Pastry Sous Chef

Overview

The Sous Pastry Chef will support the Pastry Chef in creating an exceptional pastry program that produces a variety of high-quality items at scale for retail Buttery locations, wholesale partners, and catering clients. The Sous Pastry Chef will lead and develop a team of pastry cooks to craft exceptional products while maintaining artisanal techniques and high-quality standards upheld by the company.

Responsibilities

Technical Expertise

• Ensure compliance with health and safety regulations, food handling guidelines, and quality control standards.
• Collaborate with the Pastry Chef and department heads to develop new menu items as needed.
• Maintain a complete understanding of pastry and baking equipment, including its operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting.
• Conduct daily quality checks on all pastry items produced to uphold high standards.
• Possess a deep understanding of ingredients, their interactions, and how to source high-quality products.
• Continuously self-educate on industry practices and proactively address knowledge gaps and participate in continuing education events and classes when applicable.
• Demonstrate a genuine passion for the craft and a commitment to expanding knowledge of traditional and innovative pastry techniques.
• Keep kitchen documents and recipes up to date in designated software and systems.

Growth and Business Development

• Support the growth of the pastry team through various stages of expansion.
• Partner with the Pastry Chef to ensure new products align with brand expectations and standards.
• Collaborate with teams to optimize processes, improve productivity, and support business growth.
• Continuously seek efficiencies while maintaining the highest quality standards by optimizing inventory and reducing waste.
• Work with sales and marketing teams to promote pastry products, enhance brand visibility, and drive revenue growth.
• Embrace a proactive and innovative mindset, focusing on sustainable business growth and expansion.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Assist the Pastry Chef in guiding the pastry team to improve their skills and become more proficient through ongoing training, hands-on coaching, and regular feedback.
• Support the team in holding them accountable through coaching conversations and corrective actions in line with company policies and the business’s culture.
• Maintain consistent communication with department heads, kitchen management, and staff to ensure alignment and transparency.
• Schedule team members to align with production demands, ensuring adequate coverage while optimizing labor efficiency.
• Manage labor profitability by balancing staffing levels with business needs.
• Ensure the efficient use of resources to support smooth operations and maintain productivity.
• Review timecards and ensure accuracy and compliance with company policies
• Create and organize daily production lists to efficiently fulfill retail, wholesale, and catering pastry orders.
• Coordinate ingredient ordering with the ordering manager, ensuring timely and accurate communication to maintain adequate inventory levels.
• Oversee that the team maintains a clean, organized, and food-safe work environment in compliance with health and safety regulations.
• Foster a collaborative environment that emphasizes excellence, teamwork, and continuous improvement within the pastry team.
• Assist the Pastry Chef with conducting interviews and managing the onboarding process for new team members.