Nathan Douglas
Sous Chef
New Orleans, LA · n.douglas@email.com · (555) 561-8823
Dear Executive Chef,
I'm applying for the Sous Chef position at your restaurant. Over the past four years I've run kitchens of up to 14 cooks, most recently leading nightly service in the executive chef's absence for a restaurant doing 300 covers on weekends.
At Delacroix Bistro I built and standardized recipe cards for our full menu, which cut plate inconsistency complaints by half, and I managed weekly ordering across five vendors to hold food cost at 30%. I create the weekly staff schedule for a 14-person kitchen, run pre-shift training on new specials, and I've stepped in as acting executive chef for two extended stretches without a drop in covers or quality scores.
I own our HACCP logs and walk-in organization — nine straight inspections above 95 — and I stage and interview every line-cook candidate before they meet chef. Sunday afternoons I run our R&D block, testing next month's specials at station speed so nothing hits the menu that can't survive a rush.
I'm looking for a kitchen where I can grow into a chef de cuisine role while still working the line, and your restaurant's structure and reputation make it the kind of place I want to build toward. I'd welcome the opportunity to discuss how I can support your kitchen from day one.
Best regards,
Nathan Douglas