Emish Restaurant is a Ukrainian and European restaurant located in Federal Way, WA. We are looking for an experienced and passionate Head Chef to lead our kitchen team and help us deliver authentic, high-quality Ukrainian and European cuisine.
The ideal candidate is an experienced culinary professional with strong leadership skills, excellent knowledge of Ukrainian and European cooking, and a passion for creating high-quality food.
What You'll Do
- Lead and oversee daily kitchen operations
- Prepare and oversee authentic Ukrainian and European dishes
- Develop and improve menu items while maintaining traditional flavors and quality
- Ensure consistency in taste, quality, portion sizes, and presentation
- Train, supervise, and support kitchen staff
- Assign daily tasks and ensure efficient kitchen workflow
- Monitor food preparation, cooking, plating, and service
- Maintain high standards of food quality and presentation
- Manage food inventory, ordering, and product rotation
- Control food waste and help maintain food cost standards
- Ensure proper food storage, labeling, and handling
- Maintain a clean, organized, and safe kitchen
- Ensure compliance with food safety and sanitation standards
- Work closely with restaurant management on menu planning, specials, and kitchen operations
- Lead by example and maintain a professional and respectful kitchen environment
Work Schedule: Full-time; schedule will be discussed during the interview. Weekend and holiday availability is required.
Pay & Compensation: $27-35 per hour (Competitive pay based on experience and qualifications).
Benefits:
We offer competitive employee benefits including paid sick leave (1 hour per 40 hours worked), 5 paid holidays.
Required Qualifications
- 5+ years of professional experience as a Head Chef, Executive Chef, Chef, or Kitchen Manager.
- Must already have an established kitchen team or have proven experience recruiting and building a kitchen team from the ground up.
- Proven experience managing a restaurant with 110-120+ seats or a similar high-volume operation.
- Proven experience opening a restaurant from the ground up, with the ability to prepare and launch the kitchen operation within approximately 2 months.
- Strong knowledge of recipe and production development, including creating and maintaining standardized recipe/production cards.
- Strong understanding of food costing, cost pricing, portion control, and food cost management.
- Ability to prepare, understand, and manage Profit & Loss (P&L) for the kitchen/restaurant operation.
- Experience planning and managing purchasing, ordering, inventory, and supplier relationships.
- Ability to train, lead, and develop kitchen staff and maintain high performance standards.
- Experience with performance management, disciplinary warnings, employee termination, attendance, and timesheet management.
- Ability to create and manage staff schedules based on business needs, labor requirements, and expected volume.
- Proficiency with restaurant management software, POS systems, scheduling software, and other restaurant technology.
- Experience working in an open-kitchen environment.
- Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills with strong soft skills and the ability to effectively manage people and resolve conflicts.
- Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills in a fast-paced, high-volume restaurant environment.
- Strong knowledge of food presentation and plating, with the ability to create attractive and consistent plate designs.
- Ability to maintain high standards of food quality, consistency, portioning, presentation, cleanliness, and kitchen organization.
- Experience developing and implementing kitchen SOPs, recipes, production standards, and quality-control procedures.
- Ability to monitor and improve kitchen efficiency, profitability, labor costs, and food costs.
- Strong knowledge of Ukrainian and European cuisine is highly preferred.
- Must be willing to be a hands-on leader and actively participate in kitchen operations, particularly during the restaurant opening and initial development period.
