Sous Chef — Villa Peru, FRIDA American Brasserie
Reports to: Executive Chef Department: Kitchen / Back of House Status: Full-time,
salaried, exempt Location: Tucson, Arizona
About FRIDA
FRIDA is an American brasserie in Tucson — relaxed, knowing, and quietly confident. The
kitchen pairs the warmth of a neighborhood bistro with the precision of a chef-driven
house, drawing on classical American technique with a European influence. Our menu
spans steak and lobster, oysters, sushi, and crudo, hand-cut pastas, an elevated lunch
program built around burgers and American classics, and a brunch service paired with
champagne — a wide range that asks the kitchen to deliver the best of the old and the new
with consistency.
We are building this restaurant to be a destination Tucson is proud of. Our ambition is to
serve a sophisticated, elegant palate while remaining welcoming, generous, and grounded
in the community. The Sous Chef we hire will help bring that vision to life.
Tucson offers what most restaurant towns can’t: an affordable cost of living, two national
parks at the city limits, year-round hiking and cycling, and Mt. Lemmon’s four seasons
within an hour of the line. The kitchen closes on time so the desert is still there when you
do.
Position Summary
The Sous Chef is the Executive Chef’s second-in-command and the operational backbone of
the kitchen. The successful candidate is, first and foremost, a disciplined operator —
someone who can run shifts, lead the line, manage prep, hold cooks accountable to recipe
and plating standards, and keep the back of house clean, organized, and on time, every
service, every day.
At the same time, this is not a purely mechanical role. We are looking for a Sous Chef whose
classical training and creative skill enable a constructive working relationship with the
Executive Chef — contributing ideas for seasonal rotations, chef specials, and wine
pairings; helping keep the menu relevant and fresh while remaining true to the established
concept. Execution is the primary mandate; creative collaboration is the multiplier.
This role is built for someone with command of the back of house, formal culinary training
at a top-tier program (the Culinary Institute of America preferred; comparable institutions
considered), and a demonstrated record of carrying that discipline into a sophisticated
fine-dining kitchen.
Core Responsibilities
Service Execution
• Run the line during service. Expedite when needed. Hold every plate to the FRIDA
standard before it leaves the pass.
• Open and close the kitchen on assigned shifts. Conduct line checks. Verify mise en
place before doors open.
• Maintain pacing and ticket times. Communicate cleanly with the dining room.
• Step into any station — sauté, grill, garde manger, raw bar — and execute at full
speed when the line needs a hand.
• Cultivate a first-class kitchen culture and build a team capable of sustaining it.
Menu and Concept Stewardship
• Execute the established menu to specification: composition, portion, technique, and
presentation.
• Collaborate with the Executive Chef on seasonal menu rotations, chef specials, and
wine-pairing offerings. Bring ideas to the table; defer to the Executive Chef’s final
call.
• Help keep the menu relevant and fresh while remaining true to the brasserie
concept and the standards that define it.
• Train, retrain, and re-test cooks on every recipe in the active book. Documented,
repeatable, consistent.
• Own the daily tasting before service. Nothing reaches a guest that has not been
tasted and verified.
Team Leadership
• Direct supervision of line cooks, prep cooks, and dishwashers on assigned shifts.
• Build and post the prep list. Build the daily station assignments. Run pre-shift.
• Identify and develop emerging talent — cooks early in their careers who can grow
into stronger roles under your mentorship.
• Coach in real time. Correct calmly and immediately. Document recurring issues.
• Conduct station evaluations on a defined cadence. Develop cooks toward the next
role.
Operations and Compliance
• Receive deliveries. Inspect for quality, count, and temperature. Reject anything sub-
standard.
• Manage inventory rotation (FIFO). Conduct weekly counts. Flag variance.
• Maintain HACCP, ServSafe, and local health standards without exception. Lead the
kitchen through any inspection.
• Maintain cleanliness and equipment readiness. Schedule and verify deep cleans.
Submit maintenance tickets the same day a fault appears.
Cost and Schedule
• Hit weekly food cost targets set by the Executive Chef. Investigate and report
variance within 48 hours.
• Build the kitchen schedule against forecasted covers. Manage labor cost to budget.
• Conduct end-of-period inventory alongside the Executive Chef.
Safety and Culture
• Set the tone for a quiet, focused, professional kitchen. No yelling. No personal
attacks. No tolerance for harassment or impairment.
• Conduct safety briefings. Maintain the injury and incident log. First responder for
any kitchen incident.
Required Qualifications
• Culinary education. Diploma or degree from the Culinary Institute of America
(CIA). Equivalent top-tier programs considered (Johnson & Wales, ICE, ICC, Le
Cordon Bleu).
• Experience. Minimum two years as a Sous Chef, Chef de Cuisine, or Executive Sous
at an independent restaurant operating at brasserie level or above. Hotels, clubs,
and high-volume catering operations count when the role required full menu
execution and team leadership.
• Tenure. A track record of staying in roles. We will weigh stability heavily.
• Certifications. Current ServSafe Manager. Allergen certification. CPR/AED
preferred.
• Physical. Able to stand for ten-hour shifts, lift fifty pounds, and work in
temperatures ranging from walk-in cold to grill-line heat.
Preferred Qualifications
• Experience in a French, European, or American brasserie / bistro environment.
• Experience opening or re-opening a restaurant.
• Familiarity with raw bar, seafood tower, sushi, or crudo programs.
• Working knowledge of inventory and scheduling software (MarginEdge, BlueCart,
7shifts, or equivalent).
• A demonstrated ability to contribute creatively in a collaborative kitchen —
specials, seasonal changes, pairings — without overstepping the Executive Chef’s
vision.
Who Will Succeed Here
You will thrive in this role if you:
• Believe that consistency is craft, and that executing the vision flawlessly is its own
form of mastery.
• Bring creative skill to the line without needing creative control of the concept.
• Lead by example, not volume. Your line respects you because you out-work them,
not because you out-shout them.
• Run a checklist for everything because checklists save costs and keep cooks safe.
• Hold every plate to the same standard on a slow Tuesday as on a packed Saturday —
the standard does not slide with the calendar.
• Want a kitchen that closes on time, pays on time, and goes home to families.
Compensation and Benefits
• Base salary: Negotiable depending on experience.
• Quarterly performance bonus tied to food cost, labor cost, and guest satisfaction.
• Health insurance options
• Paid time off and paid sick leave.
• Shift meal.
• Relocation assistance available for the right candidate. Tucson’s median home price
and cost of living are materially below Phoenix, Scottsdale, and coastal markets —
compensation stretches further here.
How to Apply
Send the following to fridatucsonaz@gmail.com, or call or text the hiring manager
directly at 520-977-8576:
1. Resume.
2. A short cover letter — no more than 300 words — answering two questions:
– What is the largest kitchen operation you have run, and what was the result?
– Why did you get into the culinary world?
3. Two references from previous chef supervisors will be requested should mutual
interest be established.
Working interviews will be conducted on-site at FRIDA in Tucson.
FRIDA is an equal-opportunity employer.
Work schedule
- 8 hour shift
- 10 hour shift
- Weekend availability
- Monday to Friday
- Night shift
- Day shift
- Other
- Holidays
Benefits
- Health insurance