Restaurant Chef; La Gran Terraza

Join the University of San Diego culinary team! Be an integral part of our award-winning, nationally recognized culinary program. We are proud to provide 2.5 million meals each year for our campus community of over 8,000 students, in addition to faculty, staff and visitors. Our diverse portfolio of dining locations and services includes; a full service restaurant and pub, retail outlets (four cafes and a coffeehouse), a market and deli, a food court featuring an array of global cuisine, outstanding catering services, athletic concessions at multiple locations, and food service for the child development center.

La Gran Terraza is The University of San Diego's premiere dining experience is a California bistro that features fresh, local and sustainable food. La Gran Terraza features farm-to-table lunch and dinner. The Grand Dining Room and terrace have fantastic views of Tecolote Canyon and Mission Bay.

University Description: The University of San Diego, a contemporary and engaged Contemporary Catholic institution, was founded by the Diocese of San Diego and the Society of the Sacred Heart in 1949. Governed by an independent board of trustees since 1972, USD remains committed to a liberal arts education grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition and the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty. Inspired by this centuries old tradition of Catholic higher education, the University welcomes people of all faith traditions and any, or no, religious background. The future success of USD relies on the contributions of those who seek to foster the development of engaged global citizens and an earnest confrontation of humanity’s urgent challenges.

Detailed Description:

The university seeks an individual with a strong interest in working at a mission driven, faith-based institution. In line with our mission, the Division of Student Affairs is committed to grounding our policies, programs, and procedures in antiracist practice. With this commitment, we recognize the importance of educating ourselves and holding one another accountable to ensure our work is approached through an equity, inclusion, and social justice lens. We recognize our need for ongoing development in this area and continue to strive to improve. We expect all members of the Division of Student Affairs are willing to engage in this work alongside us to uphold our Catholic mission in creating a welcoming environment where the dignity of all students, staff, administrators, and faculty at USD is embraced

The Restaurant Chef is responsible for overseeing the organization, coordination and preparation of hot/cold food production, adherence to quality and/or portion control, and adherence to sanitation and safety standards. The Restaurant Chef exercises supervision over culinary personnel; coordinating, training and evaluating the work of all cooks and staff working for La Gran Terraza. The Chef performs the more difficult production duties and develops complex seasonal menus, recipes, and products. The Restaurant Chef works with management by developing departmental goals and in the development and execution of specialized menus for ad hoc executive level and monthly events in the restaurant.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Production:

• Supervises, directs, and participates in the quality and quantity preparation of all meals and specialty items as well as customer special requests.
• Acts as working manager for food production.
• Responsible for the development of the menu for La Gran Terraza and O’Tooles.
• Reviews daily menu and assigns, directs and coordinates daily tasks of all back of house staff for La Gran Terraza.
• Checks production sheet against inventory to assure necessary items are on hand; plans for backup items as needed.
• Uses correct methods of preparation and instructs staff in correct methods.
• Ensures products made to specification and reviews recipes for variances in finished product, including yield, appearance, taste, and texture. Takes corrective action as needed.
• Ensures labeling requirements are met and ensures compliance with allergen containment procedures.
• Coordinates and instructs staff in appropriate sequential production periods for maximum quality control.
• Ensures proper product portioning.
• Responsible for the timely delivery, setup and dispensing of all menu items as specified.
• Responsible for the proper storage and utilization of leftovers.
• Ensures proper rotation and storage of all products.
• Responsible for conducting monthly inventory.
• Forecasts and orders food and supplies as needed for the restaurant keeping cost of goods sold as low as possible.
• Forecasts proper quantity preparation for each item served.
• Responsible for completion of daily production sheets and responsible for creating and managing production/event records.
• Collaborates with management on new ideas and trends throughout the restaurant industry to meet the needs of our dining customers.
• Researches, develops and tests new recipes and menus.
• Attends weekly production meetings.
• Coordinates production and delegates to culinary staff daily.
• Has primary responsibility for the cleanliness of the kitchen.
• Ability to prepare a variety of cuisine, using skill and creativity to develop new, unusual seasonal market driven menus.
• Responsible for creating wine and beer paring menus.
• Contributes to the success of the department by performing other duties as needed in support of the departments and university’s mission.

Customer Satisfaction:

• Maintains good customer relations through attitude, appearance and attention to detail in daily work.
• Maintains consistent high-quality standards; quality-tests every finished product for taste, texture, appearance and temperature.
• Assures that all foods are attractively garnished and appropriately displayed on a daily basis.
• Ensures that products are not held longer than establishing holding times.
• Services customer/guest needs with the appropriate sense of business urgency to provide quality service.
• Reports feedback from customer to the Manager of La Gran Terraza.
• Responsible for providing allergen information on all menus and at all special events.

