Job Description
Job Description
Sous Chef — Two Kitchens, One Team, and a Year of Leadership Coaching on Us
Domenico Winery & Domenico Catering & Events · San Carlos, CA · Full-time · $75,000–$85,000/year
Friday night. Two kitchens. One chef who can lead an incredible team that runs them both.
At 5 p.m., the Osteria is filling up: 100 seats, house-made pizza and pasta, a line that has to move. Across the building, 250 wedding guests are about to sit down for dinner in our event hall. Somewhere between the two, our Sous Chef is tasting a sauce, checking a plate and calling the next course.
That's a normal Friday at Domenico. We run an Italian restaurant open five days a week and 300 events a year, from intimate private dinners to 600-guest galas, all from one urban winery in San Carlos. If that sounds like the most fun you could have in a kitchen, keep reading.
Why this isn't just another sous chef job
1. We invest a full year in your growth. In your first year, Domenico pays for you to go through the David Scott Peters Restaurant Transformation Intensive, a year of coaching and training in the systems behind profitable, well-run kitchens: food cost, labor, prep, ordering, inventory and leadership. Most chefs learn this the hard way, if ever. You'll learn it on our dime, with real kitchens to put it into practice.
2. You'll have a clear path up. This is step one of our culinary leadership path:
- Sous Chef → Executive Sous Chef → Chef de Cuisine
- Performance and growth are reviewed every year, and the path is written down, not a vague promise.
3. You'll work directly with the Executive Chef. You report to the Executive Chef and act as his right hand across both kitchens. You'll run the floor; he'll coach you on the bigger picture.
4. You'll never be bored. Osteria service Wednesday through Sunday, plus 300 events a year: weddings, corporate galas, fundraisers and winemaker dinners. Tastings with clients. Seasonal menus. Every week is different.
What you'll do
- Lead the back-of-house team in both the Osteria and our banquets kitchen: line cooks, prep cooks, pizza team and dishwashers
- Run the line and expedite Osteria service, keeping our regional Italian cooking and pizza consistent
- Own pizza dough and fresh pasta standards
- Turn event menus, BEOs and guest counts into prep lists and production schedules, then lead execution on site and off site
- Order, receive and take inventory across both kitchens, and help hit food cost and labor targets
- Train and develop your team, and run pre-shifts and post-event debriefs
- Keep both kitchens clean, safe and ServSafe-sharp
- Step in as the Executive Chef's backup when he's out
- Please click here for a more detailed job description
What you bring
- 5+ years of progressive kitchen experience, including 2+ years leading a team (Junior Sous, Sous or Kitchen Manager)
- Experience in both restaurant service and high-volume catering or banquets
- Italian cuisine and pizza experience is a big plus
- A calm, organized leader who takes ownership and makes the people around them better
- ServSafe Manager certification (or the ability to get it within 30 days) and a valid California driver's license
- Able to lift 50 lbs and work long shifts on your feet
What we offer
Pay and growth
- $75,000–$85,000 salary (full-time, exempt), depending on experience
- A year of David Scott Peters Restaurant Transformation coaching, fully paid by Domenico
- Salary reviewed every year, based on performance
- A clear promotion path to Executive Sous Chef and Chef de Cuisine
Health and retirement
- Health insurance: company pays 50% of your premium on our bronze plan (currently Kaiser Permanente), starting the first of the month after 60 days
- Safe Harbor 401(k) after your first year
Time off
- 10 paid vacation days a year (accruing after your first 90 days) growing to 15 days starting in year four
- 8 paid company holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. If an event needs you on a holiday, you get another paid day off
- Paid sick leave
Schedule
- A flexible five-day schedule: choose Tuesday–Saturday or Wednesday–Sunday, with flexibility for evening and weekend events
- No 2 a.m. closes: the Osteria wraps by 9 p.m. (6 p.m. on Sundays)
Perks
- 50% off Domenico wines
- 25% off food and beverage at the Osteria (on-shift meals and to-go)
- 25% off retail merchandise and 30% off Cantina refills
- Quarterly team-building events and recognition awards
- Mileage reimbursement for off-site events
Who we are
Domenico Winery is a family-owned urban winery, Italian restaurant and event venue in San Carlos, making award-winning wine for more than 20 years. We're Italians who love hospitality, and we treat our guests and our team like family.
Our culture runs on our GRAPES values:
- Gratitude: we appreciate every guest, team member and opportunity
- Respect: we honor our clients, partners and one another
- Accountability: we own our actions and outcomes
- Positivity: we lead with optimism and solutions
- Excellence: we aim for the highest standards in everything we do
- Synergy: we win together through teamwork and collaboration
We work hard, we celebrate wins together, and yes, there's always good wine at the end of the night.
Ready to run two kitchens and grow into a Chef de Cuisine?
Apply with your résumé and a sentence or two about the dish you're proudest of. We review every application and move quickly: the right chef could be in our kitchen in weeks.
Domenico Winery is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to an inclusive workplace for all.