Take Kawahigashi
**** ******* **** **** #**** Lake Charles, LA 70605
Email: ***********@*****.***
OBJECTIVE
Seeking an Executive Chef Position
SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATION
* Six plus years working experiences as a Restaurant Executive Chef and Sous Chef
* Ability in Kornos and P&L to cut down labor and food cost
* React efficiently to adjust and exceed financial needs for the economy recession
* Developing and Coaching Team Member for accountable and responsible
* Strong ability in culinary performing and menu designing
* Experienced in managing fine-dining hotel restaurants, casual dining and buffet concepts
* Practical experiences in every phase of restaurant work
* Able to lead cooks and house servers in a busy and high-pressure hospitality environment
* Willing to go out my way to provide guest comfortable and pleasurable dinning experience
* Reliable, hard working and highly self motivated
* Like challenge learning and creating new style cuisine
* Willing to listen and communicate
* Specialize in Asian modern cuisine and Italian cuisine with French influence
* Six plus years working experiences in Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese and global Asian cuisines, Japanese steakhouse specialist
WORK EXPERIENCE
Restaurant Room Chef, Lauberge Du Lac Casino and Resorts
Lake Charles, Louisiana September, 2010 - Present
* Responsible for operating an authentic Asian Restaurant which generates 6 millions a year
* Ability to adopt and revise the traditional Asian Cuisine
* In charge of 16 cooks, 3 Sushi Chef and 1 Sous Chef to ensure the kitchen operates efficiently
* Increase the food revenue by 8% and reduce labor by 15% compared to last year
* Create specialty menus for Asian concerts and special events
* Consistently and constantly revising menu items and special of the day to attract new customers
* Quarterly meeting with local vendors to utilize the best and cost-effecitve products
* Understand the culture difference and able to adjust what's necessary for the team
Senior Sous Chef, River City Casino
South County, Missouri December, 2009 - September, 2010
* Assisted Executive Chef opened three contemporary restaurants for River City Casino from ground up
* In charged of the Lewy Nine’s Restaurant, Buffet, Commissary and VIP lounge
* Created recipes books, SOPs, line check sheets and action plans for cooks
* Built MMS profiles for the restaurants
* Designed specialty menus for casino guests
Restaurant Sous Chef, Ameristar Casino Hotel Resort and Spa
St. Charles, Missouri July 2007 - December, 2009
* Responsible for operated a high end contemporary casual restaurant and In-Suite
Dining with 3 other Chefs
* 9 millions in yearly revenue
* Hired, managed and scheduled BOH team members up to 26 cooks and expos
* Developed and coached team members for menu specs, par levels and proper
sanitation procedures
* Weekly Status Report and action plan to Executive Chef
* Increased the J.D. Power Scores and health inspection scores by 10% year after year
* Reduced cost by eliminate waste in different areas
* Used Kornos and P&L to monitor the weekly FTEs and food cost
* Created daily special and turkey to-go for the holiday season
* Assisted the corporate F&B team for open In-Suite Dining and the Noodle Bar to
increase the casino profit
* Designed In-Suite Dining Amenity baskets
Restaurant Chef, Intercontinental Hotel Kansas City at Country Club Plaza
Kansas City, Missouri June 2006 - July 2007
* Responsible for managing the Oak Room kitchen which was a four star restaurant
* Trained cooks to ensure everything went out in standard, food sanitation and safety
* Ensured all sanitation standards were being met by city and state codes
* Scheduled morning, swing and grave shifts for a crew of 14 cooks so that kitchen was
appropriately staffed at all time
* Planned “Pre-fixe” menu selections stressing variety and utilizing seasonal food
* Created specials for large party in the restaurant and holiday menus for major holiday
* Took inventory, ordered wines, produces and equipments to make sure sufficient
supplies of food and utensils were available
Chef, Holiday Inn Hotel Kansas City at Country Club Plaza
Kansas City, Missouri March 2005 - June 2006
* Responsible included creating menus for a 260 rooms hotel, produced specials of the
day, planned and cook meals for special holiday events and large banquet functions
* Trained and demonstrated cooks on different aspects of food preparation and food safety
Chef de partie, Fairmont Hotel Kansas City at Country Club Plaza
Kansas City, Missouri April 2004 - April 2005
* Responsible included breakfast and lunch production for the Oak Room Kitchen which
serving American Cuisine with French accent and Italian Continental influence
* In Charge of AM shift to make sure everything went out as specs, hot food hot and cold
food cold
* Took care of guest complaints for the absence of Chef
Sushi Chef, Fairmont Hotel Kansas City at Country Club Plaza
Kansas City, Missouri April 2002 - April 2004
* Responsible for operating a sushi bar at hotel lounge, menu-planning, developed daily
special and made sushi in front of the hotel guests
* Prepared varieties of sushi and Japanese cuisine for large size banquet functions
Cook III, Hyatt Regency Hotel at Crown Center
Kansas City, Missouri May 2003 - May 2004
* Responsible for line cooking, breakfast producing, grilling, sautéing, salad making,
dressings, varieties of soups, mother sauces, quantities of hot and cold banquet food
preparing, plating up to 3000 people, and employee cafeteria cooking in different
culinary departments ( Peppercorn Duck Club, Terrance Kitchen, Garden Manager, Hot
banquet and The Sky)
Dinner Cook, Milano Italian Restaurant at Crown Center
Kansas City, Missouri June 2002 - May 2003
* Responsible for sauté, grill, pantry, and pizza stations in an authentic Italian Restaurant
* Made fresh pasta, filleted and de-boned fresh fish
* Prepared fruit platters, Italian cheese and antipasto trays, variety of hors d’oeuvres for
150 – 300 people banquet
Steakhouse Chef and Head working Kitchen Chef, Sakura Japanese Restaurant
Shawnee, Kansas August 2000 - May 2002
* Responsible for leading a tradition Japanese Kitchen food preparing and cooking from
scratch, lunch and dinner productions, various Japanese soups and sauces making
* Received and stored produces for a 208 seats full service Japanese restaurant
* Performed and cooked “Teppanyaki style” food in front of guests
SPECIAL SKILL/ TRAINING/ AWARD
Best of Kansas City Sushi Chef by Kansas City Star Magazine 2003
Certified Food Handler/ Serve Safe by Kansas City Health Department
Named "Best Kept Secret" Asian restaurant in Lake Charles by American Press Newspaper 2011
"A-list" award restaurant from the RFT magazine in St. Louis 2010
Feature Local Chef by American Press Newspaper Lake Charles, LA 2011
Feature Chef on Chile Pepper Magazine (Asia at LDL Casino) 2012
Able to use culinary softwares, HACCP, Kornos, ATS system, Master Chef Culinary Program
Able to use Microsoft Word, PowerPoint
Able to communicate in Spanish and Japanese
Fluent in Chinese, able to speak, read and write
REFERENCES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST