Cold Production Lead - Off Premise

Proof of the Pudding is a chef-led hospitality company delivering food and beverage experiences at some of North America’s most complex sports, entertainment, cultural, and live-event venues.

Founded in Atlanta in 1979, Proof has built a national reputation for doing hospitality differently — from-scratch cooking at scale, hyper-local sourcing, and a partnership-first approach that treats clients as collaborators, not contracts. The company serves professional and collegiate sports venues, convention centers, cultural institutions, and large-scale destination events across the United States and Internationally.

The Cold Production Lead is responsible for supporting morning culinary operations, ensuring accurate production execution, and maintaining high standards of quality, organization, and safety. This role provides operational leadership during early shifts, assists with production oversight, and serves as the point of contact when the Sous Chef is not present.

Key Responsibilities

• Review and verify party carts, short lists, fire times, and priority items to ensure timely and accurate execution
• Open the kitchen for early‑morning events, breakfasts, and departing parties, ensuring all stations are prepared and operational
• Assist in assigning daily production tasks and follow up to ensure proper delegation and completion, focusing on cold side production.
• Serve as acting lead in the absence of the Sous Chef, orchestrating the daily plan and ensuring smooth execution across all stations
• Receive product deliveries, conduct quality checks, and sign off on items when Purchasing, Utility, or a Chef is not available
• Support monthly inventory processes by verifying counts and ensuring accurate documentation
• Compare production output to Event Orders to identify discrepancies, missing items, or incorrect preparation
• Ensure proper production techniques and recipes are followed to maintain consistency, quality, and efficiency
• Promote and enforce proper sanitation, cleanliness, and safety practices throughout the kitchen
• Provide guidance and support to staff to maintain a productive, organized, and safe work environment

CORE VALUE AND COMPETENCY REQUIREMENTS

• Business Acumen - Demonstrate comprehension of the job, including policies, practices, and relationships.  Possess the expertise and skill levels required of the job and perform with quality.
• Dedication - Dependable, reliable and follows through on projects from inception to completion.  Willing to put in as much time as necessary to complete tasks.  Demonstrate a win-win attitude: “see it, own it, solve it.”
• Ethics and Integrity - Acts with integrity, honesty and knowledge that promote the company’s culture, values and beliefs while maintaining the highest standards of professional conduct. 
• Safety & Security - Observe safety and security standards.  Use equipment and materials properly.  Comply with safety standards and personal protective equipment requirements.  Report potential unsafe conditions or practices to appropriate person immediately.  Promote restaurant safety, cleanliness and security compliance at all times.
• Teamwork - Cooperate and be willing to work as a team player to achieve goals and tasks accurately, efficiently and timely.
• Communication - Communicate clearly and effectively with mutual respect, understanding and trust to fellow associates, managers, supervisors and guests. Listen carefully to opinions and views of others; state understanding of what has been heard. 
• Initiative - Contribute new ideas and suggestions to enhance productivity and efficiency.  Be proactive in troubleshooting problems or issues and take action to mitigate potential problems.
• Adaptability & Planning - Possess the ability to learn new tasks and adjusts well to new situations.  Perform well under tight time schedules and pressures to change direction quickly.
• Service Orientation - Demonstrates a sense of urgency. Is welcoming, friendly and smiles when visible to guests.   

Physical Demands:

• Prolonged periods of standing, moving through an office, warehouse, and kitchen environment.
• Bending, lifting, scooping, and carrying miscellaneous equipment and food items
• At times there will be prolonged times of sitting and computer usage.
• Ability to perform physical tasks; such as but not limited to, lifting approx. 25 lbs.

Position Salary & Benefits:

• This is considered a full-time hourly role.
• Proof is pleased to provide all full-time eligible employees with Basic Life and AD&D as well as long term disability at no cost to employees.
• Full-time eligible employees may choose to enroll in optional benefits, including Medical, Dental, Vision, and Voluntary Life and AD&D, Short Term Disability, Voluntary Accident, Voluntary Critical Illness, and Voluntary Hospitality Indemnity

Proof of the Pudding and its affiliates are an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to inclusion and employing a diverse workforce. All applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, disability, or other legally protected characteristics.