Sous Chef - Italian Cuisine

We are working with a highly regarded restaurant group seeking a talented Sous Chef for one of its busy Downtown Manhattan concepts. This is an excellent opportunity for a hands-on culinary professional who thrives in a structured, fast-paced kitchen and takes pride in food quality, consistency, speed of service, staff development, and creating a strong kitchen culture.

The ideal candidate brings solid Italian cuisine experience, strong leadership and communication skills, and the ability to maintain high standards while effectively managing food costs, labor, sanitation, and daily kitchen execution.

Benefits & Compensation

• Competitive salary based on experience
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Paid time off (PTO)
• Paid sick days
• Opportunity for professional growth within an established restaurant group

Requirements & Qualifications

• Minimum 2+ years of Sous Chef or comparable kitchen leadership experience, including at least 2 years of Italian cuisine experience
• Current NYC Food Protection Certificate with strong knowledge of NYC Department of Health standards and kitchen sanitation
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to manage, train, motivate, and retain cooks, porters, and other BOH staff
• English and Spanish, with excellent communication and organizational skills
• Ability to work nights, weekends, and holidays and meet the physical demands of the position, including prolonged standing and lifting 30+ pounds

Preferred Background & Skills

• Experience working in a high-volume, fast-paced Italian or upscale restaurant environment with a strong focus on quality and speed of service
• Proven ability to manage food costs, labor costs, inventory, ordering, waste, and kitchen productivity
• Strong recipe execution and menu-development skills with the ability to collaborate effectively with senior culinary leadership
• Comfortable utilizing Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and restaurant-related technology
• Demonstrated success creating a structured, positive kitchen environment with strong staff retention and consistent performance

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• Maintain established culinary, service, presentation, and quality standards while ensuring consistent execution during every service
• Lead daily kitchen operations, conduct pre-shift meetings and line checks, and ensure cooks and porters are fully prepared for service
• Partner with senior culinary leadership on menu development, recipe creation, costing, production standards, and overall culinary execution
• Manage weekly product ordering, inventory, food costs, labor, waste, and kitchen organization while maintaining appropriate product levels
• Train and develop new hires, supervise BOH staff, enforce NYC Department of Health requirements, and maintain a clean, safe, organized, and accountable kitchen environment