Dedicated Banquet Chef Job Description

Banquet Chef Job Description

A banquet chef job description involves a culinary expert serving as an assistant to the executive chef in charge of the kitchen in a commercial establishment. Banquet chefs usually work in hotels, resorts, country clubs and other facilities, and the banquets can range in size from small groups to hundreds of people.

Position Description

The banquet chef typically handles everything from planning the banquet menu to presenting the finished product to the client.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities of a Banquet Chef

• Oversees the work of the banquet kitchen staff.
• Takes orders from the executive chef.
• Helps maintain a safe and sanitary kitchen cleaning up spills and other potential hazards immediately.
• Assists with training of newly hired kitchen staff.
• Makes sure adequate numbers of kitchen staff are scheduled to properly handle each banquet.
• Participates in employee evaluations and necessary disciplinary actions.
• Meets with potential banquet clients to discuss menu options.
• Develops menus based on client specifications and contracts.
• Places orders for recipe ingredients including meats, fresh fruits and produce, herbs, spices and other supplies.
• Supervises junior cooks and other members of the kitchen staff.
• Ensures that all standards of safety are strictly observed.
• Presents the finished product to the customer for approval.
• Monitors the quality of the banquet meal during the event.
• Evaluates client satisfaction.
• Looks for ways to save the facility money while still providing top quality products and services for clients.
• Possesses the ability to handle any menu ranging from breakfast buffets to corporate lunch meetings with sandwiches to formal dinners with multi-course meals that are individually plated.
• Travels to offsite areas in the event a banquet is catered at another location.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Must have the ability to multi-task while remaining focused on the goal.
• Must have excellent verbal communication and leadership skills.
• Be able to express creativity through food selections, preparation and presentation.
• Must be detail oriented.
• Must have the ability to remain calm in high stress situations.
• Be able to solve problems quickly under pressure.
• Must have adequate upper body strength for heavy lifting and strong back and leg muscles for hours of standing, bending and walking around.

Education and Experience

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Degree from accredited culinary school.
• Several years’ experience in the food industry, food production and supervision of kitchen staff.

Work Environment

• Must be able to work in hot kitchen, in fast paced environments and in demanding situations.
• Must be willing to begin work some days in the early morning hours and other times remain at work late into the night depending on the size and time of a particular banquet.
• Must be able to work weekends and holidays as these are common times for banquets.
• Must be able to handle heavy lifting, long hours of standing and other taxing physical activities.
• Be prepared to quickly deal with injuries like cuts and burns that can result in busy kitchens even when safety guidelines are strictly observed.

Salary

• Salaries in smaller establishments range from $35,000 to $45,000.
• Salaries in larger facilities average from $50,000 to $60,000.