Chef Instructor, Savory (Sur La Table)

As a Chef Instructor, Savory at Sur La Table, you are the in-store expert and advocate for all things savory cooking. You deliver #bestincenter service, a company-wide standard for excellence in service, by sharing specialized knowledge in culinary techniques, cooking fundamentals, and personalized instruction that supports all company initiatives. The Chef Instructor, Savory plays a key role in inspiring a love for cooking while driving sales of cookware, cutlery, and kitchen tools through hands-on savory classes and engaging culinary instruction.

Responsibilities

Represent Sur La Table’s brand and culture by creating memorable, educational experiences that inspire repeat visits and customer loyalty; Deliver exceptional in-store culinary experiences focused on savory cooking classes that reflect Sur La Table’s passion for food, teaching, and high standards, while following provided recipes and game plans; Communicate technical cooking concepts and savory techniques in a clear, encouraging, and approachable manner; Maintain expertise by staying current on products, actively engaging in available training, and independently seeking out additional resources; Drive sales by upholding kitchen standards, encouraging second class sign-ups through strong customer engagement, and promoting retail items used or featured in class; Deliver class revenue goals by ensuring high enrollment, positive reviews, and guest return rates; Consistently meet or exceed culinary program goals by delivering exceptional classes that drive customer engagement and sales; Assist in setting up and breakdown of classes including organizing mise en place, prepping ingredients, and cleaning workstations; Clean and sanitize dishes and equipment promptly to ensure smooth kitchen operations; Assist with restocking, organizing, and maintaining kitchen supplies and tools; Ensure compliance with food safety standards, local health codes, and sanitation regulations; Properly handle all tools, ingredients, and kitchen equipment to maintain a safe and efficient work environment; Maintain accurate inventory levels, minimize shrink, and control supply and culinary expenses; May handle liquor, wine, and beer in compliance with state and location alcohol regulations, company policies, including enforcing age restrictions; Ensure store safety and cleanliness, addressing any maintenance needs promptly; Adhere to applicable wage and hour laws and accurately record time worked according to SLT Policy; Model and ensure consistent adherence to all Sur La Table policies and standard operating procedures

Requirements

Must be 21 years of age or older at the time of employment; 1-2 years of kitchen operations experience; Valid Food Manager Certification; Excellent communication, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities; Passion for community engagement and providing exceptional customer experiences; Ability to communicate verbally and work cooperatively with associates and customers; Ability to remain standing for up to 4 hours at a time; Ability to move about the store directing class participants while selling to customers and retrieving merchandise from stockroom or sales floor; Ability to perceive and differentiate variations in intensity or quality of flavors or odors; Ability to grab, reach, push, pull, bend, stoop, kneel and crouch to demonstrate, retrieve and/or replenish merchandise and/or cooking equipment; Ability to use hands to chop, whisk, slice, stir, juice and/or demonstrate other techniques; Ability to lift and/or move merchandise weighing up to 50 lbs; Ability to ascend/descend ladders to retrieve and/or move merchandise; Ability to operate a computer, POS system, keyboards, merchandise scanners and mouse; Available to work between 12 and 16 hours per week with a flexible schedule, including nights, weekends, and holidays; Regular and predictable attendance with the flexibility to adjust class assignments based on demand; Ability to work in a variable kitchen environment including open flames, hot surfaces, temperature variations, various food allergens both physical and airborne

Nice to have

A degree in culinary arts is preferred; extensive culinary experience and demonstrated technical proficiency considered in lieu of formal education