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Sous Chef Job Description: Top Duties and Qualifications

A Sous Chef, or Executive Sous Chef serves as an assistant to the Head or Executive Chef. Their duties include leading the kitchen staff during the Head Chef’s absence, guiding and supervising the junior kitchen staff during food preparation and assisting the Head Chef in menu preparation.

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Sous Chef duties and responsibilities

A Sous Chef has different duties and responsibilities at a restaurant or a hotel. However, their main role is ensuring that Head Chefs have utensils and ingredients they need to cook the restaurants’ dishes. Their main responsibilities include: 

  • Documenting each morning what the Head Chefs require before they prepare the day’s dishes
  • Cleaning and organising the food preparation area for the Head Chef
  • Delivering the ingredients that the Head Chef needs to prepare to the food preparation area
  • Ensuring the Line and Prep Cooks prepare the dishes according to the Head Chef’s specifications and standards
  • Training new kitchen employees on the restaurant’s standards and regulations
  • Addressing and resolving diners’ and clients’ complaints quickly
  • Monitoring the kitchen area and the staff to ensure sanitation standards are maintained
  • Ensuring all food products to be prepared are not expired
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Sous Chef Job Description Examples:

Example 1

7Bone Burger Co is looking to recruit a Junior Sous Chef who has a proven track record in high volume, high performance kitchens who is looking to make the next step to Senior Sous in the near future! We will provide a top quality training programme with the objective of achieving quick promotion. We currently operate across 13 sites, with the goal of becoming the best "dirty burger" joints in the UK!

Duties & Responsibilities
  • Assist & Support the Head Chef with the day to day running of the kitchen
  • Assisting with the ordering of, close management of stock & labour efficiency
  • Ensuring all Health & Hygiene procedures are implemented & continually adhered to
  • Have the ability to work & train on every section of the cook line
  • Competent & confident in training new staff
  • Ability to learn & understand new cooking techniques
    In return you will receive this: Competitive hourly rateplus tips! A unique opportunity to join a growing dirty burger chain with national potential. You will not find another one like this.
  • Lots of training & career development/progression
    *
  • 28 days holiday
  • Free food
  • Chance to be a major part of building something special
  • £10.75 per hour

    Job Type: Full-time

    Salary: Up to £10.75 per hour

    Schedule:
  • Monday to Friday
  • Weekend availability

    Experience:
  • chef: 1 year (Preferred)
  • junior sous chef: 1 year East Sussex (Preferred)

    • Example 2

    Hospitality is our Personality and we are RedCat!

    Company Overview

    RedCat are acquiring multiple pubs and inns in sort after locations across the UK. Our calling is to revive and re-generate potentially amazing spaces, by investing heavily in the buildings, and design, their branding, and most of all the people. By providing industry leading, lifestyle enhancing spaces, we will be injecting excitement back into the hospitality sector. RedCat is an ambitious, fast paced company and if you want to come on this exciting journey, the opportunities at RedCat are infinite.

    The RedCat Way

    We want every employee at RedCat to carry out their role and responsibilities with the same approach, having integrity, showing care and being respectful. Whether you are managing a 30 room boutique hotel or you are making cocktails in a leading high street café bar, you can all carry out these duties in the same RedCat way. Hospitality is your personality, that’s why you an honest problem solver who will roll up your sleeves and make sure every customer you serve has an incredible experience, one to write home about.

    The Role:

    Sous Chef

    We are recruiting for a Sous chef who will be a key player in the development of the kitchen brigade. You will have great social skills and be able to be managed and developed by the Head Chef, but also be able to be a leader to the rest of the team.

    You will be focused on supporting and helping implement the day to day running of the kitchen to encompass the service, safety and high standards set by the Head Chef.

    Assisting the Head Chef with new menus and dishes, you will have your own creativity flair to constantly push for exciting new dishes and helping tweak the good old classics.

    You will be expected to be able to run the kitchen in the absence of the Head chef, adhering to COSHH and EHO standards at all times.

    You will be part of a growing group of Chefs where exciting opportunities will arise, together with our training system you will have fantastic opportunities to move up to a Senior Sour or Head Chef role within the group.

    Essential Skills:
  • Good standards of culinary skills, presentation, and attention to detail
  • Positive attitude and being able to keep calm in stressful situations
  • Be able to step up to Head Chef when required to do so
  • Adhere to and maintain Health & Safety, EHO and HACCP standards and procedures
  • Have an understanding of Stocktakes and GP%
  • Can assist with Rotas, training and management responsibilities
  • Have a good understand of the working operations of a venue

    Whats in it for you?
  • Competitive Salary
  • Tips
  • 25% off all food, drink, rooms at all RedCat Venues
  • (T&C’s) apply
  • Great opportunities to progress within a growing company
  • Free meals on shift.
  • 24hrs access to the companies training and development site.
  • Wellness Programme
  • Life Insurance

    Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

    Salary: Up to £30,000.00 per year

    Additional pay:
  • Signing bonus
  • Tips
    Benefits:
  • Company pension
  • Discounted or free food
  • On-site parking
    Schedule:
  • 12 hour Chef: 2 years (preferred)

    • Example 3

    Job Description - Chef

    *
    Start date: ASAP

    Salary: 32k -34k p/a

    Experience: 2+ years of kitchen management

    Job type: Full Time
    *
    *
    Company description

    Le Bab is the original modern Kebab restaurant. Since we opened in 2015 in Soho we have been serving refined, seasonal kebabs and serving plates. We work from traditional kebab styles, incorporating classical fine dining techniques and global gastronomic influences. Our kebabs are made from free range British meat and top seasonal produce. We serve them together with modern mezze, curated wines, craft beer and cocktails.
    *

    *
    Job Description

    Our kitchen teams are tight-knit, hard-working units. We insist on a positive, supporting and ambitious attitude from our staff. We believe this creates great working environments where people can thrive and our product excels. Our junior kitchen staff are expected to contribute in all aspects of day-to-day prep and/or service and manage the workloads of their own sections (with guidance). You will be working in a busy kitchen, providing high quality food to order in large volumes. Everything we serve, we make in-house from scratch - including bread, sauces and all our kebabs.
    *
    *
    We encourage independence and provide extensive on the job training which allows driven and committed individuals to progress far in our company. There are also opportunities to participate in apprenticeships schemes while working for Le Bab. Reliability and professionalism are a must amongst our team members. Le Bab is a demanding but deeply rewarding and enjoyable place to work!
    *
    *
    As Sous Chef you will be in charge of our kitchen operations many days of the week. Final responsibility for food production, smooth running of service and management of the kitchen brigade will fall to you. Candidates should therefore have extensive experience (2+ years) of leading kitchen teams as Sous or Head Chef, ideally in kebab-focussed restaurants.
    *

    *
    Job responsibilities
    *
    *
    All Staff

    -Upholding our values and promoting our culture

    -Working with the highest standards of hygiene and cleanliness at all times

    -Tidying and organizing the working environment

    -Following recipes and instructions accurately

    -Complying with all H&S regulations regarding food safety, personal safety, operational safety and fire safety.

    -Being a great colleague!
    *
    *
    Sous Chef
    *
    *
    Leading service

    -Ensuring all sections are setup for service

    -Guiding checks and timings

    -Liaising with FOH

    -Troubleshooting

    -Delivering consistency and excellence of food
    *
    *
    Stock management

    -Ordering

    -Rotating stock

    -Liaising with suppliers

    -Supervising prep kitchen deliveries

    -Controlling wastage
    *
    *
    Supervising MEP and prep production

    -Ensuring all sections achieve prep requirements

    -Checking prep standards and recipe adherence

    -Forecasting prep requirements

    -Producing high quality MEP for pass section

    -Teaching junior chefs new skills
    *
    *
    H+S

    -Ensuring all staff comply with food safety, personal safety, operational safety and fire safety requirements.

