Catering Sous Chef

Sous Chef

Ever wanted to cook with a view of sweeping oak-studded hillsides? If you enjoy endless backcountry hiking, love cooking with farm fresh ingredients and being a part of immersive events that take “farm-to-table” cuisine to the fullest, then this is the opportunity for you.
We’re looking for a dedicated and creative cook for a Sous Chef position with a passion for utilizing quality, ethically sourced ingredients. The ideal candidate is someone who thrives in a team environment, takes direction well, is comfortable stepping into a leadership role, and is looking to gain experience in a fast-paced and quickly growing culinary program.

The Sous Chef will collaborate with the Food and Beverage Director to continue to elevate and grow our culinary program and ongoing food-centric events and programming, in addition to running the day-to-day operations of The Overlook dining hall at Paicines Ranch. The ranch is regularly booking weddings, retreats, organizational and private catered events with full food and beverage offerings. We advertise our rental options to the public and also run in-house, invite only gatherings through the Paicines Ranch Learning Center that provides extensive, illustrative and enrapturing food and beverage experience woven into its programming. Additionally, we regularly put on our own immersive culinary experiences that highlight our local community, local ingredients, like-minded culinary partners, and the breathtaking natural landscape of the surrounding valley, originally stewarded for millenia by the Mutsun Tribe.. We’re looking for someone to help curate and execute these creative menus in collaboration with our Executive Chef.

Someone who loves the outdoors, agriculture, nature activities and embraces a rural, remote lifestyle will enjoy the Paicines Ranch lifestyle. Our valley is home to Pinnacles National Park, a wide breadth of wildlife and plant life, as well as plenty of incredible local farms and ranches.

Compensation: $ 65,000 - 70,000

About Cienega Capital:
Cienega Capital is the administrative and investment hub of the #NoRegrets Initiative.
The #NoRegrets Initiative is an integrated relationship-centered approach to land and asset management that uses a variety of capital – ecological, financial and social – to grow the health of agricultural lands and the communities that steward them. This work is done through Cienega Capital, Globetrotter Foundation, Paicines Ranch Learning Center, Paicines Ranch Hospitality and Paicines Ranch.

About Us:
Company Overview: Paicines Ranch Hospitality is the official social host for Paicines Ranch. Located near Hollister California, the Ranch is a 7500-acre property focused on holistically managed, certified organic rangeland, irrigated cropland, and regenerative vineyards. Paicines Ranch Hospitality welcomes all to the Ranch, including the many friends of #NoRegrets Initiative, people from the surrounding communities and curious travelers with an offering of comfortable lodging, delicious regeneratively farmed meals, and a variety of convening spaces to accommodate small and large events.

The Overlook Dining Hall:
In 2023, Paicines Ranch proudly opened the doors to The Overlook Dining Hall, a culinary haven perched with sweeping panoramic views of the mesmerizing rangeland. Here, we curate extraordinary food and wine experiences that revolve around seasonal fruits, vegetables, and pastured meats sourced from local farmers and ranchers along the central coast of California.

Our menus are a testament to our commitment to sustainability, featuring pastured lamb, beef, pork, and turkey raised right here at Paicines Ranch. Complementing these delectable dishes are our regenerative wines, crafted with organic grapes from the Paicines Ranch Vineyard. When guests dine at Paicines Ranch, they embark on a journey to share our passions, principles, and intentions around food and farming – all in ways that are not just delicious but also fun and a little adventurous.

Position Overview:
As a Sous Chef at Paicines Ranch, you will play a pivotal role in bringing our farm-to-table vision to life at our on-site dining hall. You will work closely with our Director of Food and Beverage to create culinary masterpieces that showcase the bounty of our organic rangeland and vineyards. Your creativity and culinary expertise will be essential in crafting menus that celebrate the richness of local, sustainable ingredients. Your role is to be able to act with the same skill set and capacity as our Executive Chef/Director of Food and Beverage in all activities, ensuring seamless kitchen operations and exceptional dining experiences for our patrons and a positive, rewarding experience for all staff.

Key Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with the Executive Chef on tasting menus.
• Ensure that all food is prepared and presented according to established standards.
• Receive product to verify invoice accuracy, and product integrity, quality, and freshness. Responsible for all product ordering, with directives and collaboration of F&B Director. Schedule and receive food and beverage deliveries.
• Stock all product; maintain all storage facilities with systems adherent to food safety guidelines and with excellent capacity for organization and attention to detail. Maintain an effective working relationship with the Dining Room Manager, staff and all other ranch departments.Manage all BOH staff as lead in kitchen in absence of Executive Chef. We do not support an environment of BOH vs. FOH tension at the Overlook. You must be willing to collaborate and communicate openly with all staff equally.
• Manage BOH staff and execute BOH responsibilities during events.
• Knowledge of sustainability and seasonality of ingredients preferred.
• Clean prep areas and take care of leftovers.
• Work to ensure overproduction and waste is at a minimum. Control ingredient use, portioning, and waste in order to maintain desired food cost benchmarks.
• Create and collaborate on menus with an ethos of utilizing in-house, local and seasonal ingredients at their maximum. Feature the work of the Ranch and surrounding colleague producers as the highlight of our cuisine. In conjunction with the Executive Chef, establish goals for the kitchen, anticipate and resolve problems concerning all facets of the kitchen, anticipate trends, enact approved profit-oriented and cost saving ideas/activities.
• Collaborate with the Paicines Ranch Hospitality team to develop new menu items and specials
• Responsible for setting up the prep station, stocking inventory and supplies, and maintaining sanitation, health and safety standards.
• Collaborate with Executive Chef and F&B Team to meat budgetary and food cost guidelines without sacrificing driving vision and values of the Hospitality, Learning Center, and Ranch departments.

Benefits

• Dining and Paicines Ranch-produced meat discounts
• Paid Time Off
• 401(k) participation and employer matching!
• Opportunities for professional growth and development.
• A dynamic and inclusive work environment that values creativity and innovation.
• The chance to be a key player in shaping the future of our brand.