Earl Grissom
Clayton
Summary
Innovative Executive Manager/General Manager with extensive background in culinary arts. Proven ability to develop and execute creative menus while managing kitchen operations efficiently. Demonstrated leadership in team management and maintaining high standards of food quality and presentation.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Executive Chef
Postino WineCafe
Raleigh, NC
11.2025 - Current
- Lead the BOH management team
- Ensure High quality cuisine is being served
- Manage controllable areas (food cost, Labor, waste)
- Communicate Food budget and Goals w/ BOH teams
- Ensure Health and Safety guidelines are in practice
- Coordinated staff schedules to ensure adequate coverage
- Liaised with vendors to ensure timely deliveries and quality products
- Oversaw inventory counts to ensure accuracy and completeness
- Coach and develop team members
- Recruit talent
Executive Sous Chef
True Food Kitchen
Raleigh, NC
10.2024 - 06.2025
- Monitored and controlled food costs to maintain budget adherence.
- Developed back-of-house team through performance feedback and instructional support in quarterly reviews and one-on-one counseling sessions.
- Conducted interviewing, hiring, and training functions, ensuring that individual performance met the highest possible culinary standards.
- Made impactful suggestions that enhanced team performance.
- Created schedules for kitchen staff of 30+ to optimize resource management and enhance speed of service.
- Train new and existing kitchen staff on the preparation, arrangement and plating of dishes per the current menu
- Ensure all staff members adhere to culinary standards and regulations
Head Chef
The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar
Raleigh, NC
07.2021 - 11.2023
- In the role of Head Chef, I oversee all operations in BOH. My overall goal is to create, establish, and maintain a great work environment for my team. This will allow me to help team members grow and cultivate their culinary skills, which leads to a more productive Kitchen.
- Lead the BOH management team
- Coordinated shift assignments to enhance team efficiency
- Manage controllable areas (food cost, Labor, waste)
- Communicate Food budget and Goals w/ BOH teams
- Oversee cleanliness of the kitchen
- Ensure Health and Safety guidelines are in practice
- Ensure High quality cuisine is being served
- Coordinated ordering of ingredients and supplies for kitchen operations
- Communicate with Vendors
- Coach and develop team members
- Facilitated recruitment efforts to secure skilled kitchen professionals
Unit Manager
Waffle House
08.2018 - 07.2021
- Managed and maintained top food cost control in the district.
- Manage sales volume, prep, inventory
- Conducted interviews, trained, coached, and developed training manual for new hires and existing employees.
- Cross-trained kitchen staff across multiple stations for operational flexibility.
- Contributed to project success through collaboration
Sous Chef
Seasons 52
06.2016 - 07.2017
- Manage sales volume, prep, inventory, and lead a $4 Million Kitchen
- Designed new menu choices utilizing seasonal ingredients and responding to customer demand to enhance dining experience.
- Built and developed back-of-house team; provided performance feedback and additional instruction in quarterly reviews and one-on-one counseling sessions.
- Conducted interviewing, hiring, and training functions, ensuring that individual performance met the highest possible culinary standards.
- Train new and existing kitchen staff on the preparation, arrangement and plating of dishes per the current menu
- Created schedules for kitchen staff of 30+ to optimize resource management and improve speed of service.
- Continuously monitored and controlled food costs.
- Highlighted major achievements in operations to improve team performance.
Shift Supervisor
Tropical Smoothie
03.2012 - 06.2016
- Opening store supervisor for New Restaurant Opening
- Coordinated daily floor assignments to optimize team workflow
- Managed cash register operations and bank deposits to ensure accurate financial reporting
- Checking in product deliveries, ordering produce
- Prepared ingredients for salads, smoothies, wraps, and catering orders across various stations to support efficient kitchen operations
Supervisor | Closer | Sauté Cook
The Angus Barn
08.2008 - 06.2016
- Developed closing duties processes for back staff, aligning responsibilities to enhance team collaboration.
- Supported operational efficiency by implementing streamlined procedures.
- Work, manage, and lead in a very high-volume +$20M year restaurant
- Make sure all walk-in coolers have been cleaned and rotated properly
- Duties in other stations include plate set ups, prepare salads, line execution
- Conducted end-of-shift checkouts for kitchen staff, ensuring smooth transitions and thorough station inspections.
Executive Chef
UNC Training Table
08.2013 - 07.2014
- Fulfilled a one-year service agreement with Aramark
- Hired as an EC to run culinary operations
- Oversaw daily food operations and preparation, serving over 3,000 students.
- Delivered nutritional meals for athletic department at University of Chapel Hill, managing a staff of 5.
