Head Chef - Banquet & Central Kitchen

Harvest in the Gardens (HITG) — Nassau, Bahamas

Where Culinary Preparation Powers the Entire Harvest Experience

Harvest in the Gardens (HITG) is a multi-concept destination where hospitality, culinary excellence, entertainment, retail, events, and community come together to create memorable experiences.

Behind every successful food experience is a disciplined culinary operation capable of planning ahead, producing consistently, managing resources carefully, and responding confidently to changing demand.

We’re seeking an experienced and highly organized Head Chef - Banquet & Central Kitchen to lead central food production and banquet culinary operations across Harvest in the Gardens.

Reporting directly to the Culinary & Supply Chain Director, the Head Chef - Banquet & Central Kitchen is responsible for production planning, banquet execution, food quality, culinary team leadership, inventory stewardship, food cost, waste reduction, food safety, and ensuring the wider operation receives the products and culinary support it needs.

About the Role

The Head Chef - Banquet & Central Kitchen oversees the daily operation of HITG’s central kitchen and banquet culinary functions.

The role serves as a critical connection between culinary production, events, inventory, supply chain, and operational execution.

You will lead food preparation for banquets, private events, seasonal programming, high-volume functions, and approved central-production requirements while ensuring food is produced safely, consistently, efficiently, and within established cost targets.

This is a hands-on leadership role requiring exceptional organization, forecasting, communication, and operational discipline.

Key Responsibilities

Central Kitchen Operations

• Lead the daily operation of HITG’s central production kitchen.

• Establish and manage daily and weekly production schedules.

• Ensure central kitchen production meets the operational needs of supported food outlets and events.

• Coordinate preparation quantities based on forecasts, sales, events, and approved requisitions.

• Maintain appropriate production levels without unnecessary overproduction.

• Ensure production areas are fully prepared, organized, stocked, and operational.

• Maintain clear production, labeling, storage, and transfer procedures.

• Monitor completion of production tasks against established timelines.

• Respond quickly to changes in demand or operational requirements.

Banquet & Event Culinary Operations

• Lead culinary planning and execution for banquets, private events, conferences, special functions, and seasonal programming.

• Review banquet event requirements and translate them into detailed culinary production plans.

• Determine ingredient, staffing, equipment, preparation, and service requirements.

• Coordinate culinary timelines for simultaneous or overlapping events.

• Ensure banquet food is delivered at the required time, temperature, quality, and presentation standard.

• Maintain consistency during both small functions and high-volume events.

• Participate in pre-event and post-event reviews as required.

• Work closely with Events & Experiences and Food Experience leadership to support seamless event execution.

Production Planning & Forecasting

• Develop accurate production plans based on anticipated business levels.

• Review event counts, forecasts, historical usage, sales trends, and operational requirements.

• Establish appropriate prep and production quantities.

• Monitor actual usage against forecasted production.

• Adjust production plans when guest counts or operational needs change.

• Reduce emergency production and last-minute purchasing through effective planning.

• Maintain appropriate par levels for commonly used products.

• Ensure production supports operational continuity throughout Harvest.

Food Quality & Culinary Standards

• Ensure all centrally produced and banquet food meets approved Harvest recipes and culinary standards.

• Maintain consistency in preparation, portioning, flavour, appearance, freshness, and yield.

• Conduct regular quality checks throughout production.

• Ensure food is properly packaged, labeled, stored, and distributed.

• Maintain appropriate holding and transport standards.

• Address quality issues immediately.

• Support recipe testing and production-method improvements in partnership with the Culinary & Supply Chain Director.

Food Cost & COGS Management

The Head Chef - Banquet & Central Kitchen has significant responsibility for controlling culinary cost through disciplined production and product stewardship.

Responsibilities include:

• Monitor Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) and food-cost performance.

• Maintain food costs within established targets.

• Monitor recipe adherence, yields, portioning, production quantities, and ingredient usage.

• Compare planned production against actual consumption.

• Identify overproduction, excessive trim, spoilage, waste, and product loss.

• Take corrective action when costs exceed established expectations.

• Support accurate banquet and event costing.

• Protect margins while maintaining food quality and guest expectations.

• Partner with the Culinary & Supply Chain Director and Finance on cost analysis and variance review.

Inventory, Shrink & Waste Management

• Maintain strong inventory controls throughout the central kitchen.

• Lead or oversee scheduled inventory counts.

• Maintain accurate records of product usage and movement.

• Investigate significant inventory variances.

• Track food waste, spoilage, overproduction, damage, and other product losses.

• Actively manage shrink and identify recurring causes.

• Maintain proper receiving, storage, labeling, dating, and rotation procedures.

• Enforce FIFO and other approved inventory-management procedures.

• Protect high-value and high-volume ingredients.

• Monitor freezer, cooler, and dry-storage inventories.

• Ensure product transfers and internal requisitions are accurately recorded.

Supply Chain Collaboration

• Work closely with the Culinary & Supply Chain Director to forecast product requirements.

• Communicate upcoming banquet, event, and production needs in advance.

• Support purchasing decisions with accurate usage and demand information.

• Identify potential shortages early.

• Report ingredient-quality issues and product inconsistencies.

• Support approved product substitutions when necessary.

• Maintain appropriate kitchen par levels.

