Mercat a la Planxa, a modern Catalan tapas restaurant and bar located adjacent to the historic Blackstone Hotel, was introduced in early 2008 by restaurateur Peter Karpinski of Sage Restaurant Group and highly acclaimed Iron Chef Jose Garces. Mercat's menu features meats and seafood served a la planxa or "on the grill," all inspired by Barcelona and Spain's Catalan region. The bar offers Spanish-style cocktails and martinis, as well as an extensive collection of Spanish cavas, wines, and beer. Mercat has been featured in Esquire Magazine, The Food Network's 'Iron Chef America,' and Bon Appetit Magazine. Mercat is consistently ranked as a top restaurant in the Spanish tapas and hotel dining categories.

POSITION PURPOSE:

Oversees all functions on the line including line set up, preparation for next day, and coordinates all food items produced within the various stations of the kitchen. Responsible for final quality check and presentation, speed of service, organization and pacing of order to be served in the Restaurant. Also Assures proper teamwork with food server staff and culinary staff. This position will require Associate to maintain the cleanliness of the Restaurant, Restocking of all supplies, Cash handling, Minimal Bartending and various other duties specific to the restaurant setting.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Prepares all food items according to standard recipes and/or as specified on guest check to ensure consistency of product to the guest. Tastes and visually inspects, selects and uses only food items of the highest quality in the preparation of all menu items.

•Calls food orders to line staff on cooking times and pick up times, visually inspects appearance of all hot and cold food for proper presentation and quality. Directs wait staff in organized matter so that all guests leave kitchen with complete orders.

•Checks and controls the proper storage of product (stocks and Sauces needing special attention), and portion control size.

•Keeps all refrigeration, storage and working areas in clean, working condition to comply with Health Department regulations.

•Prepares Requisition for supplies and food items for production in the workstation. Reads and employs math skills to appropriately prepare items according to recipes, requires stamina for standing and strength for lifting and moving products. Station need to cleaned and re-stocked after each shift.

SUPPORTIVE FUNCTIONS:

In addition to performance of the essential functions, this position may be required to perform a combination of the following supportive functions, with the percentage of time performing each function to be solely determined by the supervisor based upon the particular requirements of the hotel.

•Properly rotates food products in order to keep spoilage and waste to a minimum.

•Ensures that all equipment in work area is properly cleaned.

•Performs other duties as required, Pouring Alcoholic Beverages, Taking orders from Guests, Etc.

•Maintaining the cleanliness of the Restaurant and Bathrooms

SPECIFIC JOB KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

The individual must possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities and be able to explain and demonstrate that he or she can perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some other combination of skills and abilities.

•Thorough working knowledge of hot and cold food preparation.

•Good working knowledge of accepted sanitation standards and Health Codes for the state of Illinois and city of Chicago.

•Extensive experience with all kitchen equipment.

•Basic mathematical skills necessary to operate the cash register, understand recipes, measurements, requisition amounts and portion sizes.

•Ability to read, write and understand the English language in order to complete requisitions read recipes and communicate with other team members and managers.

•Sufficient manual dexterity of hand in order to use all kitchen equipment, i.e., knives, spoons, spatulas, tongs, slicers, etc.

•Ability to stand, grasp, lift and/or carry, or otherwise, move or push goods on a standard wheeled cart/truck weighing a maximum of 100 lbs. on a continuous schedule up to an 8-hour shift.

•Ability to perform duties in confined spaces.

•Ability to perform duties within extreme temperature ranges.

QUALIFICATION STANDARDS

Grooming:

All team members must maintain a neat, clean and well groomed appearance (specific standards available).

Sage Hospitality Resources is one of the nation's leading hotel management and development companies, specializing in management and development of full service and limited service hotels nationwide. We are recognized as an innovative leader in the industry as an operator, employer, developer, and investor. In every business activity, Sage is focused on its vision - "To be recognized by our customers as the best in our business."

We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace, perform pre-employment substance abuse testing and criminal background screening. 

We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace, perform pre-employment substance abuse testing and criminal background screening.