Sous Chef

Herschend is seeking an accomplished and creative Sous Chef to lead operations for our newest hospitality venture, Dolly Parton’s SongTeller Hotel, located in the heart of Downtown Nashville.  The ideal candidate is driven to create meaningful experiences for our hosts, guests, and community while simultaneously ensuring the success & profitability of all our food and beverage outlets. 

Inspired by Dolly Parton's epic career and trailblazing spirit, SongTeller Hotel in Nashville is as unique as the global icon herself. Dolly welcomes guests to a place where they can Love Every Moment; it is a place to unplug, to connect with loved ones and to be entertained.  

The Sous Chef position provides a unique opportunity for the right individual to coach and lead the opening team efforts for Dolly Parton’s SongTeller Hotel featuring 245 rooms, two F&B Entertainment venues, a market, and Dolly Parton’s Museum.  The position is responsible for ensuring the consistent delivery of the brand experience and achieving financial targets and related business KPI’s in the food and beverage outlets.  The Sous Chef will focus on F&B boh-of-house operations consisting of, but not limited to, full-service-dining plates, coffee shop production, and catering events throughout the property.  To achieve success in this role, one must drive results while adhering to our Heartspitality® culture.  This position requires demonstrating your food talents in performing your role and sharing the knowledge in a manner consistent with providing growth and learning for our hosts who will enjoy your leadership style and passion.   

SongTeller Hotel Nashville is more than just a place to rest your head, it's a hub of music, style, and hospitality designed the Dolly-way. Sprinkled with glamour, artistic surprises and a sense of humor - it's an experience as unforgettable as the entertainer herself. SongTeller Hotel celebrates the people, talent and setting of the destination, weaving the local music and culinary scenes together. So come experience the unique charm, and hospitality that could only be created by the iconic hostess herself!  

SUMMARY OF ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS & RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Assists periodically in conducting food inventories 
• Actively manages the kitchen staff within their culinary responsibilities and following proper scheduling procedures to ensure staffing levels are appropriately maintained and productive   
• Assists the Executive Chef and/or Sous Chefs with departmental human resource functions  
• Assists in ordering food and kitchen supplies, working with the purchasing agent to ensure all products are set up and organized in Crunchtime 
• Actively demonstrates and teaches proper cooking methods for producing excellent food products for our Guests and Hosts  
• Ensures all safety training is completed per company policy 
• Supervises and coordinates the production of food according to menu specifications and quantities necessary. Assists Cooks in preparation of specific cuisine daily including but not limited to hot prep, cold prep, saucier station, brick oven fired cuisine (where applicable), banquet production, staff meals, and ensures excellence in products  
• Ensures quality specifications for inventory of ingredients are being met on a daily basis. Corrects the item and informs Executive Chef when quality is not acceptable  
• Tastes all elements of menu on a regular basis to ensure quality and taste profiles are correct along with visual checks for proper plating and appearances  
• Checks physical cleanliness of operations.  Ensures all staff practice “clean as you go” techniques, and proper use of sanitizer ensuring that all health regulations are followed  
• Maintains proper working order of all equipment.  Inspects ovens, ranges, fryers, water faucets, refrigerators, and ware washing machines. Reports deficiencies in HotSOS to Engineering Department and verbally to Food and Beverage Team  
• Maintains Food Safety Standards for all kitchens and banquet areas while assuring time and temperature logs are utilized and monitored for all food stations, cooling and hot holding equipment and dish machines  
• Demonstrates continuous improvement with ongoing audits, e.g. Health inspection, Steritech, REI, internal, etc. 
• Will perform all HOH duties as needed  
• Ability and knowledgeable in Butchery and Fabrication techniques of Beef, Chicken and Fish. 
• Able to display knowledge of modern and classical style plating techniques. 
• Able to execute recipe standards in Batch cooking and plate specifications. Scratch cooking applications to include sauces, soups, dressings, vinaigrettes, doughs, vegetable production, proteins and garnishing.  
• Able to show basic knowledge of Sous Vide cooking, Saucier responsibilities.  

This job description is not an “all-inclusive’ list of the duties and responsibilities of this position or of the skills and abilities required to perform this position.  

 QUALIFICATIONS

• Must be at least 21 years of age. 

• High school diploma or equivalent. 

• Culinary degree or ACF certification preferred.   

• At least 3-5 years of progressive experience working as a sous chef or very similar role in restaurant or banquet operations 

• A minimum of two (2) years of supervisory experience. 

• Proven experience leading large-scale operations with multiple F&B outlets, banquets, and high-volume service 

• Strong understanding of food costing, portion control, and kitchen inventory management  

• Proven leadership skills, problem solving, team building, communication and organizational skills 

• Passion for creating memorable dining experiences and fostering a positive kitchen culture 

• Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed 

• Opening hotel experience preferred but not required 

• Knowledge of Microsoft Office, inventory management and ordering software 

• Must successfully pass a background check, drug test and obtain a TN driver’s license

ABOUT DOLLY PARTON'S SONGTELLER HOTEL & HERSCHEND 

Dolly Parton’s SongTeller Hotel is the newest hospitality venture of Herschend, the world’s largest family-owned themed attractions company that’s been Bringing Families Closer Together by Creating Memories Worth Repeating® for seven generations. Our 12,000+ passionate employees (hosts) collectively entertain 15 million guests each year across our two-dozen wholesome family entertainment brands. Each offers distinctive experiences that inspire discovery and deliver on Herschend’s commitment that every guest leaves with two things: a smile and a deeper connection with one another.   

The heart of Herschend’s success has long been the world-renowned hospitality that’s rooted in our DNA. We call it Heartspitality®. It’s a unique culture that blends our ethos of Leading with Love and our purpose of Bringing Families Closer Together by Creating Memories Worth Repeating® to create real impact and joy that spreads through our hosts to our guests and out into our communities.   

As an equal-opportunity employer, we strive to provide environments where every host, guest, and partner feel welcome, valued, and loved. We firmly believe that words and actions matter, which is why all individuals are to be treated equally and with respect.