Soul & Smoke
Sous Chef
Evanston, Illinois•Full-time
$60,000 - $75,000 annually
$60,000 - $75,000 annually
About the Job
Soul & Smoke is expanding our Evanston location into a full-service restaurant, to open in the next month. We are looking for a Sous Chef to help lead our growing team.
We’re looking for a passionate and organized leader with strong culinary expertise, excellent communication skills, and a talent for mentoring teams. The Sous Chef will oversee daily restaurant kitchen operations, support training efforts, use software to monitor inventory and costs, and contribute to menu development.
Key Responsibilities:
- Train and mentor kitchen staff, maintaining high standards in food quality and execution.
- Lead with integrity and humility, staff should feel supported and that you are on their side.
- Use inventory software systems to help manage food costs, pricing, inventory, and ordering to optimize efficiency.
- Work closely with Exec Chef to lead live demonstrations, new dish rollouts, and recipe/menu research & development.
- Master all BOH roles to be able to hop in to help the team, provide training, or assist during service/production as needed.
- Solve problems in a positive manner.
- Lead product quality control and consistency via walk-in and waste log management, and monitoring daily line checks.
- Help oversee kitchen operations across Soul & Smoke locations, maintaining clear communications, and making visits to ensure alignment and consistency.
- Assist with offsite events and industry activations as needed.
Qualifications:
- Management experience with a strong culinary background.
- Multi-unit and fine dining experience preferred.
- Reliable and timely, able to work autonomously and as part of a team.
- Proficiency in food cost tracking, menu pricing, and inventory management.
- Strong organizational and computer skills (comfortable with spreadsheets, POS and inventory software, and email communication).
- Good people skills, effective communication and leadership. Professional and approachable with a passion for training and mentoring.
- Flexible and dependable, with the ability to adapt to business needs.
- Comfortable representing Soul & Smoke at public, client, and industry events.
- Valid food manager and allergen certificates.
- Ability to walk/stand for extended periods and lift up to 50 pounds.
- Driver’s license required.
Compensation & Benefits:
- Job type: full-time, averaging 50-55 hours per week, must include evenings and weekends.
- Base salary: based on experience, starting at $50,000.
- Revenue share: $10,000+ additional annual compensation from pooled revenue share/service charge.
- Benefits: Paid personal time off. Health/dental insurance (50% paid for employee, 25% for dependents), Aflac, and retirement savings plan available.
About Soul & Smoke
Soul & Smoke (Evanston, Avondale, West Loop) is a collection of restaurants, two food trucks, and catering team that serve barbecue fare and comfort food from the heart. The Black-owned and women-led team at the helm of Soul & Smoke values being part of the community through thoughtful initiatives, like providing customers the option to purchase a meal for a neighbor in need and partnering with nonprofits like World Central Kitchen to feed underserved populations.