Executive Chef

Brookdale Senior Living Inc.•Birmingham, AL

About The Position

The Executive Chef oversees daily kitchen operations and ensures the quality, presentation, and portion control of meals for residents. The role selects recipes, prepares and coordinates meals, develops and standardizes recipes, and plans and modifies menus, including creating healthy and satisfying dishes based on residents’ needs. The Executive Chef leads, trains, and supervises kitchen personnel and coordinates with food servers and other associates to support daily service and special events. The role also manages food purchasing and inventory, supports food-cost budget compliance and loss prevention, and maintains sanitation, food safety, kitchen cleanliness, and equipment standards in accordance with applicable health department requirements. It involves working with Brookdale residents in a senior-living dining environment and may require occasional weekend, evening, or night work when needed to ensure shift coverage.

Requirements

Associate’s degree or equivalent from a two-year college or technical school, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Two to four years of related experience and/or training, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
ServSafe certification.
Obtain and hold any locally, state-, or county-required food-handling or sanitation licenses and certificates.
Extensive knowledge of a distinct skill or function and thorough understanding of the organization and work environment, with working knowledge of a functional discipline.
Effective customer-service skills and ability to lead and supervise a diverse group of people.
Ability to coordinate daily menu production, recipes, and food preparation, and manage multiple tasks including preparing several foods simultaneously.
Excellent cooking skills and understanding of food-preparation principles, ingredients, and culinary terminology.
Ability to modify and develop creative, healthy, and satisfying recipes and menus for residents.
Ability to understand and apply sanitation principles.
Ability to use sound judgment and experience to resolve moderately complex problems.

Responsibilities

Oversee breakfast, lunch, and dinner to ensure meal quality, presentation, and portion control.
Select recipes, prepare and coordinate meals, and coordinate preparation for the following day’s menu.
Create dishes and develop, standardize, and maintain recipes and presentation and quality standards; plan, modify, and develop menus.
Conduct pre-meal meetings with food servers to review the daily menu.
Ensure adequate culinary staffing for each shift and arrange coverage for absences.
Estimate food consumption, requisition food purchases, and monitor and maintain inventory.
Assist with maintaining compliance with daily food-cost budgets.
Assist in applying loss-prevention procedures.
Assist with hiring, training, scheduling, disciplining, and terminating associates; train kitchen staff.
Assist with coordinating and executing special events.
Maintain kitchen cleanliness and ensure food preparation complies with state and local health department codes.
Ensure kitchen equipment is clean and in working order; oversee the inventory, storage, and use of cleaning chemicals.
Minimize waste through food storage and recycling techniques.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision insurance for eligible part- and full-time associates.
401(k) for eligible associates; temporary associates may participate in the company’s 401(k) program.
Associate assistance program.
Employee discounts.
Referral program.
Early access to earned wages for hourly associates outside California.
Optional ID theft protection and pet insurance.
Paid time off for eligible full-time associates.
Paid holidays for eligible full-time associates.
Company-provided life insurance for eligible full-time associates.
Adoption benefit for eligible full-time associates.
Short- and long-term disability coverage for eligible full-time associates.
Flexible Spending Accounts and Health Savings Account for eligible full-time associates.
Optional life and dependent life insurance for eligible full-time associates.
Optional accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity insurance, and legal plan for eligible full-time associates.
Tuition reimbursement for eligible full-time associates.
Qualified associates who have been with Brookdale for at least one year may receive an advance of naturalization application fees, up to $725, less applicable taxes and withholding.
Professional development and ongoing programs focused on health and wellness.