    -Overseeing excellent standards of hygiene and cleanliness at all times
    *
    *
    Admin and maintenance

    -Ensuring adherence to and completion of checklists

    -Communicating issues with relevant colleagues/departments

    -Promoting high standards of organization

    -Maintaining or fixing equipment

    -Problem solving
    *
    *
    Kitchen conduct

    -Promoting good practices

    -Supporting pass chef in kitchen operations

    -Providing guidance and supervision to junior chefs

    -Ensuring organization of kitchen environment

    -Completing checklists diligently
    *

    Job Type: Full-time

    Salary: £32,000.00-£38,000.00 per year

    Schedule:
  • 10 hour shift
  • 12 hour shift
  • Day shift
  • Weekend availability
    Supplemental pay types:
  • Performance bonus
  • Tips

    Ability to commute/relocate:
  • Spitalfields: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)

    Experience:
  • Chef: 2 years (required)

    Work authorisation:
  • United Kingdom (required)

    Shift availability:
  • Day shift shift (preferred)

    • What does a Sous Chef do?

    Sous Chefs prepare the ingredients for the Head Chef. They also oversee the kitchen operations so that Head Chefs are left to focus on cooking the dishes, according to a restaurant’s recipes and menu. A Sous Chef resolves conflicts and disciplines kitchen staff so that kitchen and food preparation activities are not disrupted. They also plan and assign duties to kitchen staff every morning and set targets for them to meet by the end of the day to ensure the restaurant runs smoothly. A Sous Chef sometimes invites potential diners or clients to food tastings as a way of marketing a restaurant’s dishes.

    Sous Chef skills and qualifications

    A successful Sous Chef will have various prerequisite skills and qualifications that typically include:

    • In-depth knowledge of the kitchen’s routines and utensils
    • Ability to grasp and follow the Head Chef’s culinary instructions
    • Knowledge of food preparation methods and presentation
    • Knowledge of how to maintain and care for culinary utensils
    • Diplomatic and conflict resolution skills
    • Leadership skills
    • Ability to work under pressure through rapid deadlines

    Sous Chef experience requirements

    The experience requirements of a Sous Chef can depend on the Head Chef they worked under, the size and a restaurant’s geographical location. Sous Chefs working in large and busy restaurants under several Head Chefs have diverse culinary and leadership skills and managerial abilities. Restaurants prefer hiring Sous Chefs with at least four years of culinary work experience.

    Sous Chef education and training requirements

    Sous Chefs are required to have a secondary school education and have a culinary or hospitality certificate, a Level 3 Diploma in Professional Cookery or Level 4 Diploma in Professional Culinary Arts or a similar degree from accredited institutions. Other Sous Chefs start at lower position in the kitchen like dishwashing and work their way up the ranks as they gain cooking experience at restaurants. These culinary studies can take from four months to about four years to complete. Basic first aid qualifications are often useful to respond to any kitchen accidents.

    Sous Chef salary expectations

    According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary of a Sous Chef in the UK is £27,125 per year. The salary figures depends on factors such as a Sous Chef’s education, work experience and a restaurant’s geographical location and prestige level.

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    Sous Chef job description FAQs

    What is the difference between a Sous Chef and an Assistant Cook?

    There are a few differences between a Sous Chef and an Assistant Cook. An Assistant Cook assists the Head or Executive Chef while being supervised by a Sous Chef. They also assist Sous Chefs in preparing the basic ingredients that a Head Chef requires. While a Cook may only have culinary skills, a Sous Chef has other skills such as leadership, inventory management and marketing.

    What qualities should you look for in a Sous Chef?

    Restaurants are high pressure environments with long work hours, so Sous Chefs must be resilient in order to work there. They should also be quick thinking, self driven, and motivated to be able handle the dynamic nature of kitchen activities. Sous Chef must be physically fit so that they can handle the often repetitive and tiring kitchen work.

    What should you look for in a Sous Chef CV?

    When hiring, look for a candidate with the right culinary qualifications, skills and experience. Review their CV to know the responsibilities they had and how they contributed to previous employers’ success. Look out for the various culinary positions they held to gauge their professionalism. Their CV should also list the soft skills they possess like interpersonal, leadership and communication skills, which are vital for any work environment.

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