Sous Chef - Rhodes College

Job Summary

Rhodes College is seeking a driven and collaborative Sous Chef to help lead the daily culinary operations for our residential dining program. This is an excellent opportunity for a passionate culinary professional who enjoys mentoring teams, creating exceptional dining experiences, and contributing to an innovative campus food program.

The ideal candidate has a strong foundation in scratch cooking, menu development, and product costing, along with a commitment to food quality, kitchen safety, and developing culinary talent. You'll work alongside the Executive Chef to execute diverse menus, maintain high operational standards, and foster a positive, team-oriented kitchen culture.

Key Responsibilities:

• Assist the Executive Chef in overseeing daily kitchen operations and ensuring consistent execution of high-quality food production.
• Participate in menu planning and recipe development with an emphasis on creativity, seasonality, nutrition, and operational efficiency.
• Utilize product costing and food cost analysis to support budget goals while maintaining quality and value.
• Coordinate purchasing, inventory management, production planning, and ordering to ensure efficient kitchen operations.
• Lead, train, coach, and develop culinary team members while promoting accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrate and reinforce proper culinary techniques, knife skills, cooking methods, and industry terminology through hands-on leadership.
• Maintain the highest standards of food safety, sanitation, HACCP compliance, and workplace safety.
• Assist with production scheduling and preparation while ensuring recipes, portions, and presentation standards are consistently followed.
• Support special events, catering functions, and campus programs as needed.
• Partner with leadership to implement new culinary initiatives and enhance the overall dining experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Minimum of 5 years of culinary experience, including at least 1 year in a supervisory or lead role.
• Experience in high-volume foodservice operations such as higher education, corporate dining, hotels, restaurants, healthcare, or similar environments.
• Strong knowledge of menu development, product costing, inventory management, and food cost controls.
• Thorough understanding of culinary techniques, cooking methods, ingredients, and industry terminology.
• Demonstrated ability to train, mentor, and develop culinary staff while fostering a positive and inclusive team environment.
• Comprehensive knowledge of food safety, sanitation, HACCP principles, and kitchen safety best practices.
• Experience creating production schedules and managing kitchen workflow.
• Strong organizational, communication, and leadership skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Excel.
• ServSafe Certification preferred.
• Associate degree in Culinary Arts or equivalent culinary education preferred.

What You'll Bring:

• Passion for preparing exceptional food and delivering memorable dining experiences.
• A collaborative leadership style with a commitment to mentoring and developing others.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to balance quality, efficiency, and financial performance.
• Creativity, adaptability, and a continuous improvement mindset.
• A commitment to providing an outstanding dining experience for the Rhodes College community.