Executive Sous Chef

Zachary Sooyoun Dewulf

******@*****.***• Springfield, VA 22151 • 571-***-****(c)

SUMMARY

●Highly motivated professional with a passion for the culinary industry

●Extreme attention to detail as well as a competitive nature with experience in high intensity Michelin kitchens.

●Continually praised for tenacity, humility, and willingness to learn in the kitchen

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Xiquet by Danny Lledo, January 14th 2024, January 20, 2025

Executive Sous chef

●Mastery of all stations on the line and during the production day. Able to provide relief or work any position in the back of house proficiently.

●Responsible for managing the kitchen in Lieu of the Chef de cuisine and making sure that all staff are adhering to established standards of cleanliness, quality, and sense of urgency at all times.

●Deeply involved in the creative process from conceptualization all the way to execution of new menu items including costing these items effectively.

●One Michelin Star Valencian restaurant specializing in wood fired Paella serving dinner for 12-40 guests per night. Open kitchen serving a 12 course tasting menu.

●Scratch cooking including but not limited to: stock making, butchery, sauce work, sous vide cookery, live fire cookery, grill cookery, pastry, chocolate/candy, bread baking, advanced knife skills.

●Coordinated with the chef de cuisine to budget, keep inventory regularly, and hire new staff.

●Responsible for training all new back of house staff.

●Conducted routine inspections of kitchen equipment for functionality, cleanliness, and efficiency, thereby increasing the overall efficiency of the kitchen as a whole.

●Carefully monitored food cost and kept it under 30% despite being a fine dining restaurant charging $265 per person.

●Responsible for keeping careful inventory of all product in the restaurant and ordering 3-5 times a week from various purveyors.

●Expedited during service and made sure food left the kitchen in a timely manner and met established standards set by the chef de cuisine.

●Provided relief to any station that needed it during service including pastry.

●Extensive guest interaction through table side presentations and a welcome bite/drink to the restaurant, as well as running food to assist front of house when necessary so the flow of service was not impeded.

Alinea, Chicago, IL. November 23, 2022 - December 30th, 2023

Chef de Tournant

●Mastery of all stations on the cold side from canape, to garde manger, to pastry.

●Required to make sure all mise en place from these stations was ready and accounted for before service. “86ing” menu items or courses was not an option.

●Responsible for ordering product for the cold side whenever I deemed necessary.

●Provided relief to each of these stations during service if needed.

●3 Michelin star molecular gastronomy tasting menu restaurant serving 100+ guests a 10 course tasting menu seven days a week.

●OAD North America top 25 restaurant since its inception. Multiple James Beard nominations including one nod for Best Chef Great Lakes and 3 Michelin Stars retained for 12 years.

●Table-side preparation and guest interaction including the infamous “Paint” dessert.

●Part of the conceptualization, R+D, and execution of new menu items.

●Made sure the cold side which included 10 chef de parties and 15 commis’ ran smoothly before and during service.

●Worked with large amounts of liquid nitrogen for both sweet and savory applications.

Pineapple and Pearls, Washington, DC. May 20, 2022 - September, 2022.

Chef de Partie

●Mastery of all stations from cold apps to meat roast in a 2 Michelin star 50 cover per night 6 course tasting menu (large format)

●Responsible for all mise en place associated with each station from processing of raw ingredients to plating for the guests during service.

●Kept track of product related to weekly par levels and ordered whatever was needed for the station I was working.

●Also functioned as a food runner during service, both dropping and explaining food to guests and answering any questions they had pertaining to sourcing, technique, etc.

Mid Shift Prep lead

●Responsible for large prep projects such as stock making and sauce work from all stations including pastry.

●Took inventory and ordered new inventory as needed

●Involved in conceptualization and execution of R&D of new menu items.

Jont, Washington, DC. July 1st - February 16, 2021

Garde Manger CDP

●Responsible for all mise en place on the station from processing, to production, to plating.

