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Head Chef

Milwaukie, Oregon

Do you have exceptional cooking skills and leadership abilities? Are you passionate about cooking with fresh, organic, and seasonal ingredients? We are looking for a leader that is experienced, organized, and passionate about creating a thriving work environment for our employees while ensuring our guests receive high-quality food.

Who we are:

pFriem (pronounced “freem”) artisanal beers are symphonies of flavor and balance, influenced by the great brewers of Europe, but unmistakably true to our homegrown roots in the Pacific Northwest. We are guided by a religious commitment to quality and the never-ending pursuit of innovation. Although they are served humbly, each glass is overflowing with pride and a relentless aspiration to brew the best beer in the world.

pFriem Family Brewers has experienced incredible growth since founding in 2012 winning prestigious awards, including being named GABF® 2018 Mid-Size Brewing Company of the Year, Three-Time Brewery of the Year by the Beer Connoisseur, Best Brewpub Experience by Oregon Beer Awards, and numerous medals in national and international brewing competitions.

Our team is made up of 150+ multi-talented individuals from our Tasting Rooms in Hood River and Milwaukie to our Brewery employees who are committed to giving craft beer lovers the best beer, food, and service experience possible.

About the role:

This is a full time, salaried role and reports to the General Manager of our Milwaukie Tasting Room. You will play a pivotal role in managing the Back of House team in Tasting Room, hiring and training staff, implementing procedures, leading our culture, and of course you will own the day to day success of the kitchen team, making sure only great, high quality food leaves the kitchen, and that all our employees are on task and feel supported in their roles.

Some of your key responsibilities will be:

• Work with the knowledge that customer satisfaction, brand building, and employee engagement are our guiding lights.
• Act as the example of conduct, leadership, professionalism to the highest standard in everything you do.
• Work closely with the kitchen leadership team to develop team processes, meeting cadences, and an operating system that can stand the test of time.
• Work closely with the General Manager, and other FOH managers to contribute meaningfully and constructively to operational conversations, processes, and positive culture building for the whole Tasting Room.
• Own employee safety, food safety, and workplace culture for the kitchen team.
• Support the staff on the floor during service and make sure the operation runs smoothly.
• Develop and execute the required training culture and procedures to ensure quality, and a culture of process improvement.
• Work with your counterpart Head Chef in Hood River to drive innovation, menu consistency, and the pFriem brand through your food.
• Drive the kitchen forward in kitchen operations, cleanliness, food handling, timeliness, and presentation.
• Be a positive keystone in the culture of the Tasting Room through clear communications, respectful accountability, feedback both inside the BOH, and the FOH and management levels.
• Drive all kitchen staffing decisions and create and execute a staffing model, driving towards target labor levels.
• Help to maintain and oversee all aspects of kitchen operations. Including, daily tasking, ordering, inventory, order stewarding, coaching staff, cleaning, attention to urgency, SOP use and enforcement, communications, cost and waste control.
• Food quality and menu innovation. Keep close tabs on food trends and drive the menu forward seasonally, and from an innovation perspective, while driving toward certain target food cost levels.
• Define a direction of daily specials, thoughtfully utilizing what is available and seasonal.
• Act as a coach and mentor to staff. Always be approachable and level-headed.

More about you

You are experienced and confident, highly organized, you work clean, and you want to grow your skills and career. You remain calm under pressure and have great written and verbal communication skills. You are hard-working, love food and culinary culture, and want to grow others. You are flexible and willing to positively and enthusiastically lead a team of culinary professionals. You have no problem setting a high bar and holding the team and yourself accountable.

You work well with others

You enjoy working with others who share a passion for beer, food and teamwork. Let’s be honest, you spend a lot of time with your colleagues, and you deserve to work with great people. You like to grab a beer with the people you work with and care about your co-workers.

You are a juggling master

Work in the kitchen can be hectic, no matter how well we plan, and how good our team is. You don’t get fired up under pressure and know how to deal with personnel issues and maintain a positive attitude. You know how to ask for help and how to manage tasks and emotions when it’s go-time.

Your qualifications

• 10+ years of work experience in a culinary environment
• 5+ years of management experience leading mid-size to large kitchens
• Necessary computer skills, and Microsoft Office Suite competency required
• Team orientation, team building, and strong leadership skills a must
• Solid references are a must
• Toast xtraCHEF competency desired

Why you should be part of the pFriem Team

The people

We are a passionate group who takes our work seriously but ourselves not too seriously. Our team is made up of highly talented individuals not only in their jobs but also their hobbies and personal pursuits. We employ incredibly talented folks in all areas of our business, whether it’s in beer production, management, tasting room operations, sales and marketing, or elsewhere. pFriem is one of the top 45 breweries in the country and boasts a reputation for attracting and growing top talent.

The location

You get to work in a new location in downtown Milwaukie, in the Historic City Hall building. With strong support and vibes from the local community, folks in the Portland metro area have eagerly awaited a second pFriem location for years. Settled now into a loved legacy administration and firehouse building, pFriem Milwaukie lives up to great expectations of the locals, foodies, and beer lovers from around the region.

The benefits

• You’ll receive a compensation package with quarterly performance-based bonuses.
• Quarterly bonuses based on tasting room achievement goals.
• Paid time off and sick time.
• Sabbatical after every 5 years of employment.
• Tasting Room credit good for meals, beer, and merchandise.
• Discounts in our Tasting Room for meals, beer, and merchandise.
• Great health, dental, and vision insurance coverage, with a full company paid health offering.
• Basic life insurance, paid paternity/maternity leave and an Employee Assistance Program.
• Participate in our retirement savings plan (401k) with a 4% match.
• Company-wide outings, including volunteer for local charities and non-profits.

How to apply

If this sounds like a good fit, please send a cover-letter, resume to jobs@pfriembeer.com. We can’t wait to hear from you!