Summary of responsibilities:
Take your career to a world-class stage & join us at Fairmont Waterfront!
As a Sous Chef at Fairmont Waterfront, you will support a passionate culinary brigade dedicated to crafting exceptional dining experiences across ARC Restaurant and Lounge, In-Room Dining, and Banquet operations. You will play a key role in upholding our culinary standards, mentoring junior team members, and ensuring consistency in quality, presentation, and safety. Our culinary philosophy is deeply rooted in sustainability — from sourcing locally grown and seasonal ingredients from BC farms and producers, to building meaningful relationships with local suppliers who share our values. You will champion these principles as part of your daily leadership.
Culinary Operations
You will be at the heart of our kitchen operations, maintaining the highest standards of culinary excellence across all outlets and functions:
- Oversee daily kitchen activities in both ARC Restaurant and Banquet kitchens, supporting a high-volume operation of up to 200 restaurant covers and banquet events accommodating up to 500 guests
- Support the Executive Chef in executing the culinary vision across all outlets and functions
- Champion farm-to-table culinary philosophy by sourcing local, seasonal, and sustainable ingredients; proactively build and maintain relationships with local BC farmers, artisan producers, and Indigenous suppliers
- Contribute to menu development for the restaurant, lounge, in-room dining, and banquet events, incorporating local and seasonal product availability
- Maintain and ensure a clean, organized, and safe kitchen environment at all times, in full compliance with Food Safe and HACCP standards
- Monitor inventory, assist with ordering through BirchStreet, and support food and labor cost control
- Implement and track food waste reduction initiatives and report on sustainability KPIs as part of the hotel's Green Key and environmental commitments
- Support recipe costing and food cost management in alignment with budgetary targets
- Help manage efficient scheduling to align with forecasted business volumes
Team Development & Communication
- Provide hands-on leadership to kitchen colleagues while fostering a supportive, high-performance culture
- Conduct pre-shift briefings and assist with training and onboarding of new team members
- Serve as a liaison between kitchen and front-of-house teams to support guest satisfaction and service delivery
- Lead the kitchen team in the absence of more senior chefs as required
Creativity & Innovation
We expect our culinary leaders to be curious, forward-thinking, and deeply committed to sustainable
practices:
- Contribute to ongoing menu evolution by staying informed on food trends, guest preferences, and local product availability
- Ensure thoughtful food presentation and consistent plating standards across all outlets
- Lead and participate in sustainability initiatives including food waste tracking, composting programs, and the reduction of single-use materials in kitchen operations
- Measure and report on sustainability KPIs including food cost %, waste diversion rates, and local sourcing percentages
- Foster relationships with local suppliers and farmers to ensure the freshest, most responsibly sourced ingredients are available to the culinary team