Banquet Chef

The beautiful lakefront Westgate Lakes Resort & Spa offers you the perfect opportunity to meet and share stories with guests who arrive from around the world to experience Central Florida's world-famous theme parks and attractions. Enjoy the surroundings and excitement that our world-class resort offers when you join the Westgate Lakes team. As part of Westgate Resorts, recognized by U.S. News as one of the Best Companies to Work For, you’ll be joining a team committed to excellence and creating unforgettable vacation experiences and supporting your career growth where you are or at 60+ resorts across the company.

Join a premier hospitality destination as a Banquet Chef
, leading culinary operations for large-scale banquets, special events, weddings, conferences, receptions, and resort functions. The Banquet Chef is responsible for overseeing all banquet food production, ensuring exceptional food quality, flawless presentation, operational efficiency, and outstanding guest satisfaction across multiple event formats.

What You'll Do as a Banquet Chef:

• Plan, prepare, and execute banquet menus for weddings, conferences, corporate events, galas, receptions, and specialty functions according to established quality standards.
• Oversee high-volume food production, large-batch cooking, buffet preparation, banquet plating, and event execution.
• Cook or directly supervise the preparation of menu items requiring advanced culinary techniques and professional presentation standards.
• Develop recipes, preparation methods, and presentation techniques that support menu consistency, guest satisfaction, and cost control.
• Monitor food quality, portion control, taste, freshness, temperature, and presentation standards throughout all banquet operations.
• Lead, supervise, coach, and develop banquet cooks, prep cooks, and culinary support team members.
• Assign daily responsibilities, conduct training, and evaluate team performance to ensure operational excellence.
• Coordinate banquet service timing and execution with Banquet Captains, Catering Managers, and Food & Beverage leadership.
• Create and manage production schedules to support multiple simultaneous events and functions.
• Monitor inventory levels and maintain adequate banquet food, beverage, and supply inventories.
• Assist with purchasing forecasts, budgeting initiatives, food cost management, and labor optimization efforts.
• Minimize food waste through proper storage, inventory rotation, menu planning, and production management.
• Ensure compliance with all food safety, sanitation, HACCP, OSHA, and health department regulations.
• Maintain cleanliness, organization, and operational readiness of banquet kitchen facilities and equipment.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives designed to enhance culinary quality, productivity, and guest experiences.
• Other duties as assigned.

This role requires strong organizational skills, the ability to manage multiple events simultaneously, and a commitment to delivering exceptional service during evenings, weekends, holidays, and peak event periods.

What You Will Bring as a Banquet Chef:

• Minimum 5 years of progressive culinary leadership experience within hotels, resorts, convention centers, catering operations, or hospitality venues.
• Proven experience managing high-volume banquet production, large-scale events, weddings, conferences, and catered functions.
• Previous experience supervising and developing culinary teams in fast-paced food service environments.
• Strong background in food production planning, banquet execution, and operational leadership.
• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, or a related field preferred.
• Food Safety Manager Certification required or ability to obtain…