Job Description

Pastry Chef

Herschend is seeking an accomplished and creative Pastry Chef to lead pastry operations for our newest hospitality venture, Dolly Parton's SongTeller Hotel, located in the heart of Downtown Nashville. The ideal candidate is driven to create meaningful experiences for our hosts, guests, and community while simultaneously ensuring the success & profitability of all our food and beverage outlets.

Inspired by Dolly Parton's epic career and trailblazing spirit, SongTeller Hotel in Nashville is as unique as the global icon herself. Dolly welcomes guests to a place where they can Love Every Moment; it is a place to unplug, to connect with loved ones and to be entertained.

The Pastry Chef position provides a unique opportunity for the right individual to coach and lead the pre-opening pastry efforts for Dolly Parton's SongTeller Hotel featuring 245 rooms, two F&B Entertainment venues, a market, and Dolly Parton's Museum. The position is responsible for ensuring the consistent delivery of the brand experience and achieving financial targets and related business KPI's in the food and beverage outlets. The Pastry Chef will focus on F&B back-of-house pastry operations consisting of, but not limited to, full-service-dining desserts, coffee shop pastries, and catering events throughout the property. To achieve success in this role, one must drive results while adhering to our Heartspitality culture. This position requires demonstrating your food talents in performing your role and sharing the knowledge in a manner consistent with providing growth and learning for our hosts who will enjoy your leadership style and passion.

SongTeller Hotel Nashville is more than just a place to rest your head, it's a hub of music, style, and hospitality designed the Dolly-way. Sprinkled with glamour, artistic surprises and a sense of humor - it's an experience as unforgettable as the entertainer herself. SongTeller Hotel celebrates the people, talent and setting of the destination, weaving the local music and culinary scenes together. So come experience the unique charm, and hospitality that could only be created by the iconic hostess herself!

Summary of Essential Functions & Responsibilities

• Produce and decorate high-quality bakery and pastry items including breads, doughs, biscuits, muffins, cookies, cakes, pies, croissants, Danishes, and specialty desserts
• Supply baked goods and desserts for all hotel outlets and functions as required
• Ensure all products are prepared and presented in accordance with standard recipes, specifications, and presentations
• Enforce production schedules to ensure proper product availability at all times
• Supervise, train, and monitor pastry staff and other bakery positions as well as act as a leader for the rest of the heart of the house staff
• Guide team members in proper food preparation, portion control, storage, and handling procedures
• Lead and participate in daily lineups to communicate objectives and expectations
• Lead and contribute creative ideas and concepts for desserts, pastries, and seasonal offerings, actively voicing suggestions or guidance that support menu development, banquet presentations, and guest experience.
• Act as quality assurance lead, ensuring all products meet established standards for taste, freshness, and presentation
• Ensure all bakery and pastry items are visually appealing and guest-ready
• Enforce portion control standards to minimize waste and ensure consistency
• Monitor cooking temperatures, hold times, and record food temperatures as required
• Perform banquet production and plating functions as required
• Support banquet forecasting, preparation, and execution to meet volume and timing requirements
• Ensure pastry execution aligns with event specifications and service standards
• Maintain proper par levels for assigned workstations based on daily menus and banquet needs
• Check product and supply levels regularly and communicate shortages proactively
• Complete and maintain accurate order guides for pastry ingredients and supplies
• Follow proper procedures for inventory management, ordering, and portion control
• Ensure proper labeling, dating, rotation, and FIFO procedures are followed, including day-dot usage
• Maintain a clean, organized, and sanitary workstation at all times
• Enforce and perform cleaning duties when needed that could include dishwashing, sweeping, scrubbing, mopping, trash removal
• Comply with all state and local health department regulations and internal culinary policies
• Enforce food handling and sanitation standards in accordance with safety programs and procedures
• Know, understand, & enforce the use of the "Start Fresh" program when necessary
• Actively participate in maintaining a safe working environment for staff and guests

Qualifications

• 5-7 years of progressive experience in pastry, with at least 2-3 years in a leadership role
• Proven experience leading large-scale operations with multiple F&B outlets, banquets, and high-volume service
• Formal culinary training or formal pastry arts training from an accredited institution preferred
• Masterful knowledge of classic and contemporary pastry techniques, including bread baking chocolate work, sugar artistry, and plated desserts
• Strong understanding of food costing, portion control, and kitchen inventory management
• Proven leadership skills, problem solving, team building, communication and organizational skills
• Passion for creating memorable dining experiences and fostering a positive kitchen culture
• Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed
• Opening hotel experience preferred
• Proficient knowledge of Microsoft Office, Micros POS System, Crunchtime or other food and beverage recipe, inventory management and ordering software

About Dolly Parton's SongTeller Hotel and Herschend

Dolly Parton's SongTeller Hotel is the newest hospitality venture of Herschend, the world's largest family-owned themed attractions company that's been Bringing Families Closer Together by Creating Memories Worth Repeating for seven generations. Our 12,000+ passionate employees (hosts) collectively entertain 15 million guests each year across our two-dozen wholesome family entertainment brands. Each offers distinctive experiences that inspire discovery and deliver on Herschend's commitment that every guest leaves with two things: a smile and a deeper connection with one another.

The heart of Herschend's success has long been the world-renowned hospitality that's rooted in our DNA. We call it Heartspitality. It's a unique culture that blends our ethos of Leading with Love and our purpose of Bringing Families Closer Together by Creating Memories Worth Repeating to create real impact and joy that spreads through our hosts to our guests and out into our communities.

As an equal-opportunity employer, we strive to provide environments where every host, guest, and partner feel welcome, valued, and loved. We firmly believe that words and actions matter, which is why all individuals are to be treated equally and with respect.

Equal Opportunity Employer This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.

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