Chef de Partie

Recognized as the #1 Best Canadian Hotel in Travel + Leisure's 2024 World's Best Awards, Fairmont Empress is located in Victoria, BC, overlooking the city's sparkling Inner Harbour. A Forbes recommended and MICHELIN key hotel that offers 431 beautifully appointed guest rooms and suites, Fairmont Spa with signature West Coast experiences, and Q at the Empress featuring Pacific Northwest cuisine, an award-winning wine list, and regionally focused cocktail culture. World-famous Tea at the Empress is served in the Lobby Lounge with stunning harbour views.

The magnificent property completed a $60+ million restoration in 2017 that celebrated its proud history while moving the hotel into a new era of modern luxury and transforming the iconic property into a must-visit destination. In 2023, the property introduced a revamped Fairmont Gold Experience, including a major renovation to the Fairmont Gold floor. 88 Fairmont Gold rooms and a newly renovated lounge are ready to accommodate guests. Located on Vancouver Island, Canada's Castle on the Coast is the ideal starting point to explore British Columbia's stunning natural and expansive beauty. Historic Hotels Worldwide recognizes the property's prestigious grounds as the Top 25 Most Magnificent Gardens in the World.

Job Description

What is in it for you:  

• Employee benefit card offering discounted rates at Accor properties worldwide and additional benefits for Fairmont and Raffles colleagues 
• Exclusive Employee and Friends & Family Discounts at Fairmont Empress Hotel
• Exclusive access to the Pacific Northwest Food & Beverage Discount Program with 50% off at our dining destinations in Vancouver, Victoria, and Whistler
• Opportunity to develop your talent and grow within your property and across the world! 
• Complimentary meal during your shift through our Colleague Dining Program 
• Complimentary uniform laundering
• Access to our comprehensive benefits and wellness programs, including extended healthcare benefits and RMT, dental, vision, and complimentary counseling, wellness sessions, financial and family planning through LifeWorks
• Access to our company-matched Defined Contribution Pension Plan (DCPP)
• Opportunity to develop your talent through coaching and our Leadership Mentoring Programs
• Hourly par rate of $32.43 to $37.07

What you will be doing:

• Leads a shift, station or area of the kitchen, supervising a team of culinary professionals
• Prepare and service all food items for a la carte and or buffet menus according to hotel recipes and standards
• In conjunction with the Executive Chef and Sous Chefs; proactively prioritize, delegate, and assign duties to Journeypersons, Cooks Assistants and Stewards to ensure a consistently high level of service and quality food for our guests
• Leads by example, consistently ensures food quality, consistency and quantity are meeting established expectations
• Leads by example, consistently demonstrating positive behavior and performance
• Leads by example; ensures all established food safety protocols are followed, maintains the kitchen in a neat, clean and organized manner
• Leads by example, ensure food cost is managed; by controlling food waste through FIFO rotation, proper ordering, storage and preparation of all foods
• Leads by example, ensuring productivity and labour cost are managed; by maintaining a focused and productive approach for yourself and the cooks under your supervision
• Leads by example, by possessing a complete understanding of the menu, recipes and presentations, aware of potential food allergens in each dish
• Performs quality checks of all food prepared under your supervision, to ensure all food is prepared according to the recipes and standards specified by the Executive Chef or Sous Chefs
• Trains other cooks in all aspects of the culinary operation
• Contribute ideas to menu development, assist with recipe creation and documentation
• Liaise with other departments such as Banquets, Restaurants and Stewarding to ensure excellent communication in order to achieve smooth operational outcomes
• Collaborate with the Executive Chef or Sous Chefs during the preparation of performance reviews for fellow colleagues, i.e.: input, observations and opinions regarding behavior and performance
• Other duties assigned

Qualifications

Your experience and skills include:

• A minimum of 6 years recent (in the last six years) experience in a hotel or restaurant kitchen at a comparable level of luxury service; and 3 years as a certified Journeyperson in a 1st cook or similar role
• Interprovincial Red Seal or international equivalent
• Current Food Safe level 1 or equivalent recognized food safety certificate, (colleagues are responsible for maintaining their food safe certification)
• Successful demonstration of a high level of technical and artistic culinary skills assessed during a practical cooking test
• Successful demonstration of high level culinary and food safety knowledge assessed through a written test
• Willing and able to taste all food products – i.e. meats, seafood, produce, dry goods, dairy
• Completely fluent English language skills; both written and verbal
• A team leader with proven success in relationship building and supporting team performance
• A proven ability to communicate effectively, work within a team and delegate to others
• A proven ability to effectively train and develop co-workers
• Excellent organizational skills, and shows initiative with ability to work well with little supervision
• Exercises sound decision making, with the ability to prioritize tasks appropriately
• Demonstrated a high level of responsibility and accountability
• Demonstrated commitment to provide excellent service and exceed guests' expectations
• High School diploma or equivalent is highly desirable
• GHS/WHMIS Training is considered an asset
• Computer Skills, including a good knowledge of Word, Excel, email communication are an asset
• Must be able to work flexible shifts, evenings, weekends, holidays, with either early start or late finish times
• Impeccable grooming and presentation

Additional Information

Physical Aspects of Position (include but are not limited to): 

The position of Chef de Partie is physically demanding. The successful applicant must be physically capable of performing the requirements of the job including but not limited to:

• Repetitive work

• Constant standing and walking throughout shift Frequent lifting and carrying up to 50 lbs
• Must be able to work in both hot and cold environments – (hot line, fridge & freezer) .

Visa Requirements: Must be legally eligible to work in Canada. The hotel is unable to assist candidates in obtaining Canadian work authorization.

Your team and working environment:  Welcome to Canada’s Castle on the Coast. The Empress Hotel sits proudly at the centre of culture and history in Victoria, British Columbia. This is the best of all worlds – where contrast meets distinction, opulence blends harmoniously with the understated and fabled history meshes with contemporary affairs. This award-winning Victoria hotel and National Historic Site is an alluring blend of classic and contemporary, vintage and cutting-edge: Where Modern meets Iconic. Come join our wonderful team of hospitality experts!

Our commitment to Diversity & Inclusion:
We are an inclusive company and our ambition is to attract, recruit and promote diverse talent.

Why work for Accor?
We are far more than a worldwide leader. We welcome you as you are and you can find a job and brand that matches your personality. We support you to grow and learn every day, making sure that work brings purpose to your life, so that during your journey with us, you can continue to explore Accor’s limitless possibilities.
By joining Accor, every chapter of your story is yours to write and together we can imagine tomorrow's hospitality. Discover the life that awaits you at Accor, visit

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