Field Sous Chef

Upper Crust Food Service•Corvallis, OR

6d•Onsite

About The Position

The Field Sous Chef is a campus-wide culinary role that provides agile daily coverage across all houses on a qualifying campus and serves as the on-campus bench for permanent Chef openings. Rather than being assigned to one house, the Field Sous Chef rotates across the campus portfolio to cover chef absences, support high-volume service and special events, and partner with senior chefs on structured development. The role executes planned menus to each house's standards, manages daily back-of-house operations, and coordinates with front-of-house teams and house leadership on logistics, dietary accommodations, and guest needs. Across rotations, the Field Sous Chef learns each kitchen's equipment, inventory systems, vendor relationships, and service cadence, and documents observations that can inform campus-wide best practices. On lighter coverage days, the Field Sous Chef assists with pre-service preparation, new-house onboarding, and special events, and completes structured shadowing with senior chefs. The role includes semi-annual development reviews and preparation for independent menu ownership through a portfolio of menu concepts, costed recipes, and service plans. Success depends on flexibility, strong interpersonal skills, and maintaining a professional, coachable approach across all kitchens. Upper Crust Food Service provides equal employment opportunities and prohibits discrimination and harassment in employment. The policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, compensation, and training.

Requirements

Culinary degree or equivalent professional kitchen experience.
At least 3 years of experience in a professional kitchen, including at least 1 year at the Sous Chef level or equivalent.
Demonstrated ability to execute a menu designed by another chef to that chef's standard.
Strong food safety knowledge.
ServSafe certification or ability to obtain it within 60 days of hire.
Willingness to work across multiple kitchens on short notice, including early mornings, evenings, and occasional weekends.
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to integrate quickly into established kitchen teams.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience in high-volume residential, hospitality, or institutional food service.
Experience with menu design, recipe costing, and inventory management.
Exposure to dietary accommodation programs, including allergen management and religious and lifestyle diets.

Responsibilities

Receive daily assignments from the Area Manager or Operations Specialist and report to the assigned house ready to lead service.
When covering for an absent Chef, execute the house's planned menu to the standard expected by its clients.
Manage daily back-of-house operations, including prep coordination, station setup, food safety compliance, and service execution.
Partner with the house's front-of-house team and house leadership on day-of logistics, dietary accommodations, and guest needs.
Rotate across all houses served on campus and build working relationships with each house's team, clients, and leadership.
Learn each kitchen's equipment, inventory systems, vendor relationships, and service cadence.
Document observations, standards, and opportunities across houses to inform campus-wide best practices.
Provide pre-service prep assistance at houses with high-volume meal periods.
Support new-house onboarding during the first weeks of service on a new campus contract.
Execute special events, including philanthropies, recruitment events, and formal dinners.
Complete structured shadow time with senior chefs as part of a documented development plan.
Participate in semi-annual development reviews with the Area Manager covering culinary skills, leadership, client management, and business acumen.
Build a portfolio of menu concepts, costed recipes, and service plans in preparation for independent menu ownership.
Maintain a professional, coachable posture across every rotation.