St. Clair Country Club

Department: Culinary / Food & Beverage
Reports To: Executive Chef and Executive Sous Chef
Supervises: PM line cooks, prep cooks, and stewarding staff as assigned
Position Status: Full-Time; evening, weekend, and holiday availability required
The PM Sous Chef provides hands-on leadership for evening culinary operations at St. Clair Country Club and supports the Executive Chef and Executive Sous Chef in delivering consistent, high-quality dining experiences for members and guests. In every aspect of the role, the PM Sous Chef is expected to demonstrate St. Clair Country Club's Expectations of Excellence through exceptional culinary quality, attentive member service, professional conduct, teamwork, accountability, cleanliness, and attention to detail. This position directs dinner preparation and service, coordinates kitchen stations, expedites orders, develops culinary employees, and ensures that all food is prepared and presented to St. Clair Country Club standards. Safety is of the utmost importance and must guide every decision, task, and interaction. The PM Sous Chef serves as the kitchen leader when senior culinary management is not present and is accountable for a safe, organized, efficient, and professional closing operation.
Requirements
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
• Lead daily PM kitchen operations for à la carte dining, member events, private functions, and other St. Clair Country Club outlets as assigned, consistently demonstrating the Club's Expectations of Excellence.
• Review reservations, event requirements, daily features, menus, staffing, and anticipated business levels before service.
• Prepare station assignments, prep lists, and production priorities; verify that all stations are fully stocked and service-ready.
• Conduct or support the pre-service culinary lineup and clearly communicate menu features, ingredients, preparation methods, allergens, substitutions, and unavailable items to the service team.
• Actively supervise and cook on the line as needed while maintaining proper pace, station coordination, and ticket times.
• Expedite dinner service, coordinate the timing of all courses, and inspect each plate for accuracy, temperature, portion, presentation, and consistency before it leaves the kitchen.
• Respond promptly and professionally to member requests, dietary restrictions, food allergies, and service concerns; communicate solutions with the front-of-house manager and culinary leadership.
• Maintain recipes, plating, portion control, and quality across all stations in accordance with St. Clair Country Club's Expectations of Excellence and established culinary standards.
• Train, coach, and develop culinary employees in cooking techniques, recipes, sanitation, safe work practices, organization, and teamwork.
• Provide clear direction, reinforce accountability, and address performance or conduct concerns promptly in partnership with culinary leadership.
• Support menu development, daily features, tasting, recipe documentation, and seasonal programming.
• Assist with ordering, receiving, storage, inventory, product rotation, yield control, food-cost management, and waste reduction.
• Make safety the highest priority in all kitchen operations. Enforce all food-safety and workplace-safety standards, including proper labeling and dating, temperature controls, allergen procedures, cross-contamination prevention, safe knife and equipment use, chemical handling, lifting practices, cooling, and storage.
• Maintain a clean, safe, and organized kitchen at all times; immediately correct unsafe conditions and promptly report equipment concerns, accidents, injuries, near misses, and safety hazards to culinary leadership.
• Complete and verify PM closing duties in accordance with St. Clair Country Club standards, including proper food storage, sanitation, equipment shutdown, waste documentation, hazard checks, and secure closing of assigned areas.
• Communicate shift results, member feedback, staffing concerns, product needs, and operational issues to the Executive Chef and Executive Sous Chef.
• Assume responsibility for kitchen operations in the absence of senior culinary leadership.
• Perform other duties and support other club culinary areas as business needs require.
Qualifications:
• High school diploma or equivalent required; culinary degree or recognized culinary apprenticeship preferred.
• Three or more years of progressive professional culinary experience, including supervisory or lead-line responsibility.
• Experience in a country club, private club, fine-dining restaurant, hotel, resort, or other high-volume culinary operation strongly preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of à la carte service, banquet production, food preparation, classic and contemporary cooking techniques, and professional plating.
• ServSafe Food Protection Manager certification, or the ability to obtain certification within the timeframe established by St. Clair Country Club.
• Knowledge of food sanitation, workplace safety, allergy awareness, inventory controls, and kitchen equipment.
• Ability to read and follow recipes, menus, production sheets, banquet event orders, and operating procedures.
• Strong communication, organization, time-management, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to lead by example, remain composed under pressure, and make sound decisions during high-volume service.
• Basic computer and administrative skills sufficient for scheduling, inventory, ordering, email, and related kitchen systems.
Core Competencies:
• Expectations of Excellence: Consistently upholds St. Clair Country Club's standards through exceptional service, quality, professionalism, teamwork, accountability, cleanliness, and attention to detail.
• Safety Leadership: Treats the safety of employees, members, guests, food, equipment, and facilities as the utmost priority; models safe practices, corrects hazards immediately, and holds the team accountable for compliance.
• Member Focus: Anticipates needs and treats every request with urgency, care, discretion, and professionalism consistent with St. Clair Country Club's Expectations of Excellence.
• Leadership: Sets clear expectations, coaches constructively, and creates an accountable, respectful kitchen culture.
• Communication: Shares accurate, timely information with culinary and service teams.
• Operational Discipline: Plans ahead, prioritizes effectively, controls costs, and completes required follow-through.
• Teamwork: Supports all culinary outlets and collaborates across departments to create a seamless member experience.
• Composure: Maintains sound judgment, urgency, and professionalism in a fast-paced environment.
Schedule and Work Environment:
This position primarily works afternoon and evening shifts and requires flexibility based on dining volume, private events, seasonal operations, and club business. Regular availability on weekends and holidays is essential. The work is performed in a professional kitchen with exposure to heat, steam, sharp utensils, cleaning chemicals, slippery surfaces, and varying temperatures.
Physical Requirements:
• Stand and walk for extended periods throughout the shift.
• Frequently bend, reach, push, pull, and perform repetitive hand and arm movements.
• Safely lift and carry up to 50 pounds, with assistance when appropriate.
• Work safely around hot equipment, open flames, knives, and wet or uneven surfaces.
• Maintain the visual and manual ability necessary to prepare, inspect, and present food safely and accurately.
This job description summarizes the primary duties and qualifications of the position. Responsibilities may be adjusted to meet the operational needs of St. Clair Country Club. Every employee is expected to uphold the Club's Expectations of Excellence and to make safety the utmost priority in all work activities.