Executive Pastry Chef

Location: 2700 Greens Road, Houston, Texas, 77032 (adjacent to George Bush Intercontinental Airport)

Abby’s Catering has been providing one-of-a-kind culinary and hospitality experience since opening in 1980. Our customers are high profile passengers visiting or residing in Houston. Celebrities, government officials, head of states, secretaries, industry leaders, all traveling out of Houston aboard private, corporate, and commercial aircrafts are part of Abby’s valued circle of customers. Abby’s also provides exclusive gourmet delights for corporate offices, private and corporate events as well as food service management contracts.

Reports to: Kitchen Manager & Corporate Executive Chef

To him/her report:Pastry Chefs, Pastry Cooks, Production Supervisors, Leads and Helpers

Requirements, but not limited to:

· Passion for gourmet food and providing the ultimate in customer service and delivering the highest quality out of the pastry kitchen.

· Innovation driven and talented, giving the main points when creating whole menus and/or menu items

· Creative mind, making sure Abby’s gourmet food products are setting us apart from the competition

· Set gourmet food trends for our customers, impress, and exceed customers’ expectations

· Costing out menus promptly using software support tools, close liaison with procurement and sales department

· Ensuring that all standards for food quality are consistently met or exceeded.

· Keep all storage areas above hygiene standards and guarantee proper product rotation.

· Proficient knowledge of food safety programs, baking/cooking supplies and equipment.

· Manages and oversees, ensures product quality and production efficiency of the following areas: Pastry production for aviation, corporate, social and event catering; pastry production for food service management division; wholesale desserts and pastry production.

· Proven experience in ingredients selection to obtain the highest flavor profiles, meeting the market health trends and most effective cost structure.

· Implementation of pastry production processes to minimize costs and ensuring superior quality, using best ingredients and best available technology.

· Experienced in big scale pastry pastry/bakery products; production flow planning; enhancing productivity and consequently financial results.

· Ensure overproduction and wastage is kept to a minimum.

· Monitoring production efficiency, by following reporting standards, responding to budgetary needs, fulfilling financial goals.

· Create and detail working / batch recipes for the team and teach/train for proper usage.

· Team player with a positive attitude, creative, leading by example, articulate, and energetic with excellent mentoring and coaching skills.

· Flexible work schedule with the ability to cover shifts when needed.

· Ability to effectively schedule multiple shifts for a workforce of exempt and hourly workers.

· Ability to motivate and train employees on all levels, building strong and efficient teams.

· Excellent communications skills to the workforce, same level team partners and senior management.

· Excellent oral, written, and organizational skills to ensure smooth and efficient production flow to meet Kitchen Ready Times always.

· Detailed oriented with key focus on quality assurance and food safety guidelines.

· Efficient and effective planner with the ability to apply techniques and applications to obtain immediate positive financial and quality results.

· Effective communicator and demonstrator of company mission statement and core values while providing producing high-quality product.

· Must be present for all food presentations and food tasting.

· Participate in weekly Chef tables and implementation of corrective action as required

· Completes requisitions for replenishment of kitchen items.

· Completes special projects as assigned.

Essential functions:

• Menu Planning, Development & Research:
  • Create innovative recipes for all needed orders/areas
  • Revaluate existing recipes and adapt to market trends
  • Lead Abby’s to be the ultimate market leader for gourmet catering
• Quality assurance for assigned areas:
  • Guarantee hygiene and food safety guidelines and documentations are followed by all staff within assigned areas always and all storage areas are spotless.
  • Production of pastry/bakery product are 100% to customer specifications always.
  • Daily on time delivery of all orders based on Kitchen Ready Times.
• Financials for assigned areas:
  • Meet food and labor cost targets as per directive by Senior Management or Budget.
  • Stay within communicated purchasing targets and source best prices for best products.
  • Minimize and control overproduction / overprovisioning and wastage.
  • Maintain working equipment in best conditions, keep operational variables and kitchen supplies at a minimum level
• Management of assigned area:
  • Create and maintain winning teams, keep fluctuation/turnover at a minimum.
  • Lead by example, teaching/applying the company’s core values and vision.
  • Excelling in teamwork when interacting with other departments and/or Senior Management.

Company Core Values:

You must be willing to embrace our Company Core Values in the way you dedicate yourself to work:

CATCH

· Customer Driven

· Accountability

· Teamwork

· Competitiveness

· Honesty

Our Mission:

"To continue to be the leading in-flight and corporate catering company serving the Houston & Dallas Metro market by using locally sourced and sustainable raw ingredients, providing the most memorable and personalized attention to detail all while maintaining a fiscally sound budget and complying with the highest food safety standards."

• Culinary degree: Master Confectioner
• Must possess extended working knowledge/skills as confectioner and large production leader.
• Must be familiar and experienced with all applicable technologies for pastry/bakery production.
• Must possess a Food Manager Certification that is valid and recognized by the local authorities.
• Must be experienced in creating and costing menus and/or menu items
• Must ensure the quality preparation of all menu items with a clear understanding of food fundamentals.
• 5+ years hands on experience as an Pastry Executive Chef or similar position within a high volume and complex operation of a similar size and quality.
• Firm in management of production sequences.
• Complete knowledge of HACCP and food safety programs and food industry standards.
• Ability to control food and labor costs, meeting budgetary requirements.
• Forecasting needs, utilizing the proper purchasing, and staffing procedures.
• Excellent organizational and leadership skills.
• Ability to cultivate working relationship with customers.
• Computer proficient in Microsoft Office and culinary software applications (e.g. ChefTech)
• Strong written, verbal, and communication skills necessary.
• Availability to handle numerous tasks simultaneously and able to work well under pressure in a fast pace environment.
• Ability to be an effective communicator in a multi-cultural workforce is a plus.
• Can easily adapt to change.