Sous Chef – Sueno

Join The Idea Collective as a Sous Chef at Sueno, Dayton's contemporary Mexican restaurant, where you'll lead kitchen operations and culinary excellence alongside James Beard-nominated Chef Jorge Guzman in Montgomery County.

The Opportunity

Sueno represents a significant dining concept for Dayton—a carefully curated kitchen dedicated to elevated Mexican cuisine and contemporary technique. As Sous Chef, you'll drive kitchen leadership in a professional environment where precision, mentorship, and culinary vision matter deeply. This full-time position gives you the chance to shape a restaurant's standards while collaborating with an accomplished culinary team that takes its craft seriously.

Responsibilities

• Direct kitchen operations and line cooks during service, ensuring consistent execution and high-quality plating standards
• Develop and refine recipes in partnership with the Executive Chef, contributing to menu strategy and culinary direction
• Maintain kitchen safety, sanitation, and inventory protocols while managing supplier relationships and ingredient sourcing
• Train and mentor kitchen staff, fostering technical growth and a culture of accountability and improvement
• Monitor food quality, portion consistency, and kitchen efficiency while maintaining calm leadership under service pressure
• Coordinate prep work, station organization, and workflow to optimize kitchen productivity

What You Bring

• Demonstrated experience as a Sous Chef or equivalent kitchen leadership role in a full-service restaurant
• Strong working knowledge of Mexican cuisine techniques, ingredients, and flavor development
• Proven ability to lead, train, and motivate kitchen teams toward excellence
• Solid understanding of food safety regulations, cost management, and kitchen systems
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills with both culinary staff and front-of-house teams
• Genuine passion for ingredient quality and contemporary cooking approaches

Why Join The Idea Collective

The Idea Collective builds dining destinations that contribute meaningfully to Dayton's food culture. You'll work in a kitchen backed by respected culinary leadership, designed for professional-level execution, and staffed by people who care about hospitality and food as serious pursuits. This position offers competitive compensation from $46,000 to $52,000 annually based on experience, combined with the opportunity to develop your leadership voice within an emerging culinary concept.

Next Steps

To apply, complete your application directly on this page, or you'll be redirected to the employer's application platform to finish submitting there.