Chef de Partie

Roles and responsibilities

1. Culinary Skills

• Food Preparation: Mastering the techniques of preparing ingredients, cooking methods, and presentation styles specific to the station they manage (e.g., grill, pastry, sauces, or vegetables).
• Cooking Techniques: A strong understanding of different cooking methods, such as grilling, frying, roasting, poaching, and sous-vide, and how to apply them to different dishes.
• Recipe Execution: Ability to follow complex recipes and ensure that dishes are prepared exactly as described in terms of flavor, texture, and presentation.
• Plating and Presentation: Skill in the art of plating, ensuring that each dish is visually appealing and consistent with the restaurant’s standards.

2. Station Management

• Efficient Workflow: Ensuring that the kitchen station runs smoothly, maintaining a clean and organized workspace, and managing tasks such as food prep, cooking, and cleaning.
• Inventory Control: Managing and maintaining inventory for the specific station, ensuring that ingredients are fresh, properly stored, and ordered when running low.
• Time Management: Prioritizing and executing tasks efficiently to ensure dishes are cooked and presented on time, especially during busy service periods.
• Quality Control: Maintaining consistent food quality and taste, ensuring that all dishes leaving the station meet the restaurant’s standards.

3. Teamwork and Leadership

• Supervision of Junior Staff: Overseeing and mentoring junior chefs, commis chefs, or kitchen assistants, ensuring they are trained in proper techniques, hygiene practices, and the specific duties of the station.
• Collaboration: Working closely with other chefs, including sous chefs, the head chef, and front-of-house staff, to ensure smooth coordination during service.
• Delegation: Assigning tasks to junior kitchen staff, ensuring that responsibilities are clearly understood and executed.

4. Menu Knowledge and Creativity

• Menu Understanding: In-depth knowledge of the restaurant's menu, including seasonal variations, special dietary requirements, and signature dishes.
• Adaptability: Ability to adjust to changes in the menu, whether it’s new seasonal items, special requests, or adapting dishes to customers’ preferences or dietary restrictions.
• Innovation and Creativity: Bringing creative ideas to the station, contributing to menu development, and suggesting new dishes or ways to improve existing ones.
• Consistency: Ensuring that every dish prepared at the station is consistent in terms of quality, portion size, and presentation.

5. Sanitation and Food Safety

• Food Safety: Strict adherence to food safety protocols, including safe handling, storage, and cooking temperatures to prevent foodborne illnesses.
• Hygiene Standards: Maintaining a clean, sanitary kitchen environment by following hygiene regulations (e.g., regular hand washing, keeping work surfaces clean, and managing waste).
• Compliance with Regulations: Ensuring compliance with local health and safety regulations, including proper food labeling, allergy management, and cleanliness.
• Cleaning and Maintenance: Ensuring the station, including kitchen tools and equipment, is cleaned and well-maintained at the end of each shift.

6. Communication Skills

• Clear Communication: Communicating effectively with the kitchen team and front-of-house staff to ensure orders are completed accurately and on time.
• Problem Solving: Quickly addressing any issues or mistakes in the kitchen, from incorrect orders to problems with equipment, and finding solutions without disrupting service.
• Order Management: Receiving orders from the head chef or sous chef and translating them into actionable tasks for the team.

7. Stress Management

• High-Pressure Environments: Ability to work under pressure, especially during peak hours when the kitchen is busy. Maintaining composure and focus in a fast-paced, often stressful environment is crucial.
• Adaptability to Changing Demands: Quickly adjusting to changes in order volume, kitchen flow, or special requests during service.
• Problem Solving: Effectively managing unexpected situations, such as running out of ingredients or dealing with equipment failure, without letting it affect service quality.

Desired candidate profile

We currently have a number of exciting Chef de Partie positions across the UAE supporting existing teams as well as building new teams as part of pre-opening. Supporting the Sous Chef in running your designated section effectively, our Chef de Parties Sous Chefs play a vital role in ensuring the food we produce for our guests is of the highest standards. Some key responsibilities:

• Preparing, cooking and presenting high quality dishes within the speciality section
• Assisting with the management of health and safety and ensuring that the team are complying to food hygiene practices
• Managing and training any Commis Chefs
• Monitoring portion and waste control
• Overseeing the maintenance of kitchen and food safety standards
  

To be considered for this role, you will come from a high-cover environment with experience working with either Arabic, French or Italian cuisine. Given the diversity of our teams, strong communication skills are essential.