Executive Chef

We are presently seeking an Executive Chef to oversee all kitchen staff, food preparation and cooking activities including prepared foods for takeout/eat-in, deli meats and cheeses, Italian Market branded grocery items, and desserts. He/she will be responsible for maintaining complete control of the kitchen and will provide training/mentoring to all culinary and utility staff.

In collaboration with the owners, he/she will be responsible for researching and responding to trends in the food industry, planning new menu items, food costing, and keeping all assigned costs within budget. In this role the Executive Chef will supervise cooks/deli staff in the preparation, cooking, garnishing and presentation of food; he/she will also participate in the recruitment of any new culinary staff when necessary.

The Executive Chef will be responsible for managing the daily operations of the kitchen area, implement production processes, menu planning, catering, manage food cost, labor cost, and all work safety and cleanliness standards including HACCP, Food Safety, and Occupational Health and Safety.

The Executive Chef will act as the ‘culinary’ face of the Italian Market in the community, media and related culinary/social organizations.

Position Responsibilities:

§     Is recognized as the technical expert, teacher and trainer for subordinates and advisor to management on all food related matters

§     Plan and develop menus to encourage sales; creates a variety of new dishes as required

§     Modify and create new menus as needed so that they remain effective for the purposes of the restaurant and catering operations

§ Ensure foods meet quality and safety standards and are prepared and served on schedule

§     Establish production levels and inventory controls to maximize efficiencies reduce waste, and maintain prescribed food cost(s).

§     Able to spot problems and resolve them quickly and efficiently, maintain a level head, and delegate many kitchen tasks simultaneously

§     Designs, supervises, coordinates and participates in activities of cooks and other kitchen staff including the preparation of certain menu items/specialty foods

§     Maintains impeccable personal and work place hygiene and high work and safety standards in keeping with HACCP, Food Safety, and Occupational Health and Safety; sets an example and trains and develops all culinary staff below him/her

§     Performs many administrative duties, including ordering supplies, managing food cost and capital expenditures associated with the kitchen.

§    Uses human resource management skills for recruitment, training and scheduling, managing labour costs and motivating employees to continually improve performance

Position Requirements:

§ Secondary School Diploma

§ Red Seal, Certified Chef de Cuisine designation, or Culinary Arts Diploma, preferred

§ Passion for Italian cuisine strongly preferred

§ Experience with catering, cooking demonstrations, trade shows, an asset

§ Must have proven experience leading and mentoring a culinary team

§     Strong communication, leadership and time management skills; able to handle multiple tasks without losing focus on priorities.

§     Must be innovative and have the ability to make changes to the operation as needed to further improve the work environment and unit performance.

§ Knowledge of FOODSAFE, WHIMS and First Aid, required

§     Basic computer skills required.  Working knowledge of Microsoft Office and computerized food costing tools preferred.

Effort:

• High degree of physical effort required for this position
• Regularly, stands, bends, lifts, and moves intermittently during shifts
• May experience some physical discomfort due to temperature and noise
• Must be able to lift, push, pull and move product, equipment, supplies, etc., in excess of twenty-five (25) pounds.

Working Conditions:

• Disruptive environment since customer, employee, and management interactions and inquiries are required in this position.
• Several last minute and immediate situations occur in the job duties
• Must work well in emotionally charged environments
• Meet constant deadlines regarding catering orders, increases in customer traffic
• Make several decisions without a formal policy to guide the situation
• Some travel required to obtain specialty food products and catering/kitchen equipment

How to Apply

Interested parties are asked to apply in confidence to:

The Italian Market

Att: Julie or Ron Marks, Owners

Email: julie.marks@italianmarket.ca   Cell: 902-221-1450

Young-Kempt Centre, 6061 Young Street, Halifax, NS  B3K 2A3