The Deputy Head Chef will oversee all culinary production, ensuring food quality, safety, efficiency, and innovation while managing a team of chefs and kitchen staff. This role demands strategic planning, operational excellence, and culinary leadership to meet the diverse demands of internal outlets and external event catering.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Central Kitchen Production:
- Lead daily operations of the central kitchen, ensuring efficient, high-volume production of
- core items (e.g., marinated meats, sauces, gravies, dressings).
- Develop, standardize, and continuously improve production recipes and processes to
- ensure consistency and quality across all outlets.
- Coordinate with outlet chefs to fulfil special menu requests and seasonal offerings.
- Monitor inventory levels and coordinate with procurement for timely sourcing of
- ingredients.
2. Catering Event Menu Design & Planning
- Work closely with clients, sales teams, and event coordinators to design customized
- menus aligned with the theme, dietary needs, and budget of each event.
- Develop seasonal, themed, and signature catering menus that reflect current food trends
- and client preferences.
- Conduct tasting sessions for clients and stakeholders as part of the menu approval
- process.
3. Event Execution & Quality Control
- Lead culinary preparation for all catering events, ensuring food quality, presentation, and
- timing meet high standards.
- Personally oversee food plating, buffet setups, and live cooking stations to ensure visual
- appeal and customer satisfaction.
4. Staffing & Coordination
- Plan staffing for each event, assign roles, and conduct pre-event briefings to ensure
- clarity on responsibilities and timelines.
- Manage temporary, outsourced, or part-time kitchen teams as needed for larger events.
- Coordinate with service teams (F&B, logistics, decorators) to ensure smooth flow of
- operations during the event.
5. Resource Management
- Oversee the preparation, packing, and transportation of food and equipment from the
- central kitchen to event venues.
- Ensure proper storage and handling of food during transport, maintaining hygiene and
- temperature control standards.
- Prepare and maintain checklists for event readiness, including kitchen equipment,
- utensils, serving ware, and ingredients.
6. Cost Management & Reporting
- Ensure all catering events are executed within allocated budgets and resource plans.
- Monitor food and labor costs per event and analyze profitability and efficiency.
- Submit post-event reports outlining successes, challenges, and recommendations for
- improvement.
7. Team Leadership & Operations:
- Lead, train, and mentor central kitchen staff including sous chefs, line cooks, and kitchen
- assistants.
- Implement and enforce food safety, hygiene, and sanitation standards (e.g., HACCP,
- ISO 22000).
- Maintain kitchen equipment and workspaces to meet operational and safety
- requirements.
- Track kitchen KPIs and contribute to operational reporting and budgeting.
Requirements:
- Diploma/Degree in Culinary Arts or equivalent, with at least 3 to 5years of progressive culinary experience, including leading large-scale kitchen and catering operations.
- Proven ability to lead, train, and motivate diverse kitchen teams (permanent and part-time), while fostering a culture of quality, safety, and efficiency.
- Strong track record in menu planning, recipe standardization, and creating innovative dishes aligned with market trends, dietary needs, and client requirements.
- Skilled in kitchen operations management, cost control, inventory planning, and delivering events within budget while maintaining high quality standards.
- In-depth understanding of food safety, hygiene, and sanitation standards (e.g., HACCP, ISO 22000), with experience implementing and maintaining compliance in high-volume production.
