Are you a dynamic leader with a passion for food, customer service, and operational excellence. Do you thrive in a fast-paced environment where creativity and trust are at the heart of everything you do. If so, we want you to join our team as an Executive Chef at Puff ‘n Stuff, a premier catering company dedicated to delivering exceptional experiences.

At Puff ‘n Stuff, we don’t just cater events—we create memorable experiences. Our team is driven by four core values:     

• Passion: We love what we do and take pride in delivering exceptional food and service.                                        

• Customer Focus: We go above and beyond to exceed client expectations.                                                                 

• Trust: We build lasting relationships with clients, partners, and team members through integrity and reliability.                                                                                                                                                           

•Creativity: We embrace innovation to craft unique culinary and event experiences.

Job description

General Purpose of Job

The Executive Chef is responsible for the overall culinary direction and execution of all catering events. This role demands a creative, strategic leader who can inspire a team while maintaining the highest standards of quality and efficiency. The Executive Chef will possess a proven track record in managing large-scale food production, menu development, and team leadership. This role requires a culinary visionary with strong organization and financial acumen to ensure the success of our catering operations.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1. Uphold the high standards the handbook and policies

2. Maintain order, discipline, safety, and organization in the kitchen

3. Oversee daily operations of the kitchen department including operational, budgetary, and financial responsibilities and activities

4. Manage all aspects of each division of the kitchen including the pastry department and kitchen dishwashing teams, and implementing new processes and procedures for efficiency purposes

5. Develop and implement innovative culinary concepts and trends that align with the company’s brand identity

7. Collaborate with sales and marketing to create unique and unforgettable dining experiences

8. Conceptualize, develop, train, and execute diverse menus that cater to a wide range of client preferences and dietary restrictions

9. Ensure menu items newly developed or existing are and remain cost-effective and profitable while maintaining exceptional quality

10. Collaborate with your respective vendors to source high quality, ingredients

11. Optimize kitchen efficiency and workflow to maximize productivity and minimize costs

12. Implement and maintain rigorous food safety and sanitation standards

13. Build, develop, and lead a high-performing culinary team

14. Foster a positive, collaborative, and creative work environment

15. Provide mentorship and training to develop culinary talent

16. Oversee the kitchen budget to ensure profitability

17. Monitor food costs and implement strategies to optimize spending

18. Monitor labor costs and implement staffing plans to meet operational needs

19. Ensure all cooks stay on task and work timely and effectively

20. Conduct performance reviews and disciplinary action as necessary

21. Requires an understanding of federal, state, and local kitchen health and safety standards

22. Responsible for compliance with industry food safety standards

23. Ability to work with special food handling requirements for certain dishes such as vegan, gluten-free, and/or allergens

24. Ensure that all food and products are consistently prepared and served according to the company’s recipes, portioning, cooking and serving standards

25. Read and understand all banquet event orders

26. Work with sales reps to develop special menus for menu requests to include menu, recipes, training, and execution of new items

27. Responsible for ensuring all kitchen employees’ time sheets are filled out accurately, and entered into our software accordingly

28. Interview and hire kitchen team members

29. Develop dishes for photo shoots and media opportunities as needed

30. Ability to confidently present menus and dishes to an audience in tastings or presentations

31. Attend weekly banquet event order meetings when applicable

32. Lead weekly kitchen meetings

33. Attend management meetings as requested

Supervisory Responsibilities

Directly supervise kitchen staff members. Carry out supervisory duties in accordance with policies, handbook, and applicable laws. Responsibilities include overseeing and directing employees as well as addressing complaints and solving problems. Accomplishes staff results by communicating job expectations; planning, monitoring, and appraising job results; coaching, counseling, and disciplining employees; developing, coordinating, and enforcing systems, policies, procedures, and productivity standards.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

1. Proven track record as an Executive Chef in a high-volume, fast-paced catering environment

2. Strong leadership and interpersonal skills with the ability to inspire and motivate teams

3. Professional, enthusiastic, responsible, and dependable team player

4. Exceptional organizational and time management skills with a keen attention to detail.

5. In-depth knowledge of food cost control, purchasing, and inventory management.

6. Passion for culinary excellence and a commitment to delivering exceptional guest experiences.

7. High level of personal hygiene

8. Good organizational and management skills

9. Can work well under pressure

10. Superior oral and written communication skills

11. Ability to quickly identify and resolve problems

12. Meticulously detail‐oriented

13. Strong computer skills

14. Adept at building teams

15. Self‐motivated, takes initiative and willing to acquire new skills

16. Willingness to work in a collaborative environment with co‐workers from diverse technical backgrounds

17. Strong logic and reasoning skills to identify strengths and weakness of alternative solutions and approaches to issues as they arise

18. Must possess a current Florida Food Handler’s Card.

Education and/or Experience

1. Four to ten years related experience and/or training

2. Manager ServSafe Certification required within 30 days of hire

3. Reliable transportation and clean driving record required.

Language Skills

1. Ability to read, analyze, and interpret common technical journals, financial reports, and legal documents

2. Ability to respond to common inquires or complaints from customers, regulatory agencies, or members of the business community

4. Ability to effectively present information to top management, public groups, and/or clients and potential clients

Mathematical Skills

1. Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume

2. Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.

Reasoning Ability

1. Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions

2. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

1. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to talk or hear and taste or smell.

2. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and reach with hands and arms.

3. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.

4. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.

5. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

6. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.

7. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

1. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to wet or humid conditions; moving mechanical parts; high, precarious places; extreme cold; and extreme heat.

2. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to fumes or airborne particles and outdoor weather conditions.

3. The noise level in the work environment is usually loud, but there will be cases where the noise level is extremely loud.

4. This position occasionally requires work that exceeds 40 hours per week and occasionally requires flexibility to start shift earlier and end shift later on little to no notice

Puff ‘n Stuff Events Catering is an Equal Opportunity Employer