Sous Chef

Sartiano's Mercer Hotel, 147 Mercer Street (Prince Street) Sous Chef Job Description Responsible to:

Executive Chef

Sartiano’s was born from the Tuscan heart and soul of Italy. Business leader, Restaurateur, and Lifestyle Architect Scott Sartiano introduces his latest concept, appropriately chosen after his namesake. Founded at the Mercer Hotel, New York, Sartiano’s embodies a classic modern Italian twist at the most premium level while maintaining a familiar spirit that is meant to be shared.

Alfred Portale will lead the culinary direction as the Chef managing Partner. The uniquely crafted menu hones in on a specialty to set the tone for the fine dining experience. Building off the foundation of offering specialized meats, Sartiano’s establishes itself as an authentic Italian restaurant.

Chef Chris Lewnes, a Brooklyn-born Italian American, grew up surrounded by the flavors and aromas of Italian American cuisine in central New Jersey. After attending Rutgers University and earning a degree in journalism, Chris decided to embrace his love for cooking and pursue a career in the culinary arts.

After graduating from the Institute of Culinary Education, in New York City, Chris took a position as Chef de Partie tored by Chef Markus Glocker, he honed and developed his skills in classic French technique and gained experience cooking in fine dining. After two years at Batard, Chris was asked to join Chef Glocker as a sous chef at Keith McNally's Augustine restaurant in the Beekman Hotel.

When the pandemic forced Augustine to close its doors permanently, Chris took the opportunity to take the next step in his career. He landed a job working as the Chef de Cuisine at American Brass in Long Island City. Three years later, Chris felt he was ready for a bigger role and the chance to bring his own creative vision to the table.

As fate would have it, Chris was approached by Chef Alfred Portale with the exact opportunity he had been waiting for: the position of Executive Chef at Scott Sartiano's namesake restaurant, Sartiano’s in The Mercer Hotel. Chris is excited to work alongside Chef Portale, a pioneer of New American cuisine, in a legendary location, and finally get the chance to share his love for Italian American cuisine in New York.

Works alongside head chef to manage daily kitchen activities, including overseeing staff, aiding with menu preparation, ensuring food quality and freshness, and monitoring ordering and stocking. Provides meal quality and consistency by following designated recipes.

• Leads kitchen team in Chef's absence
• Provides guidance to junior kitchen staff members, including, but not limited, to line cooking, food preparation, and dish plating
• Oversees and organizes kitchen stock and ingredients
• Ensures a first-in, first-out food rotation system and verifies all food products are properly dated and organized for quality assurance
• Keeps cooking stations stocked, especially before and during prime operation hours
• Hires and trains new kitchen employees to restaurant and kitchen standards
• Manages food and product ordering by keeping detailed records and minimizes waste, plus works with existing systems to improve waste reduction and manage budgetary concerns
• Supervises all food preparation and presentation to ensure quality and restaurant standards
• Works with head chef to maintain kitchen organization, staff ability, and training opportunities
• Verifies that food storage units all meet standards and are consistently well-managed
• Assists head chef with menu creation
• Coordinates with restaurant management team on supply ordering, budget, and kitchen efficiency and staffing
• Ensures the efficient operation of food production of areas he/she is put in charge of by the Executive Chef
• Participates in analyzing cost and quality of food production, knows to manage within a set budget and adheres to time management
• Train safe work habits and alert the staff to notify the chef on duty of any dangerous or unsafe places in the work area at once
• Responsible to implement and maintain all standards set by the Company; establishes the manner and means to train staff…