Sous Chef- Banquets & Stewarding

Omni Hotels & Resorts•Houston, TX

10d•Onsite

About The Position

Provides culinary and operational leadership for culinary production and the Stewarding Department. The position is responsible for ensuring that banquet events are properly planned, prepared, produced, and executed while maintaining the sanitation, equipment, staffing, and supply standards required to support all Food and Beverage operations. Supports the Executive Sous Chef and Banquet Chef with daily culinary execution, leads assigned culinary and stewarding supervisors and associates, and serves as the culinary manager on duty when assigned.

Requirements

Minimum three to five years of progressive culinary experience in a high-volume hotel, resort, convention center, banquet, or similar food-service operation.
Minimum two years of culinary supervisory or management experience; banquet culinary leadership experience strongly preferred.
Demonstrated ability to review BEOs, organize production, create preparation lists, supervise cooks, and lead banquet plate-ups and event execution.
Working knowledge of stewarding operations, sanitation systems, commercial dishwashing equipment, chemical controls, and china, glassware, silverware, and equipment inventories; prior stewarding leadership experience preferred.
Current ServSafe Manager Certification or ability to obtain certification within the timeframe required by the hotel.
Strong knowledge of food safety, sanitation, kitchen safety, and applicable health regulations.
Working knowledge of food cost, yields, portion control, waste reduction, purchasing, inventory, labor control, scheduling, and payroll administration.
Ability to train and develop associates with varied levels of education and experience.
Strong leadership, interpersonal, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Excellent oral and written communication skills and the ability to communicate effectively with a diverse group of associates and leaders.
Ability to quickly evaluate alternatives, establish priorities, and make sound decisions in a high-volume environment.
Microsoft Office skills are required; experience with dayforce, BirchStreet, OnTrack, or similar hotel systems is preferred.
Must be available to work a flexible schedule, including early mornings, nights, weekends, and holidays.
Ability to stand and walk for extended periods and to frequently push, pull, stoop, bend, reach, and lift or carry up to 50 pounds.
Ability to work in kitchen, dishwashing, storage, loading, and exterior event areas with exposure to heat, steam, humidity, cold temperatures, noise, food products, and approved cleaning chemicals.
Must be detail oriented and able to perform professionally under high levels of activity and stress.

Nice To Haves

Culinary degree or equivalent combination of education and professional experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide direct leadership and oversight for the daily operation of the Stewarding Department, ensuring that operating costs are controlled and service levels support the needs of Banquets, Culinary, and all Food and Beverage outlets.
Support the Banquet Chef and Executive Sous Chef in the planning, preparation, production, and execution of banquet culinary operations.
Review Banquet Event Orders, guarantees, diagrams, menus, timelines, and production requirements to ensure complete understanding of each event.
Create, organize, and manage banquet production and preparation lists in coordination with the Banquet Chef and culinary leadership team.
Lead banquet food production, plate-ups, buffets, action stations, breaks, receptions, and special-event execution as assigned.
Supervise culinary supervisors, cooks, and stewarding associates during banquet preparation and event execution, clearly communicating assignments, standards, and timelines.
Continuously monitor food quality, temperature, presentation, portioning, consistency, and timing throughout production and service.
Maintain effective portion, yield, waste, and product controls to support established food-cost objectives.
Assist with recipes, production standards, costing, purchasing, forecasting, and product requisitioning as assigned.
Support menu tastings, VIP events, seasonal programs, and special-event preparation.
Serve as the culinary manager on duty when assigned and provide operational coverage in the absence of the Banquet Chef or other culinary leaders.
Ensure that all Banquets and Food and Beverage outlets have the required quantities of clean, sanitized, and properly maintained china, glassware, silverware, cookware, service equipment, and supplies.
Maintain high sanitation standards throughout kitchens, dish rooms, pot-washing areas, loading areas, storage rooms, coolers, freezers, and other back-of-house spaces.
Ensure compliance with all food-safety and health regulations, including dish-machine temperatures, chemical usage and storage, three-compartment sink setup and usage, handwashing, food temperatures, cooler and freezer temperatures, and proper storage practices.
Work with the Executive Chef and Food and Beverage leadership on the purchasing, storage, requisitioning, and control of cleaning supplies, chemicals, china, glassware, silverware, smallwares, and banquet equipment.
Maintain accurate inventory and par levels for stewarding supplies and equipment, and report breakage, loss, damage, and unusual consumption trends.
Maintain dish machines, chafing dishes, speed racks, carts, transport equipment, shelving, and other culinary and stewarding equipment to a high standard; submit and follow up on maintenance requests as needed.
Coordinate banquet equipment pulls, staging, transport, recovery, cleaning, and return to storage before and after events.
Develop and maintain systems and processes that support equipment organization, sanitation, production readiness, and efficient event execution.
Prepare weekly culinary and stewarding schedules based on business levels, productivity standards, and operational requirements, subject to approval by the Executive Chef.
Monitor labor daily, control overtime, administer payroll accurately, and adjust staffing in response to changes in business volume.
Interview, select, train, coach, develop, evaluate, and manage the performance of culinary and stewarding associates in accordance with hotel policies and procedures.
Conduct daily stand-ups, departmental meetings, and training sessions to communicate event requirements, safety expectations, quality standards, and operational priorities.
Promote a courteous, professional, safe, and respectful work environment and champion the Omni culture and Power of One philosophy.
Participate in Food and Beverage critical-path assignments, hotel meetings, inventories, safety programs, and other operational initiatives as required.
Perform any and all other duties assigned and/or required by management.
Plan and organize banquet culinary and stewarding resources based on BEO requirements, expected attendance, service style, menu complexity, timing, equipment needs, and business volume.
Confirm that food production, service equipment, plateware, utensils, hot boxes, speed racks, carts, and sanitation support are in place before each event.
Conduct pre-shift briefings with assigned culinary and stewarding teams and ensure each associate understands the event, assignment, timing, and quality expectations.
Direct and actively participate in banquet preparation and production when operational needs require hands-on culinary support.
Lead plate-up lines and buffet execution, maintaining organization, portion standards, food temperatures, appearance, and service timing.
Coordinate with Banquet Service, Catering and Convention Services, Purchasing, Engineering, and other hotel departments to resolve operational needs and last-minute changes.
Respond proactively to changes in guarantees, event timing, menus, dietary requirements, equipment needs, or guest requests while protecting quality, safety, and cost controls.
Inspect kitchens, dish rooms, storage areas, banquet staging areas, and equipment throughout the shift; correct deficiencies and document follow-up as required.
Complete and maintain required temperature logs, chemical logs, cleaning schedules, inventory records, payroll records, production documents, and operational reports.
Review stewarding and banquet culinary performance after events, identify opportunities, and communicate corrective action or follow-up to culinary leadership.
Ensure all food, equipment, chemicals, and department spaces are properly secured at the end of each shift.
Maintain continuous oversight of labor, food cost, supply expense, breakage, waste, and equipment usage within the assigned areas.