Catering Prep Lead Chef

Hello and thank you for your interest in The JDK Group!  We are super excited to post this job opportunity as we love welcoming new members to our family!  First though, here is a little about who we are:

The JDK Group Catering & Events is Central PA’s premier custom catering and event-planning company where clients, and their special life moments, come first. Since 1987, we’ve continued to set the standards for events and hospitality for the areas surrounding Harrisburg, Lancaster, and York. With over 25 years of event management experience and the ability to plan a celebration for 15 to 15,000 people, our talented and passionate team offers exceptional guest service, award winning food, and innovative event design.  At JDK, we pride ourselves on being a passionate, cohesive family.  We provide an environment for growth and have promoted 75% of our current team in-house. It’s why our customers expect nothing less than an amazing event from us. We set a very high standard for ourselves, and constantly innovate by embracing, not fearing, change.

Below is a detailed job description for this role.  We know this is a lot to read and digest, but we wanted to be as thorough as possible as this is a full time, leadership role within our Culinary Department so it is important that we are clear of the expectations from the outset.  This is a salaried position with benefits.  Salary is negotiable.

Thank in again for your interest in joining the JDK family!

CATERING PREP LEAD CHEF - JOB DESCRIPTION

 Position Type: Full-Time

Work Week: Non-typical, Nights, Weekends, 40+ hours in busy weeks

Reports to: Sous Chef and Executive Chef

Leadership Responsibilities:

â—             Supervise food production, correct quantities, high-quality food flavor, and recipes are consistently attained in preparation and presented innovatively to uphold JDK Group quality standards.

â—             Accountable for all food items leaving the building.

â—             Maintain accurate and complete Daily Prep Sheets for upcoming events and communicate any issues to the Sous Chef

â—             Support the Sous Chef and/or Executive Chef in the management of the daily production chefs to maximize kitchen productivity.

â—             Participate in daily huddles with Sous Chef for clear culinary and company communication.

â—             Maintain a clean and sanitary kitchen environment at all times including clean kitchen equipment, coolers, freezers, and storage areas.

â—             Support in creating efficiencies to enhance the Culinary Department

â—             Observe company culture, policies and procedures as well as ensuring fellow kitchen staff upholds to these guidelines and properly communicate any concerns to Sous Chef and/or Executive Chef.

General Kitchen Responsibilities:

â—             Perform basic knife skills.

â—             Prepares all food items in compliance with menus, recipes, production schedules and quality standards.

â—             Portions, wraps and labels all prepped food items and properly placed on the correct event racks

â—             Completes end of day cleaning checklist and assignments and performs other sanitation duties when assigned.

â—             Ability to lift a minimum of 25 lbs. Employee must be able to work on their feet at least 7 1/2 hours per day excluding breaks.

â—             Employee must be able to work under pressure in a fast-paced kitchen environment.

â—             Must be able to correctly and safely use standard kitchen equipment. This includes chefs' knives, convection ovens, meat and cheese slicers, steamers, mandolins, grills, broilers, flat tops, and fryers.

â—             Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for food preparation.

â—             Evaluates food in production to assure that quality standards are consistently attained to client’s vision and JDK’s standards.

â—             Evaluates and follows proper food safety and sanitation at all times.

â—             Helps complete and signs off on EOD checklists when Sous Chef  is unavailable.

â—             Communicates with Culinary Production Supervisor and Sous Chef on food quality, shortages, and needs for production.

â—             Uphold a†lead-by-example†management style and teamwork values in order to support both FOH and BOH when necessary.

Desired Qualities & Experience:

• Passionate about success and committed to such
• Ability to work in a team environment as well as independently
• Willingness to learn new skills, be creative and provide input
• Catering and/or Restaurant Cooking Experience preferred
• ServSafe certified preferred but not required
• Valid Driver’s License
• Reliable transportation
• Punctual

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: Up to $17/hour depending on experience