Careers at Flavors From Afar

The Sous Chef is a hands-on kitchen leader who helps the Head Chef / Chef Manager deliver consistent food, organized service, safe operations, and strong teamwork. This position helps lead the kitchen through preparation, service, and closing while keeping the guest experience at the center of every decision.

What you'll do

• Lead assigned kitchen shifts while actively cooking, preparing, plating, and coordinating ticket flow.
• Reinforce standardized recipes, portioning, quality, presentation, and timely service.
• Coach and support cooks and other BOH employees; help organize station coverage, prep, training, and closing.
• Support receiving, inventory, FIFO rotation, purchasing controls, food-cost discipline, and waste reduction.
• Maintain food safety, sanitation, temperature logs, and a kitchen ready for inspection.
• Communicate closely with servers, FOH leadership, and management about allergens, menu availability, pacing, special events, and guest concerns.
• Support catering, private events, guest-chef programs, and special dining experiences as assigned.

What we're looking for

• Professional kitchen leadership and strong hands-on culinary execution.
• The ability to organize a small brigade, train colleagues, and hold established standards consistently.
• Sound judgment in food safety, production, inventory, and service timing.
• Clear communication, composure under pressure, and a collaborative, hospitality-driven mindset.
• Availability appropriate for a five-day restaurant operation and special events.

We are hiring experienced cooks who can execute African cuisine accurately and consistently. You will own your station from initial preparation through service and closing, working with a small, accountable team to deliver the quality our guests expect.

African culinary execution is required. Candidates must be able to prepare African stews, braises, sauces, rice and grain dishes, legumes, spice blends, and slow-cooked proteins to standardized recipes. Professional experience with West, East, North, or Southern African cuisines is strongly preferred.

What you'll do

• Own the full station cycle: prep → receiving → setup → service → replenishment → sanitation → closing.
• Prepare complete mise en place and execute standardized recipes, portions, temperatures, seasoning, and plating.
• Coordinate dishes and course timing with the kitchen team.
• Receive, inspect, rotate, label, and properly store deliveries; follow FIFO and protect inventory.
• Maintain a clean, safe, service-ready station and report shortages, quality concerns, and waste.
• Support other stations and communicate promptly with the kitchen leadership team.

What we're looking for

• Professional line-cook experience, strong knife skills, and sound cooking fundamentals.
• Demonstrated ability to prepare African dishes to recipe.
• Complete station ownership, accurate mise en place, consistent quality, and reliable attendance.
• Wednesday–Sunday availability, as required by the restaurant.
• A current California Food Handler Card or ability to obtain one as required.
• Ability to perform the essential duties of the role with or without reasonable accommodation.

Selection process: Qualified candidates will be invited to a paid working interview to demonstrate African recipe execution and station preparation, service, and closing standards.

We're seeking confident, experienced servers who understand that exceptional hospitality is personal, attentive, and never mechanical. At Flavors From Afar, a server is a knowledgeable host, a thoughtful guide to our menu and wine program, and an essential part of the guest's experience from welcome to farewell.

What you'll do

• Deliver warm, polished, personalized hospitality while adapting to each table's needs and pace.
• Know the Pan-African food menu, African wine and beverage offerings, ingredients, preparations, and appropriate recommendations.
• Maintain excellent table awareness: timely greetings, coursing, check-backs, pre-bussing, resets, beverage service, and genuine farewells.
• Accurately enter and manage orders, modifiers, seat numbers, payments, and guest notes using Toast and the restaurant's systems.
• Communicate clearly with the kitchen, bar, hosts, support staff, and management.
• Identify service problems early, handle guest concerns calmly, and involve management when appropriate.
• Support wine dinners, private events, celebrations, and other restaurant experiences.
• Follow food-safety, responsible alcohol-service, appearance, and service standards.

What we're looking for

• Demonstrable experience in full-service restaurants and a strong record of attentive guest service.
• Confident food and beverage knowledge, especially wine presentation and service.
• A personable, professional style: warm without being intrusive, knowledgeable without being scripted.
• Strong teamwork, composure, organization, urgency, and attention to detail.
• Comfort with restaurant POS and reservation systems; Toast experience is an advantage.
• California Food Handler Card and Responsible Beverage Service certification, as applicable to the role and legal requirements.
• Availability for the restaurant's busiest services and special events.