Sous Chef

We are a premier events destination offering an elegant combination of scenic beauty, modern facilities, luxurious accommodation, and world-class catering. From intimate weddings and private celebrations to corporate functions and retreats. We pride ourselves on creating unforgettable experiences for our guests.

Purpose of the position

The purpose of this position is to manage daily operations in the kitchen, oversee food preparation, menu planning, and enforce health and safety standards.

1. Kitchen Leadership and Service Management

• Running the Pass (Expediting): Serve as the central communication hub during peak service rushes. The Sous Chef calls out incoming checks, controls ticket times, orchestrates the speed of various cooking stations, and conducts final quality checks on every plate before it leaves the kitchen.
• Deputising for the Head Chef: Assume complete administrative and culinary authority over the entire back-of-house operations whenever the Head Chef is absent.
• Pre-Shift Team Briefings: Lead daily operational meetings with line cooks and front-of-house managers to discuss nightly specials, VIP guests, dietary restrictions, and volume expectations.
• Conflict Resolution: Calmly and decisively settle high-pressure disputes on the line to maintain morale and avoid service interruptions.
   

2. Food Production and Quality Assurance

• Enforcing Portion Control and Standards: Monitor line cooks to ensure all ingredients are cut, cooked, and plated to the exact technical specifications and portion weights established by the Head Chef.
• Hands-on Kitchen Execution: Step directly onto the cooking line to fill empty stations during peak volume, absorb sudden bottlenecks, or handle highly intricate, advanced dishes.
• Overseeing Mise en Place: Audit individual station prep lists early in the day to verify that adequate ingredient quantities are prepped, labelled, and ready for service.
• Recipe Continuity: Test and adjust sauces, stocks, and daily components to guarantee flavour, seasoning, and temperature consistency.
   

3. Administrative Operations and HR Management

• Staff Scheduling and Labour Costing: Design weekly shift rosters for line cooks, commis chefs, and kitchen porters, balancing adequate floor coverage with strict labour cost margins.
• Training and Mentorship: Onboard new kitchen recruits and continuously train junior culinary staff in advanced knife skills, modern cooking techniques, and safety protocols.
• Performance Accountability: Conduct informal performance reviews, address chronic lateness or poor work ethic, and log disciplinary data for restaurant management.
   

4. Inventory, Procurement, and Financial Control

• Physical Stock Counts: Conduct daily, weekly, or monthly inventory assessments of expensive proteins, dry goods, and fresh produce.
• Supplier Ordering: Place daily replenishment orders with commercial vendors while monitoring market price fluctuations to keep food expenditure aligned with the kitchen's target margins.
• Waste Tracking: Audit the kitchen’s waste logs to identify over-prepping patterns, poor execution, or ingredient spoilage, adjusting ordering formulas to protect gross profit (GP).
• Cross-Utilisation Strategy: Help the Head Chef design daily features or alternative uses for surplus ingredients to eliminate potential food spoilage.
   

5. Safety, Sanitation, and Legal Compliance

• HACCP and Hygiene Supervision: Enforce strict Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) rules, ensuring all staff handle food safely and avoid cross-contamination.
• Cold-Chain Infrastructure Logs: Monitor and document the temperature profiles of walk-in fridges, blast chillers, and deep freezers twice daily to meet environmental health regulations.
• Deep Cleaning Rota Audits: Implement and verify deep cleaning check-sheets for heavy commercial machinery, hoods, lines, and storage units to maintain pristine kitchen hygiene.

• Matric / Grade 12: Generally required by mainstream hotels, resorts, and corporate restaurants.
   
• Culinary Qualification: A formal/ SAQA accredited Diploma, Degree, or Certificate in Culinary Arts or Hospitality from a recognized training institution (such as the Occupational Certificate: Chef (NQF Level 5) or a City & Guilds/SA Chefs Association-backed program).
   
• Food Safety & Hygiene: Certified knowledge of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) standards and general kitchen hygiene.
   
• Kitchen Experience: A minimum of 3 to 5 years of cooking experience in a formally brigaded kitchen.
   
• Hotel/Restaurant Background: Prior experience in 3-to-5-star hotels, high-volume restaurants, or conference/banqueting environments will be an added advantage.

Interested candidates may submit their CVs, certifications and supporting documents to [email protected] by no later than 23 October 2026.
 

Note: The company is an equal opportunity employer and it encourages all suitably qualified individuals who wish to join the organisation to apply.