The Catering Chef de Partie oversees large-scale food production, from prep to venue execution, while leading small prep teams under tight timelines. Working between the commissary and on-site events, this role requires close collaboration with the Sous Chef, accurate recipe scaling, and a positive, high-energy attitude to maintain morale and culinary standards under pressure.
Core Responsibilities
- Team-First Leadership: Foster a supportive, positive, and professional kitchen environment. Mentor junior prep cooks and temporary event staff with patience, constructive feedback, and a shared commitment to overall event success.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work seamlessly alongside front-of-house service staff, event managers, and fellow kitchen team members, jumping in to assist others whenever needed without hesitation.
- Order Form & BEO Mastery: Review, interpret, and strictly follow all catering order forms, Banquet Event Orders (BEOs), and production sheets to ensure every specific menu item, dietary restriction, and guest count is prepped and executed entirely without omission.
- Work Space Management: Own the setup, execution, and breakdown of your assigned prep list and event orders.
- High-Volume Prep: Scale, prep, and cook menu items for events ranging from intimate dinner parties to large-scale galas of several hundred guests.
- On-Site Event Execution: Travel to off-site venues to lead plating lines, manage mobile equipment setup, and maintain food quality outside a traditional kitchen environment.
- Clean as you go mentality: Maintain a tidy and organized work space at all times, both in the commissary kitchen and even more so onsite. Finished ingredients and tools are neatly put away once they are not in use, finished prepped is wrapped and stored correctly as directed by sous chef.
- Quality & Consistency: Ensure all dishes strictly adhere to established recipes, visual specifications, and dietary restriction requirements.
- Logistics & Packing: Accurately pack, label, and inventory food, equipment, and supplies into catering vehicles using strict load lists to guarantee everything required by the order form is on-site.
- Food Safety & Compliance: Maintain a spotless workspace, manage correct food temperatures during transport, and rigorously follow FIFO and local health department standards.
Required Qualifications & Skills
- Attitude & Culture Fit: An exceptional, solution-oriented positive attitude. A true team player who handles the unpredictable nature of catering with grace, enthusiasm, and a calm demeanor.
- Experience: 5+ years of experience as a Line Cook, Chef de Partie, or strong Prep Cook in a high-volume catering company, banquet facility, or fast-paced restaurant.
- Administrative Accuracy: Exceptional attention to detail with the ability to read complex event orders, cross-reference pack lists, and catch discrepancies before food leaves the kitchen.
- Technical Culinary Skill: Exceptional knife skills, deep understanding of various cooking techniques (searing, braising, sous-vide, roasting), and a strong palate.
- Independent event execution: Requires chefs to be able to not only lead an event, but fully execute smaller events by themselves. (ie; 50 person canape party / 12 person private plated dinner)
- Adaptability & Problem-Solving: Ability to think on your feet and deliver high-end results using temporary event kitchens, field burners, or limited venue space.
- Organizational Skills: Excellent time management skills to meet rigid event timelines and coordinate multiple event menus simultaneously.
- Personal Hygiene: As a Catering Chef, you are the face of our culinary brand. Because catering involves working in both back-of-house kitchens and front-of-house guest-facing environments, maintaining personal hygiene and professional presentation is non-negotiable.
- Certifications: Current local Food Handler’s or Safe Food Handling certificate is an asset
Physical & Schedule Requirements
- Strength: Ability to lift, push, and carry heavy catering hot-boxes, equipment, and crates weighing up to 50 lbs. Able to work 12+ hour shifts on occasion
- Flexibility: While the majority of prep shifts are daytime hours, it is essential you have flexible availability to work a non-traditional hospitality schedule, including weekend shifts, late nights, early mornings, and holidays based on the event calendar.
- Mobility: A valid G driver's license and a clean driving record to operate catering transport vehicles is necessary