• Support effective use of existing inventory before additional purchasing occurs.

Yield & Production Efficiency

• Monitor product yields and production efficiency.

• Ensure proteins, produce, and other ingredients are processed according to established yield expectations.

• Review actual yield against recipe and production standards.

• Identify opportunities to improve product utilization.

• Reduce unnecessary trim and preparation loss.

• Standardize production procedures where appropriate.

• Ensure batch preparation supports both quality and financial efficiency.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, coach, develop, and hold central kitchen and banquet culinary team members accountable.

• Conduct daily production meetings and pre-shift briefings.

• Clearly communicate production priorities, event requirements, food-safety expectations, and deadlines.

• Assign responsibilities based on skill, workload, and operational demand.

• Coach team members during active production.

• Maintain standards for professionalism, teamwork, cleanliness, productivity, and accountability.

• Support onboarding and technical training.

• Identify high-potential employees and development opportunities.

• Partner with People & Talent on performance and development matters when required.

Labour & Productivity Management

• Align staffing with production forecasts and event requirements.

• Monitor culinary labour productivity.

• Schedule preparation to make effective use of available labour.

• Reduce unnecessary overtime through appropriate planning.

• Monitor hours required to complete major production tasks and events.

• Identify inefficient processes and recommend improvements.

• Support established labour-cost expectations.

Food Safety, Sanitation & Compliance

• Maintain rigorous food-safety and sanitation standards throughout central kitchen and banquet operations.

• Monitor preparation, cooking, chilling, holding, storage, transport, and service temperatures.

• Ensure proper product labeling and date control.

• Maintain allergen-control practices.

• Conduct regular sanitation and food-safety inspections.

• Ensure coolers, freezers, dry storage, preparation areas, and equipment remain clean and organized.

• Maintain required records and food-safety documentation.

• Address compliance concerns immediately.

Key Deliverables & Performance Indicators

Performance will be measured through culinary, financial, operational, event, and people results, including:

• Banquet execution accuracy

• Event food quality and presentation

• Production-plan completion

• Production versus forecast

• Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)

• Food Cost %

• Banquet food cost

• Inventory accuracy

• Inventory variances

• Shrink

• Waste and spoilage

• Overproduction

• Product yields

• Recipe and portion compliance

• Stock availability

• Internal product fulfillment

• Product-transfer accuracy

• Food-safety compliance

• Sanitation audit results

• Culinary labour productivity

• Event readiness

• On-time food production

• Team training and development

The Head Chef - Banquet & Central Kitchen is expected to understand these metrics, identify trends, explain material variances, and implement appropriate corrective action in partnership with the Culinary & Supply Chain Director.

Reporting Structure

Reports To

Culinary & Supply Chain Director

Works Closely With

• Head Chef - Fine Dining

• Food Experience Manager

• Café & Retail Team Lead

• Outdoor Food Experience Team Lead

• Full Service Restaurant Manager

• Events & Experiences Team

• Venue Services

• People & Talent

• Finance

• IT & Systems

Provides Culinary Leadership To

• Sous Chefs

• Banquet Cooks

• Production Cooks

• Prep Cooks

• Kitchen Assistants

• Other assigned culinary team members

Required Qualifications

• Formal culinary education, professional culinary certification, or equivalent professional training preferred.

• Minimum of five (5) years of progressive culinary experience.

• Previous experience in a Head Chef, Executive Sous Chef, Banquet Chef, Production Chef, or comparable culinary leadership role.

• Demonstrated experience in banquet, catering, central-production, high-volume, or multi-outlet culinary operations.

• Strong understanding of production planning, food cost, COGS, inventory control, yields, waste management, and portion control.

• Strong knowledge of food-safety and sanitation requirements.

• Demonstrated ability to organize multiple production priorities and deadlines.

• Strong leadership, communication, coaching, and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to work evenings, weekends, holidays, and special events as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in hotels, resorts, convention operations, entertainment venues, or multi-concept hospitality environments.

• Experience managing large banquet functions and high-volume production.

• Food Safety Manager certification or equivalent.

• Experience with inventory, recipe-costing, production-planning, or kitchen-management systems.

• Experience supporting purchasing or supply-chain forecasting.

• Experience opening or supporting a new central kitchen or hospitality operation.

What Success Looks Like

Success means:

• Events receive the right food, in the right quantity, at the right time, and at the expected quality.

• Central production consistently supports operational needs.

• Production quantities align closely with actual demand.

• Food cost and COGS remain within established targets.

• Inventory is accurate and properly controlled.

• Waste, overproduction, shrink, and spoilage are minimized.

• Product yields meet established standards.

• Food-safety and sanitation requirements are consistently maintained.

• Culinary labour is efficiently deployed.

• Banquet and production teams are prepared, trained, and accountable.

• Supply needs are anticipated and communicated early.

• Operational concerns are identified before they disrupt events or food-service operations.

Join the Team

If you’re an experienced culinary leader who excels at planning, organization, high-volume production, events, and developing strong kitchen teams, we’d love to hear from you.

Join Harvest in the Gardens as our Head Chef - Banquet & Central Kitchen and help build the culinary engine that supports exceptional food experiences throughout Harvest—where disciplined preparation, thoughtful stewardship, and consistent execution make every event possible.