The Daily Catch Pasadena
Location: 927 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91106
Job Title: Sous Chef
Reports To: Executive Chef; General Manager
Employment Status: Full-Time
Compensation: Negotiable based on experience and qualifications; $30-$36 per hour
Schedule: Business hours, including mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, peak periods, and extended hours as business needs require
Basic Function
The Sous Chef supports the Executive Chef in leading back-of-house operations, maintaining food quality, executing Company recipes, supervising kitchen staff, and ensuring the kitchen operates with consistency, cleanliness, speed, and professionalism. This hands-on role requires strong cooking ability, seafood handling knowledge, attention to detail, and the ability to lead by example during prep, service, receiving, cleaning, and closing. The Sous Chef assists with kitchen training, food safety, inventory, ordering, sanitation, and communication between the kitchen and front-of-house team while upholding The Daily Catch's mission, values, service standards, and brand integrity.
Duties & Responsibilities
- Support the Executive Chef in leading day-to-day back-of-house operations, including food preparation, cooking, plating, seafood handling, sanitation, quality control, and kitchen organization.
- Establish, uphold, and model The Daily Catch's culinary standards, professional expectations, food quality standards, and brand integrity at all times.
- Lead by example during prep, service, receiving, cleaning, closing, and other kitchen operations, working hands-on wherever needed.
- Support training, coaching, and development of cooks, prep cooks, dishwashers, and other back-of-house employees.
- Ensure all food is prepared and served according to Company recipes, portion standards, cooking techniques, presentation standards, and quality expectations.
- Assist with food cost control by reducing waste, monitoring portioning, rotating product properly, following prep levels, and using ingredients efficiently.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
- Strong knowledge of professional cooking standards, culinary techniques, seafood preparation, kitchen operations, food quality, and restaurant service execution.
- Strong understanding of food safety, sanitation, employee hygiene, food storage, temperature control, allergen awareness, cross-contamination prevention, and safe food handling procedures.
- Strong knife skills, sauté skills, cooking techniques, station organization, timing, and plating skills.
- Ability to lead by example and support a productive, respectful, and accountable kitchen team.
- Ability to work calmly and effectively under pressure, maintain composure during busy service, and make sound operational decisions.
Experience & Certifications
- Proven experience as a Sous Chef in a high-volume restaurant or hospitality environment required
- Minimum of ten (10) years of cooking experience required; sauté experience required; seafood expereince required.
- Experience executing recipes, managing stations, organizing prep, cooking to order, plating, and maintaining food quality during high-volume service.
- Experience assisting with kitchen training, staff direction, prep planning, ordering, receiving, inventory, sanitation, and quality control preferred.
- California Food Handler Card required within thirty (30) days of hire from an ANSI-accredited provider and valid for three (3) years, unless otherwise exempt under applicable law.
Working Conditions
- Working in a fast-paced, loud, hot, busy, and physically demanding kitchen environment.
- Flexibility to work mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, peak business periods, special events, and extended hours as business needs require.
- Hands-on participation in kitchen operations, including cooking, prep, receiving, cleaning, dish, inventory, and assisting employees during service as needed.
This job posting is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with the position.