Sous Chef

Soul & Smoke is expanding our Evanston location into a full-service restaurant, to open in the next month. We are looking for a Sous Chef to help lead our growing team. We’re looking for a passionate and organized leader with strong culinary expertise, excellent communication skills, and a talent for mentoring teams. The Sous Chef will oversee daily restaurant kitchen operations, support training efforts, use software to monitor inventory and costs, and contribute to menu development. Key Responsibilities:Train and mentor kitchen staff, maintaining high standards in food quality and execution. Lead with integrity and humility, staff should feel supported and that you are on their side. Use inventory software systems to help manage food costs, pricing, inventory, and ordering to optimize efficiency. Work closely with Exec Chef to lead live demonstrations, new dish rollouts, and recipe/menu research & development. Master all BOH roles to be able to hop in to help the team, provide training, or assist during service/production as needed. Solve problems in a positive manner. Lead product quality control and consistency via walk-in and waste log management, and monitoring daily line checks.  Help oversee kitchen operations across Soul & Smoke locations, maintaining clear communications, and making visits to ensure alignment and consistency. Assist with offsite events and industry activations as needed. Qualifications:Management experience with a strong culinary background. Multi-unit and fine dining experience preferred. Reliable and timely, able to work autonomously and as part of a team. Proficiency in food cost tracking, menu pricing, and inventory management. Strong organizational and computer skills (comfortable with spreadsheets, POS and inventory software, and email communication). Good people skills, effective communication and leadership. Professional and approachable with a passion for training and mentoring. Flexible and dependable, with the ability to adapt to business needs. Comfortable representing Soul & Smoke at public, client, and industry events. Valid food manager and allergen certificates.  Ability to walk/stand for extended periods and lift up to 50 pounds. Driver’s license required. Compensation & Benefits:Job type: full-time, averaging 50-55 hours per week, must include evenings and weekends.  Base salary: based on experience, starting at $50,000. Revenue share: $10,000+ additional annual compensation from pooled revenue share/service charge. Benefits: Paid personal time off. Health/dental insurance (50% paid for employee, 25% for dependents), Aflac, and retirement savings plan available. About  Soul & SmokeSoul & Smoke (Evanston, Avondale, West Loop) is a collection of restaurants, two food trucks, and catering team that serve barbecue fare and comfort food from the heart. The Black-owned and women-led team at the helm of Soul & Smoke values being part of the community through thoughtful initiatives, like providing customers the option to purchase a meal for a neighbor in need and partnering with nonprofits like World Central Kitchen to feed underserved populations More detail about Soul & Smoke - Evanston part of Soul & Smoke, please visit