Sous Chef

Sous Chef — Two Kitchens, One Team, and a Year of Leadership Coaching on Us

Domenico Winery & Domenico Catering & Events
· San Carlos, CA
· Full-time · $75,000–$85,000/year

Friday night. Two kitchens. One chef who can lead an incredible team that runs them both.

At 5 p.m., the Osteria is filling up: 100 seats, house-made pizza and pasta, a line that has to move. Across the building, 250 wedding guests are about to sit down for dinner in our event hall. Somewhere between the two, our Sous Chef is tasting a sauce, checking a plate and calling the next course.

That's a normal Friday  run an Italian restaurant open five days a week and 300 events a year, from intimate private dinners to 600‑guest galas, all from one urban winery in San Carlos. If that sounds like the most fun you could have in a kitchen, keep reading.

1. We invest a full year in your growth. In your first year, Domenico pays for you to go through the David Scott Peters Restaurant Transformation Intensive, a year of coaching and training in the systems behind profitable, well‑run kitchens: food cost, labor, prep, ordering, inventory and leadership. Most chefs learn this the hard way, if ever. You'll learn it on our dime, with real kitchens to put it into practice.

2. You'll have a clear path up. This is step one of our culinary leadership path:

• Sous Chef → Executive Sous Chef → Chef de Cuisine
• Performance and growth are reviewed every year, and the path is written down, not a vague promise.

3. You'll work directly with the Executive Chef. You report to the Executive Chef and act as his right hand across both kitchens. You'll run the floor; he'll coach you on the bigger picture.

4. You'll never be bored. Osteria service Wednesday through Sunday, plus 300 events a year: weddings, corporate galas, fundraisers and winemaker dinners. Tastings with clients. Seasonal menus. Every week is different.

• Lead the back‑of‑house team in both the Osteria and our banquets kitchen: line cooks, prep cooks, pizza team and dishwashers
• Run the line and expedite Osteria service, keeping our regional Italian cooking and pizza consistent
• Own pizza dough and fresh pasta standards
• Turn event menus, BEOs and guest counts into prep lists and production schedules, then lead execution on site and off site
• Order, receive and take inventory across both kitchens, and help hit food cost and labor targets
• Train and develop your team, and run pre‑shifts and post‑event debriefs
• Keep both kitchens clean, safe and Serv Safe‑sharp
• Step in as the Executive Chef's backup when he's out

• 5+ years of progressive kitchen experience, including 2+ years leading a team (Junior Sous, Sous or Kitchen Manager)
• Experience in both restaurant service and high‑volume catering or banquets
• Italian cuisine and pizza experience is a big plus
• A calm, organized leader who takes ownership and makes the people around them better
• Serv Safe Manager certification (or the ability to get it within 30 days) and a valid California driver's license
• Able to lift 50 lbs and work long shifts on your feet

• $75,000–$85,000 salary (full‑time, exempt), depending on experience
• A year of David Scott Peters Restaurant Transformation coaching, fully paid by Domenico
• Salary reviewed every year, based on performance
• A clear promotion path to Executive Sous Chef and Chef de Cuisine

• Health insurance: company pays 50% of your premium on our bronze plan (currently Kaiser Permanente), starting the first of the month after 60 days
• Safe Harbor 401(k) after your first year

• 10 paid vacation days a year (accruing after your first 90 days) growing to 15 days starting in year four
• 8 paid company holidays:
  New Year's Day,…