Culinary Kitchen Supervisor

The Culinary Supervisor is responsible for supporting the daily culinary operations of the Convention Center, including banquet, catering, concession, and special event food production. This position assists the Executive Chef and Sous Chef with supervising culinary staff, coordinating food preparation, maintaining food quality and safety standards, and ensuring all food is produced and delivered according to Banquet Event Orders (BEOs), event timelines, and company standards.

The Culinary Supervisor must be able to work in a fast-paced, high-volume event environment and provide hands-on leadership to culinary team members. This position requires flexible availability, including early mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, and extended hours based on the event schedule.

• →Supervise and assist with daily culinary production for banquets, catering functions, concessions, special events, and other Convention Center food and beverage operations.
• →Review Banquet Event Orders (BEOs), production sheets, menus, and event schedules to ensure proper preparation and execution.
• →Coordinate with the Executive Chef, Sous Chef, Food & Beverage Management, Banquet Operations, and other departments regarding event requirements and changes.
• →Oversee and direct hourly culinary staff during preparation, service, and breakdown.
• →Assign daily production responsibilities and ensure assignments are completed accurately and within established timelines.
• →Assist with ordering, receiving, storing, preparing, and properly rotating food products.
• →Monitor food production levels to ensure adequate quantities while minimizing waste and controlling food costs.
• →Maintain established portion controls, recipes, presentation standards, and quality expectations.
• →Ensure food is prepared, held, transported, and served at appropriate temperatures.
• →Responsible for completing and verifying hot and cold temperature logs.
• →Inspect food products daily for proper labeling, dating, rotation, quality, and expiration dates.
• →Follow and enforce FIFO (First In, First Out) procedures throughout kitchen and storage areas.
• →Assist with inventory counts, product controls, and kitchen requisitions.
• →Ensure requisitions from warehouse, storage, and kitchen areas are completed and received in a timely manner.
• →Coordinate timing of culinary production with banquet and event service schedules.
• →Communicate event changes immediately to appropriate culinary and operational team members.
• →Maintain clean, organized, and sanitary kitchen, prep, storage, cooler, freezer, and equipment areas.
• →Ensure culinary staff follow proper cleaning and sanitation procedures.
• →Monitor kitchen equipment and report maintenance or safety concerns to management.
• →Assist with the training, development, and onboarding of culinary employees.
• →Provide hands-on coaching and directions to culinary staff regarding preparation techniques, presentation, sanitation, safety, and productivity.
• →Ensure compliance with local Health Department regulations, company food safety policies, and applicable food handling requirements.
• →Monitor employee performance and communicate attendance, performance, conduct, or operational concerns to culinary leadership.
• →Assist with maintaining food cost, labor, and departmental budget goals.
• →Support special menus, tastings, VIP events, and other culinary initiatives as assigned.
• →Maintain professional communication between culinary, warehouse, banquet, catering, stewarding, and Food & Beverage teams.
• →Serve as culinary leadership on duty when assigned and assume responsibility for kitchen operations in the absence of the Executive Chef and Sous Chef.
• →Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned by culinary and Food & Beverage leadership.

Provides direct supervision and operational direction to assigned cooks, prep cooks, utility workers, stewarding staff, and other hourly culinary personnel.

Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with company policies, applicable laws, food safety standards, and departmental procedures.

The Culinary Supervisor is expected to provide leadership during event preparation and execution, delegate assignments, monitor employee performance, and communicate operational or personnel concerns to the Executive Chef and/or Sous Chef.

To perform this position successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below represent the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the position.

• Current SERV Safe Food Handler or Food Protection Manager certification preferred or required based on local regulations.
• Strong knowledge of food safety, sanitation, proper food handling, and temperature control procedures.
• Knowledge of high-volume culinary production, banquet preparation, catering, and event food service.
• Ability to read and execute Banquet Event Orders, recipes, production sheets, and event timelines.
• Ability to supervise, motivate, and provide direction to culinary employees.
• Bilingual English/Spanish preferred.

• Minimum of 3–4 years of culinary experience in a high-volume kitchen, banquet, catering, hotel, convention center, arena, stadium, or similar event facility preferred.
• Previous culinary supervisory or lead experience strongly preferred.
• Experience producing food for large-scale events and multiple simultaneous functions preferred.
• Culinary school or related hospitality education is preferred but not required with equivalent professional experience.

• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills.
• Ability to prioritize and complete multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to effectively lead and work alongside culinary team members.
• Strong attention to detail regarding food quality, presentation, sanitation, and event execution.
• Ability to understand and maintain food cost and portion control standards.
• Ability to respond quickly and professionally to last-minute event changes.
• Strong customer service orientation and ability to work collaboratively with other departments.
• Basic computer skills, including Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel.
• Ability to read production reports, BEOs, schedules, inventory documents, and departmental communications.
• Ability to work independently while following direction from the Executive Chef and Sous Chef.
• Ability to maintain professionalism and composure during high-volume and time-sensitive events.
• Ability to be creative with food presentation while maintaining consistency and quality standards.

This position requires flexible availability based on the Convention Center's event schedule.

The Culinary Supervisor must be available to work varying shifts, including early mornings, afternoons, evenings, weekends, holidays, and extended hours when necessary. Work schedules may fluctuate significantly depending on event volume and operational needs.

The physical demands described below are representative of those required to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

This position requires substantial daily physical activity, including:

• Standing and walking for extended periods, including shifts of 8 hours or longer.
• Frequent walking throughout kitchen, banquet, concession, warehouse, and event areas.
• Lifting and carrying products and equipment weighing up to 50 pounds.
• Pushing and pulling carts, racks, hot boxes, equipment, and food products.
• Frequent bending, reaching, lifting, twisting, and repetitive movement.
• Manual dexterity and appropriate knife-handling skills.
• Safely handling hot food, cookware, kitchen equipment, and other culinary products.
• Working in varying temperatures, including hot kitchens, coolers, freezers, loading areas, and outdoor event environments when applicable.
• Working in confined, loud, and high-traffic environments with multiple employees and departments operating simultaneously.