Dawn R. Johnson

Chicago, IL ***** 484-***-**** ad1a68@r.postjobfree.com

SUMMARY

Energetic and motivated leader with a proven track record in food service. Self-starter and independent thinker with extensive experience as a working Chef and Dining Director in corporate and off-premise catering & event planning. Bilingual in Spanish and culturally astute in diverse environments. Responsible for financial projections for food cost, profit and loss statements, labor targets, training & managing staff.

CORE COMPETENCIES

Food Preparation, Purchasing, Inventory/Ordering/Reporting State/ Federal/ Health Department Guidelines, Staff Hiring, Training, Event planning, Managing Event & Banquet Execution, Effective Written & Oral Communication, Recipe Development, Superb Customer Service Skills, Microsoft Suite Proficient, POS platforms, Profit & Loss, Team Building, Labor & Food Cost Control, Loss Prevention

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Montgomery Place – Hyde Park, Chicago. April 2023- present

Director of Dining Services

Newly created position to develop long term future of Culinary Department

•Build new culinary department with new management and Chefs, retrain hourly staff and train new hires

•Oversee all staff, 5 management staff and 60 hourly staff,

•Restructure purchasing, redesign storage areas, walk ins and freezers to proper standards

•Develop accurate financial budget for entire Culinary Department, approved department budget 2.6 million, monitor food cost, recruit vendors,

•Restart Cafe with new menu and staff, develop first time Catering menu for events

•Monitor all aspects of the Main and satellite kitchens, main Dining Room and 2 satellite dining areas

•Deepen relations with Montgomery Place residents and stakeholders

§§Schedule and produce many Special Events throughout the year

•Advance food safety, waste, production sheets, sanitation logs to local, state, Federal guidelines

•Develop and execute forward thinking purchasing plans, calculation sheets

•Report Culinary Department figures to Executive Management and Board of Directors

•Collaborate with other departments and vendors to modernize kitchen

•Oversee two medical floors to provide medically appropriate meals for special diets

St. Joseph’s Village / Unidine - Chicago, IL June 2022 – March 2023

Chef/ Manager

Oversee all daily hot & cold food production to assure proper portioning, recipe compliance, fresh food quality, and kitchen standards are being followed

•Create written food production/ pull sheets for cooks, complete all food & supply ordering, complete weekly facility inventory and assure pricing is accurate

•Train and develop food production staff of proper cooking techniques and food storage procedure

•Maintain overall kitchen sanitation to include all storage areas, walk-in boxes, cooking equipment, utility areas & main kitchen floors

•Assure that residents are receiving proper food consistencies at meal service

•Assist Dining Service Director with interviewing, hiring, training, coaching, counseling, and utilizing progressive disciplinary policy to bring about desired behavior change

•Conduct in-service training for all food service employees consisting of documentation and testing

The Merion Cricket Club - Haverford, PA 2021 – June 2022 Production Chef

•Direct & execute the production of all meal preparation for the Club’s in-house restaurant, catering, special events, & staff meals twice a day every day of the week

•Oversee the exact delivery of ordered food and its specific preparation with all catering staff

•Produce weekly & daily production lists for staff in order of importance

•Modify recipes and menus for specialized diets for clients and staff

•Develop recipes as well as standardize production recipes to ensure consistent quality

•Develop, plan and execute culinary ideas for 30 Kids Club after-school Cooking Class monthly

Hayes Manor in Philadelphia - Philadelphia, PA 2020 – 2021 Dietary Manager

•Recruit, supervise staff of eight persons, develop, complete & maintain staff records, deliver food & labor targets, profit & loss statement quarterly, weekly inventory, loss prevention, monitor individual staff performance, implement corrective actions with staff

•Implement & oversee food, health & safety protocols in all culinary, occupational & food operations

•Develop and implement personalized resident meal plans, coordinate with other departments, primarily nursing, menu planning, recipe development to ensure quality, accuracy, consistency, and nutritional efficiency of recipes

Sodexo at Vanguard, Incorporated - Malvern, PA 2013 – 2020 Corporate Chef

•Menu planning, inventory/ordering, recipe development & modification, nutritional values, palatability, food preparation & presentation, specialized diets, fill catering orders, event planning

•Ensure kitchen cleanliness, safety procedures followed/ reported, generated revenue $3500 - $4000 daily

•Recruit staff, develop successful staff training, achieve loyal, dedicated, resourceful staff, culinary interns

•Ensure food & labor cost controls, follow state/federal/ health department guidelines

•Develop singlehandedly the Vanguard Summer Camp Culinary Class for 6 weeks each summer

Sodexo at Temple University in Philadelphia - Philadelphia, PA 2012 – 2013 Production Chef

•Volume food preparation for Johnson & Hardwick Hall, 1400 students each meal

Bon Appetit at the University of Pennsylvania - Pennsylvania, PA 2008 – 2012 Assistant Catering Manager

•Manage six catering part-time personnel, manage events in Houston Hall & other UPenn buildings,

•coordinate with other departments, as needed, provide exemplary client service

Frog Commissary Catering in the Franklin Institute - Philadelphia, PA 2002 – 2008 Front of House

•Event server, buffet building, lead server, bartender, maître d responsibilities, customer service

EDUCATION

Temple University, Philadelphia, PA

B.A. Anthropology

Minor in Spanish

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