- Directed menu development in collaboration with nutritionist for athletes.
- Provided critical support to team initiatives
Education
GED -
Durham Technical Community College
Durham, NC01-2009
Skills
- Attention to detail
- Catering management
- Team building
- Professional development training
- Cost analysis
- Quality control
- Team management
- Food cost tracking
- Operational budget management
- General manager experience
- Quality assurance
- Sales techniques
- Kitchen staff management
- Microsoft Outlook
- Menu design
- Food operations
- Sanitation procedures
- Inventory optimization
- Hospitality management
- Menu creation
- Fast casual experience
- Knife skills
- Food and beverage industry expertise
- Meal planning
- Hospitality operations
- Catering services
- Team leadership
- Budget management
- Computer operation
- Operations management
- Forecasting
- FDA regulations
- Employment & labor law
- Shift supervision
- Food preparation
- Health code compliance
- Meal planning assistance
- Budgeting
- Recruiting
- Hospitality
- Organizational skills
- Food industry
- Customer service
- Seafood
- Customer communication
- POS
- Mediterranean cuisine
- Computer skills
- HACCP
- Sauteing
- Microsoft Powerpoint
- Staff training sessions
- Staff development
- EHS
- Schedule management
- Kitchen health and safety standards
- Analysis skills
- Math
- Catering
- Materials management in food and beverage
- Conflict resolution
- Managing teams as a chef
- Private chef experience
- Menu design
- Mexican cuisine
- Culinary strategy
- Pastry experience
- High-volume production experience
- Quick service & fast food restaurant
- Negotiation
- Organizational budget management
- Demonstration
- Assistant manager experience
- Head chef experience
- Team leadership
- Culinary management
- FIFO
- Active listening
- Financial statement preparation
- Food retail management
- Food Preparation
- Microsoft Excel
- Staff training
- Asian cuisine
- Restaurant cost management
- Accounting and finance experience
- Purchasing
- Large catering management
- Employee Orientation
- Meat cookery
- Food service team management
- Restaurant experience
- LMS
- Customer relationship building
- Payroll
- Sous chef experience
- Kitchen experience
- Food safety management
- Food service administration
- Food safety standards
- Management
- Coaching
- Communication skills
- Profit & Loss
- Financial acumen
- Safe food handling
- Scheduling
- Microsoft Office
- Kitchen Management Experience
- Aloha POS
- Kitchen manager experience
- Fast food restaurant experience
- Financial analysis
- Microsoft Word
- Cash management
- Scheduling
- Creativity
- Hospitality team management
- Financial management
- Grilling
- Venue guest services
- Productivity software
- Upscale casual experience
- Hiring
- Menu writing
- GMP
- Labor cost analysis
- Teamwork
- Instructional hands-on activities
- Fine dining experience
- Menu costing
- Spirits experience
- Food service operations
- Production management
- Cost management
- Cost control
- Interviewing
- Chef
- Shift management
- Multitasking
- Kitchen cost control
- Food service marketing
- Mentoring
- Casual dining experience
- Safety standards in production
- Cooking
- Advanced knife skills
- Client communication
- Budget planning
- Banquet chef experience
- Delegation
- Staff development
- Butchery
- Serving
- Senior leadership
- Supervisory skills
- Kitchen training
- Restaurant management
- Safety regulations
- Banquet experience
- Financial analysis
- Computer literacy
- Knife skills
- Menu development
- Strong work ethic
- ServSafe certification
- Talent development
- Inventory control
- Safe food handling
- Kitchen oversight
- Kitchen staff management
- Food prep planning
- Vendor relationship management
- Catering and events
- Coaching and mentoring
- Staff training
- Inventory management
- Staff scheduling
Certification
- Driver's License
- ServSafe Food Manager Certification
- Food Safety Manager Certification
- ServSafe Food Handler Certification
- Food Safety Certification
- ServSafe
Languages
English
Timeline
Executive Chef
Postino WineCafe
11.2025 - Current
Executive Sous Chef
True Food Kitchen
10.2024 - 06.2025
Head Chef
The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar
07.2021 - 11.2023
Unit Manager
Waffle House
08.2018 - 07.2021
Sous Chef
Seasons 52
06.2016 - 07.2017
Executive Chef
UNC Training Table
08.2013 - 07.2014
Shift Supervisor
Tropical Smoothie
03.2012 - 06.2016
Supervisor | Closer | Sauté Cook
The Angus Barn
08.2008 - 06.2016
GED -
Durham Technical Community College
Additional Information
Authorized to work in the US for any employer