Kelan Smith
Antioch,TN
Summary
Dependable employee seeking opportunity to expand skills and contribute to company success. Considered hardworking, ethical and detail-oriented. Performance-oriented food service professional and motivational leader with proven quality and budget control skills. Delight customers consistently with exceptional food and service. Maximize team performance and knowledge with hands-on training. .
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
Work History
Sous Chef
World Of Beer
Nashville, TN
01.2023 - Current
- Covered kitchen needs at station, filled in for absent team members and brought cooks up to speed
- Carried out orders to meet demand in fast-paced environment
- Produced excellent food quality and presentation within target timeframes
- Recruited new kitchen staff to fulfill required team roles
- Demonstrated excellent communication skills in coordinating efforts between front-of-house and back-of-house teams
- Managed kitchen staff by assigning tasks, overseeing food preparation, and maintaining inventory levels
- Matched meals with demand to minimize spoilage risk.
- Fulfilling order sheets and keeping food cost low
- Properly converting and storing invoices
- Creating and Editing shift schedules
Culinary Team Leader
Longhorn Steakhouse
Nashville, TN
07.2022 - Current
- Trained new staff members in proper food preparation techniques and safety protocols
- Monitored food preparation processes to maintain high-quality standards
- Maintained clean and organized workspaces, adhering to sanitation guidelines at all times
- Improved team performance, mentoring struggling workers to strengthen job skills and knowledge
- Minimized costs through food, supply and waste tracking and control
- Brought new employees up to standards with training, mentoring and motivation
- Prepared ingredients by chopping, mixing, and measuring according to recipe requirements.
Chef Assistant
Mortons Steakhouse
Nashville, TN
05.2019 - 07.2022
- Followed health code requirements and good culinary practices in preparing and storing food items
- Assisted head chef in preparing and cooking dishes according to restaurant's menu
- Interviewed, hired and trained new kitchen staff to maintain strong workforce
- Purchased ingredients and supplies to maintain adequate stock for peak periods
- Facilitated high-volume rush periods with organized approach and excellent cooking abilities
- Calculated food requirements and labor costs to keep expenses within moderate range
- Evaluated staff performance to raise standards and improve service.
Assistant Kitchen Manager
Aquarium Restaurant
Nashville, TN
03.2017 - 07.2019
- Achieved food preparation goals for consistent quality and freshness
- Coordinated work during both peak and off-peak hours to expertly handle customer and operational needs
- Supervised food prep and cooking processes
- Managed kitchen staff and coordinated food orders
- Managed performance of kitchen employees with regular evaluations, coaching and support
- Monitored inventory levels of kitchen supplies and reported shortages to supervisors when needed
- Received, handled and stored food deliveries
- Handled food prep and service needs for parties and large events
- Maintained clean kitchen stations and storage areas
- Helped with writing next day food prep list.
Lead Cook
Del Friscos
Nashville, TN
02.2014 - 03.2017
- Maintained cleanliness of broiler stations, equipment, and utensils
- Conducted routine maintenance checks on broiling equipment to ensure optimal performance
- Carved meats as needed for serving or presentation purposes
- Prepared various sauté dishes according to menu specifications and chef's instructions
- Deep-fried, grilled and sautéed meats, fish, vegetables and other menu items
- Demonstrated knowledge of cooking methods, knife skills, and portion control when preparing ingredients for sauté dishes
- Upheld professional demeanor while working under pressure in fast-paced kitchen environment.
Line Cook Supervisor
J Alexanders
Nashville, TN
09.2011 - 04.2014
- Carried out orders to meet demand in fast-paced environment
- Produced consistent results by memorizing recipes, portion sizes and plating techniques
- Worked quickly and flexibly to keep up with high volume of food orders per shift
- Helped chef and sous chef, carried out orders and monitored performance of kitchen staff
- Worked on multiple orders simultaneously to handle demand
- Kept kitchen clean by regularly attending to stations and completing in-depth checklists at closing
- Trained new grill cooks on proper cooking methods, safety procedures, and company policies
- Ensured proper handling and storage of all ingredients to prevent cross-contamination and spoilage
- Prepared cold appetizers such as salads, chilled soups, and canapés
- Produced small to large batch goods using classical and contemporary cooking, plating and garnishing techniques
- Maintained strict quality standards, checking every item leaving kitchen
- Upheld strict presentation standards, including kitchen, crew members and final dishes
- Enhanced crew performance, training new team members and monitoring work at each station.
Education
Nashville State Community College
Nashville, TNSkills
- Kitchen Management
- Team Training
- Food Presentation
- Waste Reduction
- Scheduling Staff
- Inventory Control
- Sanitation Standards
- Cross-Training Staff
- Staff Supervision
- English Fluent
- Fluent Kitchen Spanish
Timeline
Sous Chef
World Of Beer
01.2023 - Current
Culinary Team Leader
Longhorn Steakhouse
07.2022 - Current
Chef Assistant
Mortons Steakhouse
05.2019 - 07.2022
Assistant Kitchen Manager
Aquarium Restaurant
03.2017 - 07.2019
Lead Cook
Del Friscos
02.2014 - 03.2017
Line Cook Supervisor
J Alexanders
09.2011 - 04.2014
Nashville State Community College