Menu Development Executive Chef

The Executive Chef, Menu Development designs and presents meals by providing culinary expertise; promoting and providing quality food services; managing staff. This role monitors the quality and food safety standards of customers within Gate Gourmet facilities. Develops talent to ensure consistency, safety, and enhanced productivity.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Ensures menu presentations are properly planned, set up, and specifications reviewed to ensure compliance.
• Assists with culinary operational objectives by contributing information and analysis to strategic plans and reviews; prepares and completes action plans; implements production, productivity, quality, and customer-service standards; serves as culinary resource to operations managers; identifies and resolves problems; completes audits; determines system improvements; implements change.
• Meets culinary financial objectives by estimating requirements; designing menus; anticipating and evaluating response to menu presentation; scheduling expenditures; analyzing variances; initiating corrective actions; evaluating time-saving production techniques; training others in specialty techniques.
• Develops recipes and portion specifications as required in conjunction with the customer by understanding consumer tastes and nutritional needs; reviews product specifications; evaluates ease of menu preparation; applies established procedures and budgetary constraints.
• Periodically monitors food preparation by consulting with the Buyers; Sous chefs, cooks, and team leaders.  Provide culinary leadership in areas of personal expertise and monitoring presentations.
• Prepares menu and food preparation reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing food, dining, and customer data and trends.
• Sets an example by maintaining safe, secure, and healthy work environment by establishing, following, and enforcing standards and procedures; complying with sanitation and federal, state, and local legal regulations; overseeing food preparation, safety, and security; reviewing and implementing accident and disaster plans.
• Sets an example by maintaining food ingredients, food preparation, and general supplies by selecting and purchasing menu ingredients; evaluating the quality of fresh food and food product deliveries; maintaining general supplies; establishing inventory levels, re-order points, storage requirements, and cost-controls.
• Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops; reviewing professional publications; establishing personal networks; benchmarking state-of-the-art practices; being sought for opinions as a culinary expert; contributing to professional publications; participating in professional societies.
• Trains and monitors employees on proper work procedures and production of products to ensure maximum productivity with minimum labor and food expenses.
• Assists in the development and training of cooks as required.
• Prepares administrative reports as required.
• Assists as required to ensuring meal cycles are communicated in a timely and accurate basis. Monitor yields of products to ensure maximum usage.
• As required, will improve menu quality and consistency by analyzing food production records and menu expenses; promoting kitchen staff interest in quality improvement; studying, evaluating, and re-designing processes; implementing changes.
• Works with management staff to improve performance of the unit.
• Monitors overall talent to ensure all cooks, and Sous Chef employees have the skills and abilities to perform all cooking and food preparation requirements of all the Airline Accounts serviced in the Unit.

Qualifications

Education:

• Associate Degree or Bachelor Degree in the Culinary Arts or Culinary Field (formal culinary education) required.

Work Experience:

• Minimum 7-10 years of experience as a Chef required. 
• At least 2-5 years of experience in an Executive Chef role and/or menu design planning role
• Minimum of 1-3 years of supervisory experience working in a high volume, manufacturing, food production and restaurant or catering environment required.
• In-flight catering experience or experience in a high-volume food service environment required.

Job Skills:

• Demonstrates the ability to cook meals according to detailed specifications on a consistent basis
• Established with a successful record working in a fast paced, deadline driven environment.
• Must have strong and effective leadership skills.
• Current or previous labor relations experience is a plus, but not required.
• Candidate must be comfortable with all levels of employees and have the ability to drive positive program change.
• Proven track record of training and developing others is required.
• Must be able to effectively manage giving developmental and positive feedback to employees on a daily basis.
• Excellent time management skills required.  Proven ability to handle multiple tasks without losing focus on priorities.
• Strong organizational, analytical and communication skills required.
• Must be innovative and have the ability to make changes to the operation as needed to further improve the work environment and unit performance.
• Experience with menu design is a plus.
• Basic computer skills required.  Working knowledge of Microsoft Office products preferred

Language / Communication Skills:

• Must have excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Multi-lingual skills a plus.

Job Dimensions

Geographic Responsibility: US

Type of Employment: Full-Time

Travel %:  Yes – Up to 75%

Work Environment / Requirements of the Job: Regularly, stands, bends, lifts, and moves intermittently during shifts of 10+ hours. In a normal production kitchen facility there may be physical discomfort due to temperature and noise. Must be able to lift, push, pull and move product, equipment, supplies, etc., in excess of twenty-five (25) pounds. A rotating schedule of over 55 hours per week is typical.

Gate Group Competencies Required to be Successful in the Job:

• Thinking – Information Search and analysis & problem resolution skills
• Engaging – Understanding others, Team Leadership and Developing People
• Inspiring – Influencing and building relationships, Motivating and Inspiring, Communicating effectively
• Achieving – Delivering business results under pressure, Championing Performance Improvement and Customer Focus

Demonstrated Values to be Successful in the Position

Employees at gategroup are expected to live our Values of Excellence, Integrity, Passion and Accountability. To demonstrate these Values, we expect to observe the following from everyone:

• We treat each other with respect and we act with integrity
• We communicate and keep each other informed
• We put our heads together to problem solve and deliver excellence as a team
• We have passion for our work and we pay attention to the little details
• We foster an environment of accountability, take responsibility for our actions and learn from our mistakes
• We do what we say we will do, when we say we are going to do it
• We care about our coworkers, always taking an opportunity to make someone’s day better

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the individual(s) assigned to this position.  They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required.  Management reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties and to assign other duties as necessary.  In addition, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

gategroup is an equal opportunity employer committed to workforce diversity.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status or other category under applicable law.

For further information regarding Equal Employment Opportunity, copy and paste the following URL into your web browser: [ Link removed ] – Click here to apply to Menu Development Executive Chef