Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Accomplishments
Volunteer Experience
Timeline
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Kasey Watson

Portland,OR

Summary

Experienced Food Service Manager, Team Leader and Chef, perpetually curious and passionate about foods from around the globe, with a proven knack for operational excellence, culinary innovation, team building and development. I love what I do.

Overview

15
15
years of professional experience

Work History

Manager

Shake Shack
07.2022 - Current
  • Opened flagship Oregon store, ensuring operational excellence and success from Day 1.
  • Led team of more than 50 people with a focus on cross-training team members to maximize team agility and performance.
  • Developed team and promoted from within.
  • Ensured exemplary Food Safety compliance.
  • Maintained exceptional Food Quality Standards.
  • Coached team to deliver Enlightened Hospitality.
  • Substantially grew catering business through direct engagement with community businesses and organizations.
  • Monitored and analyzed business performance to identify areas of improvement and make necessary adjustments.
  • Successfully managed budgets and allocated resources to maximize productivity and profitability.

Restaurant Manager

Olympia Provisions Salumeria Cart
08.2021 - 07.2022
  • Artisan Charcuterie Makers, Made Locally, Appreciated Globally.
  • Led small-scale operation focused on quality and innovation.
  • Correctly calculated inventory and ordered appropriate supplies for small-scale operation.
  • Developed Daily Special Menu that drove guest loyalty and cross-utilization of product.
  • Carefully interviewed, selected, trained, and supervised small staff. Focused team on guest engagement, cleanliness & food safety, multi-tasking batch prep and guest orders.

Deli Manager

World Foods - Pearl District
07.2019 - 08.2021
  • Lebanese & International Deli, "Best Deli in Oregon 2020", "Best Deli in Oregon 2021" by Taste of Home magazine & Reader's Digest.
  • Responsible for all aspects of successful scratch Deli operation with team of 20 executing diverse mix of from-scratch middle eastern bakery items daily, featuring breads, savory pies, sweets, hot and cold dishes, fresh poke program, in-house charcuterie production, in-house patisserie, rotating hot food menu featuring food of Lebanon and the middle east, Greece, China, the Philippines, Hawai'i, France, Italy, Spain, India and beyond.
  • Hosted multiple pop-up events, creating specialized menus of varying cuisines. Created specialized catering projects for diverse clientele and wide variety of events.
  • Successfully navigated department through pandemic-related challenges by remaining flexible and agile.

Store Chef

New Seasons Market
08.2017 - 07.2019
  • Coached team to maintain well-organized mise en place and station organization to keep work consistent.
  • Inventoried and ordered food, ingredients, and supply stock to prepare and execute menus for seven venues operating from one kitchen.
  • Created specialized and rotating menus across multiple venues, taking guest dietary concerns, food allergies and preferences into careful consideration while menu planning.
  • Streamlined menu mix across multiple venues to lower food cost and days-on-hand through product cross-utilization strategies.

Culinary Team Associate Team Leader

Whole Foods Market
10.2015 - 08.2017
  • Served as Interim Culinary Team Leader from May-August 2017.
  • Led a two-department team of over 50 employees, responsible for operating 12 venues from two kitchens, including a full-service wine and beer bar and restaurant, catering programs, fresh pack grab & go program, full-service bakery, hot bars, salad bars, wood-fired pizzas, taqueria, chef's case, charcuterie and more.

Prepared Foods Team Leader

Whole Foods Market
10.2013 - 10.2015
  • Led team of over 40 team members, operating 14 venues out of one kitchen, including taqueria, wood-fired pizzas, hot foods, cold foods, catering.
  • Grew catering program substantially through outreach and growing customer loyalty. Operated a very high-volume catering operation including off-site catering for professional sports teams practice facilities, pre-game and post-game meals, airline meals, etc.
  • Pacific Northwest Region Winner of 2014 Street Food competition. Competed in Whole Foods National Street Food Competition in Austin, Texas.

Prepared Foods Associate Team Leader

Whole Foods Market
02.2012 - 10.2013
  • Led a team of over 100 people operating 16 venues from one kitchen, including full-service sushi bar, taqueria, wood-fired pizza, multi-award winning hot bar, organic salad bar, 100% locally-grown Hawai'i-produced salad bars, both hot and cold grab & go venues, inventive burger & hot dog venue, full-service catering and more. All menus for all venues included specially-created items featuring local flavors, ingredients and traditions.
  • Created over 100 new, original recipes for Whole Foods Market, many of which were implemented company-wide.
  • Named "Best Lunch in Honolulu" by Honolulu Magazine in 2012.

Kitchen Manager/Chef

Whole Foods Market
12.2009 - 02.2012


  • Emerged as a natural leader in high-functioning department and team, growing from just 30 members in 2009 to over 100 members in 2013 with department sales exceeding $200K/week in a $1 million+/week store, making us consistently the #1 Prepared Foods Department in the Southern Pacific Region which includes Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawai'i.
  • Consistently scored 100% on Everclean Food Safety Audits.
  • Learned the true meaning of culinary innovation, teamwork, team growth and operational excellence from highly-skilled professional chefs and operators.

Education

Associates - Culinary Arts & Patisserie

Culinary Institute of the Pacific
Honolulu, HI
01.2011

Bachelors - Planning, Public Policy & Management and Romance Languages

University of Oregon
Eugene, OR
01.2002

Traditional Tuscan Cuisine

Scuola di Cucina di Lella
Siena, Italy
01.2001

Advanced Italian Language Study

Universita per Stranieri
Siena, Italy

Skills

  • Food Safety Expert
  • Highly-skilled in recipe and menu development, specializing in multiple cuisines from around the globe
  • Proven Sales and Teams Builder
  • Systems Development & Implementation
  • Adaptable & Collaborative
  • Inclusive & Fair
  • Inspired & Curious
  • Proven Track Record

Accomplishments

  • American Culinary Federation Gold Medalist, Western Regional Conference Finals Competition (2010)
  • American Culinary Federation Hawai'i State Champion (2010)


Volunteer Experience

Farm Intern, Tenuta di Spannocchia, 2002-2003, Siena, Italy

Timeline

Manager

Shake Shack
07.2022 - Current

Restaurant Manager

Olympia Provisions Salumeria Cart
08.2021 - 07.2022

Deli Manager

World Foods - Pearl District
07.2019 - 08.2021

Store Chef

New Seasons Market
08.2017 - 07.2019

Culinary Team Associate Team Leader

Whole Foods Market
10.2015 - 08.2017

Prepared Foods Team Leader

Whole Foods Market
10.2013 - 10.2015

Prepared Foods Associate Team Leader

Whole Foods Market
02.2012 - 10.2013

Kitchen Manager/Chef

Whole Foods Market
12.2009 - 02.2012

Associates - Culinary Arts & Patisserie

Culinary Institute of the Pacific

Bachelors - Planning, Public Policy & Management and Romance Languages

University of Oregon

Traditional Tuscan Cuisine

Scuola di Cucina di Lella

Advanced Italian Language Study

Universita per Stranieri

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