Sous Chef Interview Questions

"I have used Lightspeed Restaurant and TouchBistro Restaurant POS in my previous roles. They helped me take inventory, manage employee's schedules and pay, create a menu, and much more. I'm happy to learn how to use any other software you prefer, though."

"After looking at your menu, there are a few dishes I would change. You have a lot of dishes with blue cheese in them, like the blue cheese pasta, pizza, and salad. Blue cheese is great, but it's not an ingredient a lot of people enjoy. I think including it in one or two dishes is good, but more than that limits people's choices."

"To accommodate patrons with different dietary needs, I try to include a variety of dishes and ones that are easily customizable. For example, I like to include a mix of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options when creating a menu. I offer substitutions of meat and gluten to almost every dish as well, so customers aren't limited in their choices. If a customer is allergic to something, I ensure my team prepares their dish in a completely different area of the kitchen."

"I always try to include seasonal fruits and vegetables in different dishes on my menus. For example, corn and field peppers are best in the summer in Ontario, so I will include them in a variety of dishes for the summer menu. Pears are better in the fall and winter, so I include them in salads and desserts on the winter menu. I saw that your summer menu has pumpkin dishes, but I would prefer to put those in a fall tasting menu."

"To prevent cross-contamination, I always recommend an establishment to have different coloured cutting boards for different purposes. For example, red for meat and green for vegetables. I also post handwashing posters at every sink to encourage staff to keep their hands clean. Every employee receives in-depth health and safety training as well before they start working with us."

"If an employee wasn't following food and safety regulations, I would correct them on the spot. I would then offer them further health and safety training to ensure they are always maintaining a safe work environment for themselves and their colleagues in the future. If it continued to happen, I would give them a written warning."

"I completed George Brown's culinary management programme five years ago. I then completed an apprenticeship programme where I got on-the-job training and more in-school training. This allowed me to take a Red Seal exam and get an Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Certificate, so I am legally allowed to work as a cook in any province or territory."

"I have worked in a Chinese, Japanese, and Korean restaurant. I also apprenticed with a Korean chef for two years. So, all of my professional experience lies in Asian cooking. I do enjoy cooking Italian food and Mexican food at home, but I love the Japanese cuisine your restaurant serves, which is why I would love to work here."

"A sous chef works under the head chef to oversee the kitchen. This includes supervising other employees, maintaining food and safety standards, and handling paperwork, such as ordering, creating a menu, or payroll when necessary. Sous chefs will help their team cook as well if there are a lot of customers."

"To maintain order in the kitchen, I will always assign roles at the start of a shift before customers come in so everyone knows what they need to do. I also encourage cooks to do as much prep work as they can beforehand to save time later on. I get all of my administrative work done when there are no customers so I can jump in and help cook if necessary. Being on the floor also helps encourage my team to do their best."

"If my employees have a conflict, I encourage them to try to work it out on their own. This will help them improve their communication skills and allow them to build stronger relationships. If the argument gets too heated, I'll step in and act as a mediator. I will hear both sides of the story and help the employees come to a solution that works for both parties."

"Ensuring every dish we serve is perfect starts with hiring the right employees. Before I hire anyone, they must complete one of our dishes with the recipe I provide. If it's good, I will hire them and provide on-the-job training. For the first few months, I will supervise them closely and get their colleagues to as well. I also monitor all other employees and taste their cooking every once in a while to make sure it's up to standards."

"If there was a grease fire in the kitchen, I would turn off the heat source and cover the fire with a metal lid or a baking sheet to smother the flames. If that isn't possible, I would smother it with baking soda, salt, or a fire extinguisher. If I can't put the fire out myself, I would evacuate the building and call the fire department."

"The executive chef at my previous restaurant and I agreed an employee was consistently underperforming. They were coming in late, sending out the wrong dishes, and taking too much time to prepare them. We both trained them constantly, but they showed no improvement or desire to improve. After a few verbal and written warnings, I sat the employee down and let them know we were terminating them and why. I apologised for the inconvenience, thanked them for their time, and collected their work ID."

"Food should be below 4°C and above 60°C as anything in between is the danger zone. The danger zone is the prime temperature for bacteria to grow and multiply. When cooking food, you should heat or reheat it to 74°C to kill any bacteria. You can then serve or store it at 60°C minimum. If you're not using food or ingredients soon, you can freeze them at -18°C to stop bacteria from growing."