to improve financial performance.
• Resort-Wide Responsibilities

  The Chef Tournant may be assigned to support any culinary operation within the resort, including:

  • Fine dining restaurants
  • All-day dining
  • Pool and seasonal outlets
  • Bars and lounges
  • Banquets and catering
  • In-room dining
  • Club or executive lounge
  • Special events and VIP functions
  • Employee dining
  • New concepts and culinary projects

  The position requires the ability to quickly adapt to different culinary environments, service styles, staffing structures, and business volumes while maintaining consistent luxury standards.

• Leadership & Communication
  • Demonstrate strong leadership and communication skills.
  • Maintain a calm, professional presence during high-pressure operations.
  • Communicate effectively with culinary, food & beverage, finance, purchasing, and other departments.
  • Identify problems proactively and develop practical solutions.
  • Hold themselves and others accountable to established standards.
  • Lead by example through professionalism, organization, and culinary excellence.
  • Maintain confidentiality and discretion regarding personnel and financial matters.
• Food Safety & Sanitation
  • Maintain strict compliance with all food safety, sanitation, HACCP, and resort standards.
  • Ensure proper food handling, storage, labeling, dating, and temperature control.
  • Address food safety or sanitation deficiencies immediately.
  • Promote a culture of cleanliness, organization, and accountability throughout all culinary operations.

Requirements

• Minimum 5–7 years of progressive culinary experience, preferably within luxury hotels, resorts, or high-volume multi-outlet operations.
• Previous experience in a leadership position such as Sous Chef, Executive Sous Chef, Chef de Cuisine, or equivalent.
• Strong knowledge of multiple culinary disciplines and service styles.
• Experience with luxury hospitality and high guest-expectation environments.
• Strong understanding of food cost, menu costing, purchasing, inventory, and labor management.
• Demonstrated experience with menu development and culinary R&D.
• Strong organizational and analytical skills.
• Ability to read and understand financial reports and operational data.
• Proficiency with recipe costing, inventory, purchasing, and labor systems.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings, weekends, holidays, and extended periods during high-volume business.
• Culinary degree or equivalent professional experience preferred.

Core Competencies

• Culinary Excellence
• Leadership & Team Development
• Operational Flexibility
• Financial Acumen
• Menu Development
• Purchasing & Cost Control
• Problem Solving
• Communication
• Organization
• Accountability
• Attention to Detail
• Luxury Hospitality Standards

Performance Expectations

• Provide dependable leadership and support across the resort.
• Maintain consistent culinary standards across multiple outlets.
• Successfully execute assigned menu and R&D projects.
• Maintain accurate recipe and menu costing.
• Make responsible purchasing decisions aligned with food cost objectives.
• Support effective labor utilization and productivity.
• Contribute to accurate and timely month-end reporting.
• Reduce waste and improve operational efficiency.
• Develop and support culinary team members.
• Anticipate operational needs and proactively assist the Executive Chef.
• Protect both the guest experience and financial performance of the resort.

Pay

$80,000 - $85,000