Head Chef - Upscale Bakery & Café
7 days ago
San Jose
Head Chef – Upscale Bakery & Café $90,000 - $110,000 + Bonus Join this respected bakery and café as the Head Chef, leading day-to-day culinary operations while bringing creativity, consistency, and fresh menu ideas to a growing hospitality concept. About the Company: • Established Bay Area bakery and café operation known for its elevated pastry program, thoughtfully crafted baked goods, strong culinary standards, and commitment to quality, consistency, and collaborative team culture Benefits: • Medical insurance, • 2 weeks of vacation, • Product discount Your Role with the Company: The Head Chef is responsible for leading all culinary operations while supporting the overall success and day-to-day performance of the location. Duties and responsibilities include: • Lead daily back-of-house culinary operations, ensuring consistent execution, food quality, cleanliness, organization, and adherence to health and safety standards, • Oversee, train, and develop kitchen team members, fostering a culture of accountability, efficiency, teamwork, and pride in product quality, • Drive the evolution of the café menu with a focus on fresh, high-quality, made-to-order offerings, including salads, sandwiches, and other savory items that align with the brand and support growth, • Develop, test, and refine recipes, portions, presentation standards, and preparation methods to ensure consistency, operational efficiency, and an elevated guest experience, • Partner closely with the central production kitchen and store leadership to maintain product quality, streamline execution, and ensure a smooth flow of bakery and café offerings, • Manage food ordering, inventory, receiving, waste control, and kitchen organization to support cost control, freshness, and overall profitability, • Maintain recipe costing, menu pricing input, and product standards to ensure culinary offerings meet quality expectations while supporting business goals, • Ensure all culinary SOPs, sanitation procedures, food safety standards, and preparation guidelines are consistently followed by the kitchen team Qualifications: • 2+ years of experience as a Head Chef or Executive Chef in an upscale café or casual restaurant with a fresh, made-to-order food program, • Proven culinary leadership experience in a bakery, café, restaurant, or high-volume food service environment, with a strong focus on back-of-house execution, consistency, and food quality, • Experience developing and refining menu items, recipes, portions, preparation standards, and presentation guidelines, ideally with fresh, made-to-order café offerings, • Strong understanding of recipe costing, food costs, inventory management, ordering, waste control, sanitation, food safety, and health department standards, • Hands-on, collaborative leadership style with the ability to train and develop kitchen teams while partnering effectively with store leadership, production teams, and ownership to support menu execution and business goals EOE – EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER