EXECUTIVE CHEF
EXECUTIVE CHEF, BAY LAUREL CATERING AND UW ATHLETICS DINING
PURPOSE
The Executive Chef for Bay Laurel Catering and UW Athletics Dining provides culinary leadership for Bay Laurel Catering, Conibear Shellhouse and Central Production Kitchen in planning, coordinating and executing the menus for catered events, meal services and commissary production. This position employs a high degree of customer service skill in working with internal and external clients from serving and receiving feedback at formal tastings to service at events. It is responsible for all aspects of production, including menu management, purchasing, recipe development, food safety and staffing.
The position ensures that all activities adhere to business and financial goals and unit objectives set by the Assistant Director for Bay Laurel Catering and UW Athletics Dining.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Operations
- Develop and execute short and long range goals for culinary staff and programs.
- Manage culinary production in associated food service units.
- Plans, creates and prepares items for high level events, unit promotions and offsite catered events.
- Oversees hiring of classified and student employees in associated units.
- Works collaboratively with partners in sales and front of house management.
Menu Management
- Facilitates design and development of new menus and standardized recipes, and establishes portion controls and food preparation standards for assigned areas.
- Works within established CBORD/FSS processes, participating as needed in HFS department level CBORD initiatives.
- Creates and costs custom menus.
- Develops and presents the final menus, plating and presentation of catered foods to the
- client and catering sales team.
Financial
- Participates in budget development and ensures that menus and recipes support the budgeted food and labor.
- Reviews financial performance and presents corrective action when indicated.
- Reports monthly on financial performance and takes corrective action on all variances.
- Presents on unit financial performance to UW Dining leadership and management.
Food & Facilities Safety Compliance
- Develops and maintains systems for continuous review of food and workplace safety.
- Creates and maintains effective controls to ensure safety and sanitation of all food service facilities.
- Works closely with Environmental Health and Safety and campus executive chef ensuring commitment to UW and Washington State Rules and Regulations and providing responses to violations within twenty-four hours.
Leadership & Supervision
- Promotes and sustains organizational core values including policies on diversity and workplace conduct.
- Demonstrates effective verbal and written communication and collaboration with internal and external clients.
- Reinforces individual and team accountability for assigned tasks and established processes including CBORD/FSS.
- Monitors manager involvement in staff performance management by assisting with appropriate action plan deliverables, assessing individual employee culinary skills, and coaching employees and managers to effect changes in behavior.
Training & Development
- Provides leadership to staff to create and maintain professional development plans.
- Serves as a resource for information about professional culinary training and work opportunities.
- Collaborates with HFS Human Resources on training for Food Service staff.
POSITION COMPLEXITIES
Due to business similarities and efficiencies the following units are managed under the same operational umbrella.
Bay Laurel Catering
Bay Laurel Catering is a full service caterer, hosting events at multiple offsite locations throughout the University campus. High degrees of organization and coordination are needed to ensure that food leaving the kitchen meet specifications upon arrival and service. As with any catering business, this position will work a variety of schedules to meet customer needs. In addition, Bay Laurel is a high-touch business, requiring that the Executive Chef participate in events as a host as well as a culinary leader. The primary office location for this position is in Willow hall in a facility designed specifically for the activities of Bay Laurel Catering and Central Production Kitchen.
Central Production Kitchen
The UW central production kitchen produces a branded line of grab-and-go products called DM To Go, which is produced and delivered daily for retail sale to HFS units throughout campus. This unit operates on a cost neutral basis with all food and labor being covered by HFS units that sell the DM To Go line, thus resource efficiency is of crucial importance. Central production kitchen also provides limited commissary support for other HFS units without cooking capability.
UW Athletics Dining
Athletics dining consists of Conibear Shellhouse and Dawg Bites Café. Conibear shellhouse is the location of the UW Athletics Training Table, which feeds athletes during the academic year. Conibear also provides food services to individual athletic teams as requested as well as sports camps and conferences during the summer. Dawg Bites Café is located in the UW Intramural Activities Center, providing a limited retail menu of beverages, soups sandwiches and grab-and-go items. This position provides culinary guidance and leadership for the management teams in these areas. Development and support of UW Dining’s relationship with UW Athletics is a key component of success in this role.
SUPERVISION
Supervisory responsibilities include professional staff, classified union staff and hourly student employees.
Bay Laurel Catering and Central Production Kitchen
- One chef de cuisine
- One sous chef
- Twelve full time, union employees
- Up to one hundred hourly student employees
Conibear Shellhouse and Dawg Bites Café
- One chef de cuisine
- One assistant manager
- Six full time, union employees
- Up to thirty-five hourly student employees
REPORTS TO
Assistant Director for Bay Laurel Catering and UW Athletics Dining
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Bachelor's degree in culinary arts, and/or hotel and restaurant management and/or a certification by a recognized culinary institution and three years of executive chef-level management experience in culinary operations which demonstrates culinary depth and breadth in concept development, kitchen management, menu management, food and labor cost controls, food plating and presentation, and successful direct-client contact. Must have general computer knowledge.
Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except where there are legal requirements such as license/certification/registration.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
Possession of Washington State Food Worker Card within two weeks of employment and maintenance thereafter.
Possession of a Washington State Driver’s License
Serv-Safe Certification
Allergan Certification
Apply online at EXECUTIVE CHEF
Applicants considered for this position will be required to disclose if they are the subject of any substantiated findings or current investigations related to sexual misconduct at their current employment and past employment. Disclosure is required under Washington state law.
The University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.