Sous Chef

Description

The Sous Chef is a key culinary leader responsible for delivering exceptional food experiences that reflect the Family of Silver Oak's commitment to hospitality, craftsmanship, and quality. This position partners closely with the Executive Chef to lead daily culinary operations, mentor the kitchen team, execute world-class winery events, and ensure every guest experience reflects our premium brand standards. In the Executive Chef's absence, the Sous Chef assumes full responsibility for kitchen operations and culinary execution.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:   

• Foster a positive, collaborative, high-performing kitchen culture through clear communication, daily pre-service meetings, and accountability to quality and hospitality standards. 
• Onboard, coach and develop culinary team members through ongoing training, feedback and performance management.
• Plan and lead daily kitchen operations, including prep lists, workflow, production priorities and participation in food preparation. 
• Ensure efficient execution by overseeing cooking techniques, knife skills, seasoning, food preparation and overall culinary quality. 
• Maintain a clean, organized and high-performing kitchen while developing team members through hands-on coaching and leadership.
• Lead the culinary execution of multi-course lunches, dinners, food and wine pairings, internal meals and large-scale hospitality events. 
• Ensure consistency in recipes, portioning, plating, presentation and final quality while maintaining the Executive Chef's culinary standards. 
• Coordinate kitchen team responsibilities to ensure seamless event execution and independently lead events in the Executive Chef's absence. 
• Engage with guests during dining experiences by presenting menu concepts and representing the Family of Silver Oak culinary program.
• Manage purchasing, receiving and inventory while maintaining established food, labor and operating budgets. 
• Evaluate vendor relationships, inspect deliveries for quality and maintain appropriate inventory, storage and par levels to minimize waste. 
• Support labor scheduling and staffing decisions to balance operational efficiency with exceptional guest experiences.
• Partner with the Executive Chef and Landscaping team to plan, maintain and harvest the culinary gardens. 
• Incorporate seasonal estate-grown produce into menus while maximizing utilization through preservation techniques. Support maintenance of culinary gardens; harvesting, pruning, trellising as needed 
• Partner with Hospitality, Events, Vineyard, Facilities and Winemaking teams to deliver exceptional guest experiences and support company-wide initiatives. 
• Collaborate with the Executive Chef on menu development, staff scheduling and culinary planning across Family of Silver Oak properties. 
• Welcome guests into the kitchen, participate in event planning meetings and support internal staff events.
• Ensure compliance with County Health Department regulations, food safety standards and safe chemical handling practices. 
• Maintain an exceptionally clean, organized and inspection-ready kitchen, including food storage, sanitation stations, loading docks, floors and workspaces. 
• Promote a culture of cleanliness, sanitation and safety through daily oversight and accountability.

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 8+ years of progressive culinary experience, including at least 3 years in fine dining, luxury hospitality or equivalent high-end culinary environments.
• Advanced knowledge of all kitchen areas including prep, pantry, contemporary cooking methods, pastries and breads.
• Understanding of seasonality, sustainable farming practices, fishing and animal husbandry
• Working knowledge of wine, food pairing principles, and luxury hospitality.
• High level of attention to detail to ensure food production runs seamlessly to properly execute on high luxury events
• CA Food Manager Certification preferred.
• Must be able to work flexible hours including nights and weekends.
• Ability to speak and describe our cuisine to a small/large group of guests.
• Valid CA Driver’s License and clean DMV record.
• Ability to drive between multiple winery locations for events.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Strong demonstrated leadership and ability to work in a team.  

PHYSICAL/MENTAL REQUIREMENTS:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to do the following:

• Stand on feet for long periods of time.
• Perform repetitive motion activities.
• Physically able to occasionally lift 30-50 lbs.
• Coordinate multiple tasks simultaneously.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• Busy and distractive open office/kitchen atmosphere.
• Kitchen can be hot and slippery.
• Ability to work with regular distraction.