Sous Chef

Company Description

Forget About Hospitality invites guests to step away from the everyday pace, leave the noise behind, and enjoy being fully present.

Designed for New York and rooted in Italian hospitality, the concept centers on high-quality Italian cuisine, a warm and sophisticated atmosphere, and a seamless journey from aperitivo through dinner and after-dinner experiences.

The name “Forget About It” reinterprets a classic New York expression as an invitation to let go, savor the moment, and embrace an experience shaped by food, people, and ambiance. Blending Italian identity, an international spirit, and a modern vision of hospitality, Forget About It is an attitude-driven, experience-focused destination.

Role Description

The Sous Chef is a full-time, on-site leadership position based in New York City. Working closely with the Executive Chef, the Sous Chef supports all aspects of daily kitchen operations, maintains culinary and operational standards, and helps develop a collaborative, disciplined, and high-performing Back of House team.

This is a hands-on role requiring a strong presence in the kitchen before, during, and after service. The Sous Chef is responsible for ensuring consistency, quality, timing, organization, and presentation while supporting food-cost control, inventory management, scheduling, training, and compliance.

The ideal candidate combines strong knowledge of Italian cuisine with sound leadership, excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to remain calm and decisive in a fast-paced kitchen.

Key Responsibilities

Kitchen Leadership and Service:

• Support the Executive Chef in leading daily kitchen operations and service.

• Supervise food preparation, production, plating, and execution across all kitchen stations.

• Maintain a visible, hands-on leadership presence throughout each shift.

• Ensure every dish meets Company standards for quality, consistency, flavor, portioning, timing, temperature, and presentation.

• Coordinate kitchen workflow and station assignments according to service needs.

• Lead pre-service meetings and communicate menu changes, specials, reservations, allergies, and operational priorities.

• Assume responsibility for kitchen operations when the Executive Chef is unavailable.

• Communicate effectively with Front of House leadership to maintain smooth service and appropriate pacing.

Team Leadership and Development:

• Train, coach, mentor, and supervise cooks, prep employees, and dishwashing personnel.

• Support recruitment, onboarding, scheduling, performance feedback, and employee development.

• Ensure recipes, preparation methods, plating standards, and operating procedures are followed consistently.

• Foster a culture of professionalism, accountability, teamwork, respect, and continuous improvement.

• Identify training needs and provide clear, constructive, and timely feedback.

• Help create an organized workplace in which employees can perform safely and effectively.

Culinary Execution:

• Support menu development, recipe testing, seasonal changes, and implementation of new dishes.

• Ensure recipes, yields, portions, preparation methods, and plating specifications are accurately documented and followed.

• Monitor ingredient quality and reject products that do not meet Company standards.

• Maintain proper mise en place and production levels based on reservations, anticipated volume, and business needs.

• Ensure allergies, dietary restrictions, and special requests are handled accurately and safely.

• Minimize waste while protecting food quality and the guest experience.

Inventory and Cost control:

• Assist with purchasing, ordering, receiving, storage, inventory counts, and vendor communication.

• Monitor food usage, yields, waste, spoilage, overproduction, and portion control.

• Support achievement of food-cost and labor-cost objectives.

• Ensure products are correctly labeled, dated, stored, and rotated using FIFO practices.

• Maintain accurate inventory and production records.

• Communicate shortages, quality concerns, equipment problems, and purchasing needs promptly.

Food Safety and Compliance:

• Maintain compliance with New York City Department of Health requirements and Company food-safety procedures.

• Enforce proper standards for sanitation, handwashing, temperature control, allergen management, cross-contamination prevention, storage, labeling, and cleaning.

• Ensure kitchen equipment, workstations, refrigeration, storage areas, and floors are maintained safely and hygienically.

• Conduct regular inspections of kitchen and storage areas.

• Immediately report and address food-safety concerns, injuries, equipment failures, maintenance issues, or unsafe conditions.

• Support preparation for health inspections and maintain required operational documentation.

Qualifications:

• At least three years of culinary leadership experience in an upscale, fine-dining, or high-volume kitchen.

• Strong professional knowledge of Italian cuisine, ingredients, regional traditions, and cooking techniques.

• Demonstrated ability to lead, train, organize, and motivate a diverse kitchen team.

• Strong knowledge of kitchen operations, food safety, sanitation, inventory management, scheduling, and food-cost control.

• Ability to execute consistently under pressure while maintaining quality and attention to detail.

• Excellent organizational, communication, problem-solving, and time-management skills.

• Experience with recipe development, costing, portion control, and production planning.

• Professional, reliable, accountable, and solution-oriented approach.

• Experience opening a new restaurant is highly beneficial.

• New York City Food Protection Certificate is strongly preferred or must be obtained within the timeframe required by the Company.

• Availability to work evenings, weekends, and holidays.

• Authorization to work in the United States.

Employment Details:

• Employment type: Full-time, on-site.

• Location: New York City, New York.

• Annual base salary: $80,000–$100,000, based on experience, qualifications, and leadership background.

• This is a non-tipped management position and is not eligible to participate in an employee tip pool.

• Benefits may include health coverage under the applicable Company plan, paid time off for managers, and staff meals during scheduled shifts.

• Estimated opening: end of November 2026.

Specific benefit terms, including eligibility, waiting periods, paid time off, carryover, employee contributions, and coverage, will be established in the successful candidate’s written offer or applicable benefit-plan documents.

The stated salary range reflects the annual base compensation that Forget About Hospitality reasonably and in good faith expects to offer for this position at the time of posting. Final compensation will be determined based on the successful candidate’s experience, qualifications, culinary expertise, and relevant leadership background.

Physical Requirements

This position requires prolonged periods of standing and walking, frequent bending, reaching, lifting, and repetitive movement, and the ability to lift and carry items weighing up to 50 pounds.

The role involves working in a fast-paced professional kitchen with exposure to heat, steam, flames, sharp equipment, cleaning products, wet surfaces, temperature changes, and moderate to high noise levels.

Reasonable accommodations may be provided to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Forget About Hospitality is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran or military status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, New York State, or New York City law.