Personnel:

• Knows and follows all University and Auxiliary Services policies and procedures.
• Instructs staff regarding department policies and procedures.
• Ensures that employees understand and adhere to all department policies and procedures.
• Responsible for direction, supervision, training and evaluation of cooks and part-time staff.
• Sets leadership example by willingness to work all job tasks.
• Provides regular feedback to employees regarding performance.
• Delegates assignments as appropriate and follows up to ensure work is accurate and complete.
• Operates all kitchen equipment and trains others on proper use.
• Responsible for smooth workflow, communication, and ideas through a congenial, caring, and supportive attitude.
• Reports any problems (disciplinary or otherwise) to supervisor. When appropriate takes immediate corrective action.

Safety and Sanitation:

• Implements and maintains proper safety and sanitation standards in the workplace.
• Reports all equipment maintenance problems to supervisor.
• Supervises employees in proper food handling methods and techniques.
• Coordinates all scheduled cleanup operations.
• Responsible for the security of the kitchen and kitchen areas.
• Ensures excellent personal hygiene, including care of uniforms, shoes and head covering for all staff.
• Supervises kitchen cleanliness/sanitation during operation.
• Reports all accidents and/or injuries to supervisor or to Public Safety in the absence of a supervisor, immediately.
• Reports all equipment maintenance problems to Chef de Cuisine.
• Ensures that all staff knows the location of fire extinguishers and Ansul System pull stations and how to use them.

Finance:

• Responsible for managing COG (cost of goods) to ensure budget cost expectations are not exceeded.
• Responsible for attending and reporting out LGT financials at the weekly financial WOR review.
• Responsible for not exceeding labor financial targets.
• Responsible for meeting revenue financial targets
• Responsible for operating within budget guidelines and expectations.

Special Conditions of Employment:

• Must be able to work a varied hourly work schedule including evenings, early mornings, weekends and holidays.
• Must have excellent personal hygiene because of contact with food and food products.

Effective June 1, 2023, based on CDC guidance, the University strongly encourages all campus members to stay up to date with Influenza and COVID-19 vaccination recommendations. For more regarding information USD's COVID-19 protocols, please visit sandiego.edu/onward.

Background check: Successful completion of a pre-employment background check.

Degree Verification Requirement: Persons offered employment in this position will be required to provide official education transcripts for degree verification purposes. 

Job Requirements:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Degree in Culinary Arts or Bachelor's degree in institutional management, nutrition, dietetics, hotel and restaurant management, or related field required.
• Serve Safe Certified required
• Four (4) years of progressive culinary supervisory experience required.
• Four (4) years of ordering food and supplies experience required.
• Working knowledge of restaurant financial reporting is required.
• Comprehensive knowledge of food and catering trends with a focus on quality, production, sanitation, food cost controls, and presentation required.

Performance Expectations - Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to work with minimal supervision and manage personal and subordinate staff workloads.
• Thorough knowledge of classical and modern food preparation methods and techniques; Ability to taste and evaluate food and beverage products.
• Considerable knowledge of proper cooking times, temperatures and food preparation procedures and techniques.
• Working knowledge of sanitation and safety requirements.
• Ability to multi-task in a high paced environment.
• Excellent knowledge of current culinary trends.
• Strong communication skills and problem-solving abilities; must be able to communicate with employees, University community members, and implement and maintain production records.
• Ability to organize personnel, work and materials for maximum productivity, knowledge of ordering techniques and maintenance of par stock.
• Proven ability to supervise and motivate staff, as well as evaluate performance and delegate appropriate responsibilities.
• Excellent skills in the use of specific equipment and tools as identified below, as well as their preventive maintenance and calibration requirements.
• Ability to remain adaptable and flexible in a fast-paced, deadline-driven team environment where priorities can shift quickly.
• Ability to always remain calm and professional.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations:

• Must complete an 8 hour Serv Safe certification class as required by the San Diego Health Department.
• Must complete the University’s Hazmat Communication.

Tools and Equipment Used:

• Various cooking and kitchen equipment (knives, ovens, steamer, fryers, slicers, carts, etc.), cleaning equipment and chemicals.

Posting Salary:$5,546.67 - $5,833.34 per month; Excellent Benefits

The University of San Diego offers a very competitive benefits package including; medical, dental, vision, a retirement contribution given to you by the University, and access to on-campus Fitness Centers. Please visit the benefits section of our website to view all of the perks and benefits that USD has to offer.  USD: Human Resources: Benefits

The salary range provided in this posting reflects what we reasonably expect to pay for this position. Actual compensation offered or earned is dependent on experience, education and other factors including departmental budget.

40 Hours per week

Closing date: Open until filled

Note: External job postings will be up for at least five days. After that time, applications will be reviewed by the hiring manager/committee throughout the posting period. A candidate may be selected at any time which could then close this posting on a date earlier than listed.

The University of San Diego is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion and is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the campus community.

The University of San Diego is a smoking and tobacco-free campus. For more information, visit www.sandiego.edu/smokefree.