●Intimate 2 Michelin star 14 seat chef’s counter serving 28 guests per night.

●Was required to know all Front of House standard operating procedures and guest interaction by Back of House was highly encouraged.

Entremet CDP

●Responsible for vegetable preparation that includes advanced knife cuts, sauce work, purée work, sous vide cookery, live fire cookery.

●Assisted with r&d of fermentation projects.

Pastry Cook

●Assisted with all pastry production for both Bresca and Jont while simultaneously working Garde Manger.

●During service, I worked as the GM CDP, and transferred to the pastry salon for the dessert courses to assist with pastry plating.

Bresca, Washington, DC. February 24th - July 1st, 2021.

Garde Manger CDP

●Responsible for all mise en place on the station from processing, to production, to plating.

●High volume one Michelin star concept with a 125 cover cap.

●Responsible for the par levels on all mise en place related to garde manger and determining when orders for ingredients need to be placed.

●Was required to plan my timelines in such a way that allowed me to accomplish all my allotted tasks In the most efficient way possible.

●Involved in the conceptualization and r&d of new menu items.

Chef de tournant

●Provided relief to whichever station required it the most during the prep day.

●Plated hot side during service.

●Assisted with expo.

Woodmont Grill, Bethesda, MD. July 1st, 2020 - February 15th, 2021

Assistant Kitchen Manager-

● Complete knowledge of all cooking stations and kitchen performance in the absence of the kitchen manager.

●Experience preparing large batches of vegetables, proteins, breads, sauces.

●Ordered product from various purveyors with close attention to food costs and careful monitoring of food waste during production.

●Responsible for managing all aspects of the kitchen and culinary team, ensuring the quality and preparation of all menu items, including handling and storage of all food items in accordance with established standards

2941, Falls Church, VA. April 1st - December 30, 2019

Chef de tournant(entremetier focus)-

●Responsible for mastery of all stations

●Provided relief for whichever station was necessary during service

●Extensive prep work including proteins, vegetables, sauce / stocks, pastas

●Involved in the conceptualization and execution of menu planning

The Majestic, Alexandria, VA. September 5, 2018 - March 25, 2019.

Junior Sous Chef:

●Mastery of all three stations - grill, sautee, garde manger / pastry

●Responsible for leading the line through communication and proper timing.

●Responsible for taking inventory and placing orders through various purveyors.

●Input on creative decisions regarding new dishes.

●Responsible for quality control. verifying portion sizes, and adherence to recipes before and during service

●Responsible for training of all new back of house employees.

Del Mar de Fabio Trabbochi, Washington, D.C. January 23, 2018 - August 1, 2018

Chef de Partie (poisson/rottiseur):

●Mastery of the grill / entree stations

●Responsible for cooking seafood and other proteins in high volume in a consistent and timely manner

Brasserie Beck by Robert Wiedmaier, Washington, D.C. March 15, 2017 - November, 2017

Chef de Partie:

●Learned 5 new stations in two month’s time: fry, mussels, raw bar, pastry, garde manger

●Extensive prep work that included stock making, sauces, some butchery.

China Chilcano by Jose Andres, Washington, D.C. January 3-February 6, 2017

Chef de Partie:

●Extensive prep work for lunch, brunch, and dinner service

●Learned 6 new stations in one month’s time: plancha, sauté, fry, prep, ceviche, garde manger

America Eats Tavern by Jose Andres, McLean, VA August 3-December 23, 2016

Chef de Partie:

●Trained under Chef Claudio Foschi of Minibar

●Experience in 5 different stations: fry 1/grill, fry 2, sauté 1, sauté 2, pastry

●Responsible for running expo when needed

EDUCATION

Continental Academy, High School Diploma, Mirimar, FL (4.0 GPA) June 29, 2010

La’cadamie De Cuisine, Culinary arts degree, Gaithersburg, Maryland November, 2017

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