Lead Cook

Company: Tufts University
Location: Medford
Posted on: September 19, 2023

Job Description:

Overview

This role is an academic year position.Shift: Variable/Business Needs Tufts Dining is a self-operated food service provider managing a comprehensive collegiate dining program on the Tufts University Medford/Somerville and SMFA/Fenway campus, delivering high quality, contemporary and innovative food, and hospitality services to meet the various needs of students, staff, faculty, administrators, and visitors in a fiscally responsible manner. Our team provides a progressive resident dining program as well as innovative retail services, and a distinctive university catering program serving a campus community comprisedof 6000 undergraduates, 2100 graduate students, and 2300 staff, faculty and administrators. Residential dining Centers and Catering are open 7 days a week. Working weekends & evenings will be expected
What You'll Do

• The Assistant Sous Chef is a culinary professional working under the unit Sous Chef and/or management in supporting the operation of complex, fast paced and high volume, well-equipped kitchens.
• They will demonstrate the ability to master cooking techniques including cook-chill technology, developing and testing recipes, authentically prepare a wide variety of international cuisines, and to work with an experienced culinary team serving Tufts Dining.
• The Assistant Sous Chef is responsible for preparation and presentation of a variety of hot and cold foods following standardized department recipes in quantities forecasted and planned in advance using a variety of preparation methods.
• Assists with evaluating the daily kitchen workload, suggesting daily job assignments and overseeing the work of cooks and other kitchen personnel in the absence of the unit Sous Chef and/or manager.
• Evaluates finished products to ensure quality and addressing sub-quality production and presentation by analyzing problems and implementing solutions in collaboration with the culinary leadership team in the unit.
• Works in all areas as needed while focusing on production and presentation.
• Research, develops, test and adjust recipes for all production areas.
• Executes overall kitchen sanitation and food safety practices; keeping kitchen staff on task and assigning side work and equipment maintenance duties to kitchen personnel as needed.
• Coordinates and expedites food preparation from the kitchen and action stations ensuring safe food handling and on time production according to established department procedures.
• Plans and executes production and presentation for assigned meals including designing and executing buffet presentation.
• Collaborates with the management and/or unit Sous Chef to fulfill the culinary goals of the unit by facilitating the implementation of management initiatives in the kitchen and exceeding customer expectations.
• Prepares specialty meals as needed in a timely manner, meeting the deadlines for that particular meal.
• Performs line checks, and fill out all standard forms, service records, and check lists properly.
• Must demonstrate ability to work under periods of fast pace and high pressure.All employees are responsible for punching in and out in accordance with department policy and standards.
• They must be given permission from a manager to punch in early or stay past their schedule "out time."
• All employees will adhere to posted schedule and all requests for time off will be granted based on business needs.
• In accordance with the CBA, schedules will be posted 14 days (excludes catering) in advance.
• Time off requests must follow proper procedure and will be approved/denied in accordance with department needs.
  • No requests will be honored for Senior Week, Holidays, Alumni Weekend, Commencement, Orientation , Matriculation, or Special Events during the Academic Year.
    What We're Looking For
    
    Basic Requirements:
    • 5-7 years' experience planning and preparing hot and cold foods for service and coordinating the work of a culinary crew in a restaurant, hotel or institutional operation.
    • Expertise or high level of interest in various cuisines and cooking methods, quantity food preparation and batch cookery, and general culinary techniques and skills.
    • Demonstrated mastery of all cooking methods.
    • Practical experience leading a kitchen crew in a logical, efficient and fair manner, coaching andtraining culinary skills and techniques, designing plate and buffet presentations and developing recipes and menus.
    • Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of kitchen sanitation and food safety practices and ability to enforce safe food handling guidelines.
    • A team player who is willing to be held accountable for the quality of products produced by others, for meeting tight deadlines, and for contributing to the success of all kitchen and action station production.
    • Must read, speak and understand English and have a working knowledge of basic food service math.
    • Tufts Dining is a hospitality-oriented service provider, all employees are expected to be customer service sensitive
    • The candidate must be ServSafe certificated.Preferred Qualifications:
      • Associates Degree in Culinary Arts
      • Experience cooking for catered events especially in a university or institutional setting in a top tier program.
      • Experience utilizingcomputers for workand the capability and willingness to learn the FoodPro software system.
      • Experience supervising the culinary work of others.The pay rate for this position is $23.50 / hour.

Keywords: Tufts University, Medford , Lead Cook, Hospitality & Tourism , Medford, Massachusetts