Chef de Cuisine, Banquets - Williamsburg Inn

Who We Are

Founded in 1926, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is a private, not-for-profit educational, historic, and cultural institution that owns and operates one of the largest and best-known museum complexes in the world. Our mission is “that the future may learn from the past” through preserving and restoring 18th-century Williamsburg, Virginia’s colonial capital. We engage, inform, and inspire people to learn about this historic capital, the events that occurred here, and the diverse peoples who helped shape a new nation.

Today, Colonial Williamsburg is the largest living history museum in the U.S. The Historic Area is the 301-acre restored colonial capital with 89 original buildings and 525 buildings reconstructed to how they appeared in the 18th century through extensive archaeological, architectural, and documentary research. The Historic Area is staffed by highly trained, historically dressed interpreters and expert tradespeople who bring the 18th century to life. The Foundation also owns and operates two world-class museums, the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, The Bob and Marion Wilson Teacher Institute, and a renowned research library, the John D Rockefeller Jr Library.

Additionally, Colonial Williamsburg is home to five world class accommodations at the Williamsburg Inn, Williamsburg Lodge Autograph Collection, the Griffin Hotel, the Williamsburg Woodlands Hotels and Suites and the unique Colonial Houses in the Historical Area. Visitors may also indulge in food and drink at our many on site restaurants and taverns that blend a historically inspired dining experience with today’s evolved tastes. Each year over 5 million people visit Williamsburg and another 20 million engage with us digitally.

About the Position

The Chef de Cuisine, Banquets is responsible for the successful achievement of operational, financial, and quality goals for the Williamsburg Inn Banquets team. Trains, supervises, counsels, and motivates the kitchen teams while controlling production, quality, and food costs. Responsible for the development and implementation of menus, the consistent preparation of innovative and creative cuisine of the highest quality, presentation, and flavors for banquets, resulting in outstanding guest satisfaction, improved market share, increased covers, and revenues.  The Chef de Cuisine, Banquets must work in conjunction with the Director of Banquet Operations, Banquet Service managers, and supervisors to ensure adherence to the policies, procedures, and standards of conduct established by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.  The Chef De Cuisine interacts daily with contemporaries in Chef positions across CWC-HG.

Essential Functions:

1) Production:
a. Ensure that the culinary and utility staff are performing to the established standards.
b. Food Preparation: Prepare foods correctly for service according to the standards of the specific dish, and the various meal periods.
c. Ensure that the Culinary Staff prepare accurate quantities of product through use of station checklists and forecasting.
d. Food Service: Prepare all foods according to the BEO, while producing and executing the special request items to meet guest expectations. The established pace of service is to be maintained to sustain a steady flow of service.
e. Creation of specialty breaks and displays in accordance with guest wishes.
f. Set the example and ensure follow through with positive and professional carrying out of the kitchen standards.
g. Ensure that the culinary staff is following through with the noted daily tasks by following checklists and your demonstrations of proper technique and guidance.
h. Oversee production of all prep items ensuring recipe adherence, event times, and food production meet or exceed standard as established by yourself and the other Chefs.
i. Ensure adherence to the recipes and plate presentations.
j. Work in corporation with purchasing agent to insure the freshest and cost-effective ingredients are present in Banquets.

2) Inventory Control:
a. Thoroughly understand and adhere to the Food Order Guides system of ordering food in the kitchen.
b. Order according to established pars and forecasting.
c. Properly rotate all food in storage utilizing the F.I.F.O. system.
d. Accurately conduct monthly inventory.
e. Communicate product levels to storeroom manager when subpar.
f. Complete weekly spot inventories on high dollar items and communicate those findings to the Storeroom Supervisor to reconcile with perpetual inventories.

3) Sanitation:
a. Follow food safety and sanitation guidelines and ensure that staff understands and practices the same, including, but not limited to:
i. Maintain a working knowledge of the Temperature Danger Zone
ii. Thoroughly sanitize station, equipment, and hands after handling potentially hazardous foods.
iii. Prevent potential cross-contamination through hand washing and awareness of surroundings.
iv. Read and follow the standards of the Appearance Policy provided by CW.
v. Clean as you go, always maintain a clean and orderly workstation.
vi. Keep jackets, pants, aprons, shoes and hats as clean as possible.
vii. Were protective gloves when handling ready to eat foods.
b. Obtain and maintain a valid ServSafe® certification and manage to the standards of the ServSafe® criteria.
c. Supervise Daily detailed cleaning of the kitchens. Ensure sanitation throughout property including kitchen, walkways, and back dock.

4) Safety:
a. Ensure that you and your direct reports have successfully completed all required Safety Training, including but not limited to,
i. Safety orientation.
ii. Cyber Security
iii. Fire Extinguisher Training
iv. Lifting, etc.
v. Asbestos Awareness
vi. Preventing Slips, Trips, Falls
b. Fill out an incident report for all accidents that happen on your shift.
c. Wear slip resistant shoes to prevent slips, trips and falls.
d. Troubleshoot and locate potential problems with the Kitchen facilities and equipment (i.e. maintaining machinery, cleaning equipment regularly, spotting safety hazards, etc.). Ensure repair and maintenance of kitchen equipment by partnering with our maintenance department.

5) Financial Responsibility:
a. Ensure that the culinary Staff under you direction are clocking in and out accurately and according to the CW attendance policy.
b. Be financially aware of the cost of food and cost of labor and effectively contribute to the control of both.
c. Stay focused on the task at hand. Staying focused maintains efficiency.
d. Be aware and understand overtime and maintain practices to avoid accruing any pertaining to yourself and other staff members.
e. Ensure employee standards are consistent through documented, timely performance evaluations, training checklists and daily reviews, and discharges when necessary.
f. Attends daily front of the house line ups to highlight specials and up selling techniques associated with those specials.

6) Communication
a. Effectively communicate with co-workers and managers to maintain an efficient workspace.
b. Hold daily line-ups to inform the crew of the daily duties and tasks at hand.
c. Effectively communicate to Cooks, Stewards, and front of the house employees.

7) Teamwork:
a. Demonstrates teamwork within your direct work group as well as surrounding departments.
b. Identify and act when assistance is needed under any circumstance.
c. Assist in strategies to develop efficiency with the work group to streamline production and labor.
d. Take the initiative to step in and direct others to assist in a collaborative effort.

Qualifications:

Experience and Education:

• Culinary Degree and 5 years’ experience accompanying professional managerial experience with the hotel and restaurant industries.
• Thorough knowledge of all aspects of Kitchen operations, including but not limited to, knowledge of American Regional Cuisine and Recipe Development and knowledge of Fine Dining experience with Forbes or Michelin Rated Properties.