Catering Chef

Department: Hospitality Services
Supervisor: CFO and V.P. of Operations
Supervises: Catering staff as assigned
FLSA Salary Classification: Non-Exempt, Variable Hour
Revision Date: May 2023
Availability: Ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends and holidays.

General Summary:
The Catering Chef responsibilities include leading and executing catering efforts as contracted, providing an excellent dining experience for guests. Responsibilities include but are not limited to providing quality food and service, adhering to budgeted labor cost, inventory management, developing menu offerings, participating in the sales process by providing enticing tasting events as requested and scheduling supporting staff as needed. Collaborates with hospitality leadership team to promote Garden and private events.

Essential Duties:

• Meet with contracted clients, develop event menu and tasting timeline.
• Lead and execute catering efforts for both Garden hosted events and private, client events providing an excellent dining experience for guests.
• Manage labor, cost of goods, and controllable expenses to contribute to a sustainable bottom line, while making decisions in keeping with Garden Core Values.
• Oversee the ongoing compliance to all applicable regulations related to the serving of food through effective training, policies and procedures. Delivering on our commitment to presentation, tasty food options and cleanliness.
• Develop and implement internal and external processes and procedures for catering operations.
• Manage catering inventory levels, monitor budgets to ensure catering events remain profitable and actively find ways to lower operational costs.
• Keep all equipment in clean, safe and proper working order. Maintain high health department rating.
• Document and report facility maintenance and repairs required to ensure the facility is maintained to Garden expectations.
• The Catering Chef may be asked to assist with recruiting, interviewing, hiring, training.
• Duties include scheduling job assignments, consistent and ongoing coaching and performance feedback, recognition, staff development and training in keeping with the Garden’s policies and procedures.
• Work with the Café manager to cross train talent in both areas.

• Responsible for coordinating the scheduling of staff needed to support catering operations with hospitality leaders.
• Actively integrates the organization’s Core Values into the performance expectations of departmental staff and performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• High school diploma or GED and 5 years of experience working in the food service industry with knowledge large scale catering events and profit and loss analysis. Managerial experience and culinary certificate preferred.
• Must have a food handler’s license and be aware of regulations concerning food health and safety.
• Proven management and leadership skills with exemplary organizational, time management, communication, and customer service skill

Success Factors: Exemplifies the Garden’s Core Values and has a true desire to collaborate with others to better a process, idea, or task. Highly organized with the ability and experience to manage multiple simultaneous situations while maintaining high attention to detail. Confident, calm, high expectations for customer and staff service. Cheerful, flexible problem-solver.

Ensure profitability by serving good food & providing an engaging guest experience.

Physical Demands and Work Environment: The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

• Physical Demands: Requires physical stamina and the ability to lift and carry up to 25 lbs. Required to stand for prolonged periods. Must be able to bend, balance, reach, stoop, or kneel without hindrance.
• Work Environment: Work is performed in a combined indoors and outdoors environment, working at times in all weather conditions during special events. Occasionally exposed to fumes or airborne particles. The noise level in the work environment can range from quiet to moderate elevated noise levels.
• Equipment: Commercial kitchen equipment and appliances including oven, cook tops, knives and other cutting utensils. General office equipment, tablets, audio-visual equipment, two-way radio, tablet, and operate garden shuttle.

Job descriptions are guidelines that attempt to characterize major duties and responsibilities of employees, and are subject to change as needs and programs change. At Huntsville Botanical Garden they are considered neither inclusive nor exclusive. It is expected that up to 20% of your duties may change annually.

The Huntsville Botanical Garden supports a culture of inclusion that attracts, inspires, and engages people to achieve success. The Garden is committed to hire and develop employees based on job-related qualifications irrespective of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, or veteran status. To increase diversity in professions related to the public garden realm, we encourage applications from underrepresented minorities, persons with disabilities, and veterans.