Zack Lee Kasmar
Santa Ana,CA
Summary
Passionate, spirited and classically trained culinary professional, skilled in building relationships and developing high-performing teams. Leader in delivery of excellent customer service. Equipped to apply restaurant operational experience to grow world-class organizations. Dedicated to food safety, customer service best practices and quality food service.
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Executive Sous Chef
Resort at Pelican Hill | Forbes Five Star
2015.02 - Current
- Began My Career at Forbes Five Star, Five Diamond Ultra Luxury Resort at Pelican Hill operating as The Wedding and Special Events Chef From 2015-2020. Currently Oversee Entire Property at Executive Sous Chef.
- Successfully directing operations of two multi-million dollar on-property restaurants, driving increased profitability through innovative recipe development and effective team member retention strategies.
- Overee menu design, personnel training, and successful execution of high-profile Wedding and Special events in a Banquets operation worth over 60 million dollars while consistently keeping food cost under 17%.
- In addition to monitoring two main Restaurants and Luxury Banquets, I oversee 2 Pool Kitchens, 2 Grab and Go Cafe' and numerous "Mobile Golf Cart" Sales on our Two Professional Golf Courses.
- Evaluate employee performance through monthly reviews and established corrective action plans when necessary.
- Implement strategies to reduce waste and improve efficiency in the kitchen operations.
- Monitor food costs on a daily/weekly/monthly basis to maintain target profit margins Resort wide. Achieve a Resort Wide, Culinary Operations Food Cost of 27%.
- Order food supplies, maintained inventory, and managed budgeting of resources.
- Cultivate relationships with vendors to secure cost-effective ingredients for recipes.
- Develop creative dishes that showcase seasonal ingredients while adhering to company standards.
- Maintain accurate records of invoices related to food purchases for accounting purposes.
- Assist Executive Chef in creating new recipes while maintaining traditional favorites.
- Identify areas for improvement within the kitchen team such as training requirements or workflow adjustments.
- Resolve conflicts between kitchen staff members and provide guidance as needed. Offer mentorship to individual pursuing next steps in their Careers.
- Travel out of state to promote Resort, doing Pop-Up Restaurants and Catering Events with our Kitchen "Roadshow", "In The Kitchen" . As Close as Las Vegas and as Far as Miami, FL, we represent our property in target markets to draw business including yearly executing multi day events for Virtuoso Las Vegas. (Ex. 50k Spend would garner 8+ Million in ROI)
- Ensure compliance with all health department regulations while maintaining a well-organized workspace for optimal efficiency.
Executive Sous Chef
Temecula Catering
2012.10 - 2015.02
- Trained new employees in food safety and sanitation regulations.
- Coordinated catering events from start to finish including menu selection, staffing needs, equipment rentals.
- Created cost-effective menus that increased customer satisfaction and profitability.
- Performed quality assurance checks on all finished products before they left the kitchen area.
- Assisted Executive Chef in creating new recipes while maintaining traditional favorites.
- Managed 3 Sous Chefs and a Team of 20+ Cooks across multiple venues on any given day.
- Implemented strategies to reduce waste and improve efficiency in the kitchen operations.
- Ensured compliance with local health department regulations by performing routine inspections.
- Trained cooks on modern culinary techniques and equipment. (ie. foams, spheres, liquid nitrogen, Sous Vide, Thermomixer, etc)
1st Cook
Café Pinot | Pinot Provence | Patina Catering
2009.07 - 2012.09
- Performed duties as assigned by supervisor or manager.
- Developed recipes for specials based on customer feedback and preferences.
- Assisted with menu planning by suggesting new recipes or modifications to existing ones.
- Controlled food costs by monitoring portion sizes, waste reduction efforts.
- Trained new cooks on proper cooking techniques and kitchen safety procedures.
- Maintained cleanliness and organization of work areas, storage areas, refrigerators, freezers.
- Planned and prepared meals according to menu specifications and production schedules.
- Tasted products to ensure quality prior to serving them to customers.
- Ordered necessary ingredients for kitchens stations to ensure successful weekend or days of service.
- Prepared dishes in fast-paced environment working with teammates to maintain high customer satisfaction rate.
- Personally worked to continuously push myself by offering to pick up extra shifts,
1st Cook
Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel
2003.04 - 2009.05
- Started at this Property as a "Commis", working my way through all of the kitchens on a program developed by the Executive Chef. This allowed me to gain knowledge in every department from the Pool Kitchen all that way to the Fine Dining Outlet.
- I worked in position of 1st Cook from 2007-2009 in both Banquets Kitchen and the premier restaurant "162".
- Adjusted menus to accommodate special dietary needs or requests from guests or customers.
- Trained new cooks on proper cooking techniques and kitchen safety procedures.
- Maintained cleanliness and organization of work areas, storage areas, refrigerators, freezers.
- Supervised kitchen staff in the Sous Chefs Absence to ensure the proper handling and preparation of food items.
- Coordinated orders to expedite food from kitchen according to cook time and delivery time. (Work Expo Station)
Education
Orange Coast College
Costa Mesa, CA2005-06
Skills
- Food presentation
- Cost Control (Food and Labor)
- Culinary techniques
- Recipe creation
- Waste Reduction
- Kitchen Management
- Hiring, Training, and Development
- Mentorship
- Food Preparation Techniques
- Banquets and catering
- Vendor Relationship Management
- Forecasting and planning
- Team Member Engagement and Motivation
- Menu development
- Allergy awareness
- Sanitation Standards
Affiliations
- I am big on health and Fitness. 7 day week workout regimen with structured diet.
- I enjoy Gardening, I grow many fruits and vegetables at home.
- Above all I am a Husband to my beautiful wife Lizett and Father to my Four Children William (17), Isabel(16), Shane(12) and Charlotte(9)
Certification
- I take part in any further education that I can working with Vendors to travel to Local Farms, Attend Culinary and Leadership Seminars and grow my own fruits and vegetables at home in our garden.
Timeline
Executive Sous Chef
Resort at Pelican Hill | Forbes Five Star
2015.02 - Current
Executive Sous Chef
Temecula Catering
2012.10 - 2015.02
1st Cook
Café Pinot | Pinot Provence | Patina Catering
2009.07 - 2012.09
1st Cook
Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel
2003.04 - 2009.05
Orange Coast College
- I take part in any further education that I can working with Vendors to travel to Local Farms, Attend Culinary and Leadership Seminars and grow my own fruits and vegetables at home in our garden.
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