Kitchen Manager

Introduction

Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley National Park
- Journey Beyond the Ordinary. Stovepipe Wells has an 80-room hotel, restaurant, bar, pool, gas station, general store, and gift shop. Stovepipe is a welcoming, safe, and environmentally responsible resort providing accommodations and services inside Death Valley National Park. POWDR operates Stovepipe Wells under a long-term concession contract with the National Park Service.

Manage, lead, and oversee all back-of-house/kitchen operations, ensuring smooth, efficient, and consistent execution of daily food service. Serve as the right-hand support to the F&B Manager and work collaboratively to ensure the overall Food & Beverage operation meets company standards and goals. Work alongside the kitchen team as a working Kitchen Manager, actively assisting with food preparation, cooking, plating, expediting, dishwashing, cleaning, stocking, and other kitchen duties as needed to maintain smooth operations.

Lead, train, coach, motivate, and evaluate all kitchen staff. Develop and maintain structured training programs for kitchen staff, ensuring employees are properly trained in recipes, food preparation, cooking procedures, portion control, plating, sanitation, equipment use, and all other required kitchen duties. Cross-train kitchen staff to ensure adequate coverage and flexibility across prep, line, dish, and other back-of-house functions. Oversee daily food preparation and kitchen production to ensure food is prepared consistently, safely, efficiently, and according to established recipes and quality standards.

Maintain and enforce recipe standards, portion controls, presentation standards, and food quality expectations. Manage and organize kitchen prep schedules, ensuring all necessary food preparation is completed accurately and on time for each shift. Oversee kitchen opening, closing, and shift-change procedures to ensure the kitchen is clean, organized, stocked, sanitized, and properly prepared for the next shift. Implement and enforce detailed shift-specific checklists for kitchen operations.

Ensure all kitchen team members complete assigned checklists accurately and consistently. Monitor kitchen labor and staffing levels in coordination with the F&B Manager to ensure appropriate coverage while meeting budgetary goals. Monitor food usage, waste, spoilage, portion control, and ordering practices to help manage food costs and minimize unnecessary loss. Assist with ordering and receiving food, beverage, and kitchen supplies as directed by the F&B Manager.

Conduct and assist with monthly inventory of food, kitchen supplies, and operational items; reconcile discrepancies and maintain accurate inventory records. Organize and maintain kitchen storerooms, refrigerators, freezers, and food preparation areas in accordance with applicable food safety and sanitation standards. Ensure compliance with all food safety, sanitation, and health and safety requirements, including proper food handling, temperature control, handwashing, cleaning, sanitization, glove use, labeling, dating, and storage.

Monitor and ensure all required food safety records, logs, and NPS scans are completed accurately and submitted by the required monthly deadlines. Ensure kitchen equipment is properly operated, cleaned, maintained, and reported for repair when necessary. Maintain a clean, safe, organized, and professional kitchen environment at all times. Lead by example and hold kitchen staff accountable for professional conduct, punctuality, teamwork, cleanliness, food quality, and adherence to company standards.

Work closely with the F&B Manager and front-of-house leadership to ensure effective communication between the…