Kitchen Manager/Chef at Wise Bird Cider

https://www.indeed.com/m/viewjob?jk=628dfa404135f1f4&from=appshareios

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

Wise Bird Cider is a small, family-run business committed to crafting small-batch traditional-style ciders made with a focus on tradition and quality from the best apples we can get our hands on. We believe that great apples make great ciders and we source as many apples as we can from Kentucky, but we also seek out harder to find, cider-specific apples from our neighbors in Virginia and Ohio when we need to. We are committed to our community, to Lexington, and to Kentucky. We believe in staying as local as possible for as much as possible. We believe in being good people, hiring good people and that giving back to our community makes our world a better place.

We sell our ciders to customers from our taproom in the Distillery District, our seasonal tasting room at Evans Orchard and Cider Mill, and through our distributor to more than 100 retailers, bars and restaurants throughout Kentucky.

Little Fork at Wise Bird Cider

We are excited to launch a new food concept: Little Fork at Wise Bird Cider. Little Fork will add a new dimension to the cider experience by serving farm-to-table dishes that focus on fresh, local ingredients and creating a fun, cider-driven culinary experience for our customers. Little fork is “trailer gourmet”, a mobile food trailer that plays on the name of our former neighbor, Middle Fork Kitchen and Bar, and pays homage to their idea of scratch-made fare along the bank of the middle fork of the Elkhorn River, also called the Town Branch, while providing an affordable and quality dining option that pairs with our traditional ciders. Little Fork is located on the patio of our Distillery District taproom.

A key part of our business, our Distillery District taproom is often the first place that people experience Wise Bird and our ciders. Because of this, we truly believe that the experience must be fantastic from the service they receive, to the ciders they drink, to the food they eat, to the space they drink it in. Little Fork seeks to elevate our customer’s experience by adding food options to the existing lineup of ciders, cocktails and local beer.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Kitchen Manager is an energetic, hard working, detail oriented, hospitality-focused team member who plays a critical role in helping us create, execute and grow the food service side of our business. This position reports to the General Manager. The successful candidate is a proven hospitality professional with experience managing and/or working in commercial kitchens, has expertise in food preparation, cooking and service; inventory management, par setting and ordering; and has an eye for detail with regards to quality control, sanitation and customer experience. The Kitchen Manager supports company growth by overseeing the organization, prep, service and staffing for Little Fork. The Kitchen Manager is a leading brand ambassador at the forefront of providing an exceptional customer experience through delicious dishes paired to match our ciders.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Create, implement, and maintain systems for food preparation and cooking processes.

Recruit, train and supervise kitchen employees.

Responsible for the preparation and execution of all menu items.

Monitor inventory levels and perform weekly inventory.

Order materials, supplies, and ingredients based on demand.

Responsible for maintaining a clean, organized, sanitary and safe kitchen at all times.

Ensure compliance with local health department regulations.

Store all food products in compliance with health and safety regulations.

Provide feedback and thoughtful insights in order to improve upon the customer experience while remaining aligned with Wise Bird’s overall mission and goals.

Create inspiring and delicious dishes and new menu items and seasonal specials.

Utilize daily and weekly reporting tools to keep food and labor costs within established targets.

Set pricing and establish financial targets for menu items.

SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

Excellent organizational skills and the ability to follow through on projects with minimal supervision required.

Certification from a culinary school or related degree or relevant professional experience.

Current Food Manager Permit from the Lexington/Fayette County Health Department.

Knowledge of a wide range of recipes.

Ability to manage a team in a fast-paced work environment.

Ability to work full-time, including on nights and weekends.

Time flexibility outside of established work schedule for meetings, etc.

Ability to learn about our ciders, describe them to customers, use them as ingredients, and develop menu items that pair with our ciders.

Excellent personal communication skills.

Exceptional customer service skills required.

Attention to detail.

100% reliability.

Honesty and Integrity.

Proactive personality.

A basic familiarity in using the web and other technology.

The ability to lift 55 pounds.

COVID-19 vaccination and up to date boosters.

The right person will be someone that wants to join a team where we all wear multiple hats and can work in and contribute to a fun, safe and positive work environment. We’re looking for a team player who is excited to learn and help us create and build a successful food program. We’re looking for someone who is interested in playing a role in the overall business long term.

EXPERIENCE

Minimum of 5 years experience with increasing responsibility in a commercial kitchen setting.

Preference for 2 years experience in a kitchen-specific management capacity

Demonstrated experience planning menus, creating par lists and ordering ingredients

Demonstrated experience establishing standard operating procedures for menu prep and service as well as cleaning and maintenance for all kitchen equipment

Experience in cider, wine, beer, spirits, and pairings with food is a plus.