Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Competitive salary
- Employee discounts
- Flexible schedule
- Opportunity for advancement
Epicure Café, part of the Culinary Khancepts family, is seeking an experienced, passionate, and hands-on Bakery Manager to lead our bakery and oversee our café kitchen. The ideal candidate combines strong baking and pastry expertise with the ability to run a savory kitchen, lead a team, and manage ordering, inventory, food cost, and health standards across the entire back of house.
Company Overview Epicure Café is a family-owned, European-influenced café in Houston's River Oaks neighborhood, serving the city since 1990. Our bakery produces scratch-made pastries, cookies, cakes, and breads alongside a coffee program and a small kitchen offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. Epicure Café is part of Culinary Khancepts, a multi-concept restaurant group that also includes State Fare Kitchen & Bar, Liberty Kitchen Oysterette, Star Cinema Grill, and River Oaks Theater.
Culinary Khancepts believes every guest should be provided with an unforgettable experience through unmatched hospitality, the highest quality food and beverages, and a flawless presentation. We strive to create a fun and positive environment that everyone from our guests to our team can thrive in.
Position Summary The Bakery Manager is the senior back-of-house leader at Epicure Café and is accountable for the entire kitchen. The primary focus of this role is to run the bakery at a very high level: scratch production of breads, laminated pastries, cookies, cakes, and desserts executed with consistency, craftsmanship, and pride every day. In addition, the Bakery Manager oversees the café side of the kitchen, which produces our breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus, ensuring both sides operate to the same standard of quality, cleanliness, and cost control.
This is a hands-on, working-manager role. The Bakery Manager owns all back-of-house ordering, inventory, food cost, health and sanitation standards, scheduling, and team development, and partners closely with the General Manager and front-of-house leadership to deliver the Epicure guest experience.
Key Responsibilities
Bakery Production & Quality Control
- Lead daily preparation, baking, and production of breads, laminated pastries, cookies, cakes, desserts, and all other bakery offerings.
- Ensure every bakery product consistently meets established recipes, quality standards, portion specifications, and presentation expectations.
- Maintain a hands-on presence in daily bakery production, working alongside the team as business demands.
- Build and maintain daily and weekly production schedules based on sales history, seasonal demand, holidays, catering, and special orders.
- Monitor product freshness, proper storage, and rotation to minimize waste while protecting quality.
- Ensure bakery cases and displays are fully stocked, organized, visually appealing, and aligned with Epicure brand standards throughout the day.
- Collaborate with ownership and culinary leadership on seasonal offerings, product improvements, and new bakery items.
- Manage special orders, custom cakes, catering requests, and holiday production.
Café Kitchen Oversight
- Oversee the café side of the kitchen, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner service, ensuring food is executed to recipe with consistent quality and presentation.
- Learn and become proficient in each kitchen station and work the line as needed during peak volume.
- Assign accurate daily prep lists to the kitchen team and verify completion.
- Learn, understand, and teach the menu and recipes to each team member to ensure consistency and accuracy in quality and presentation.
- Train the team on expo and runner standards so hot food stays hot, cold food stays cold, and tickets are delivered accurately and on time.
- Ensure recipes, procedures, and plating are consistent with company standards and expectations.
- Support the execution of feature items, promotions, and seasonal menu changes on the kitchen side.
Ordering, Inventory & Cost Management
- Own all back-of-house ordering for both the bakery and café kitchen, including ingredients, packaging, smallwares, and supplies.
- Manage vendor relationships, delivery schedules, and product quality; address shorts, substitutions, and credits promptly.
- Conduct weekly inventory counts and maintain accurate, timely inventory records in company systems.
- Monitor ingredient usage, yields, portion control, and waste to protect food cost targets on both sides of the kitchen.
- Track food cost and labor against budget, identify variances, and act on opportunities to improve efficiency.
- Maintain accurate production records, prep lists, par sheets, ordering guides, and recipe costing.
- Partner with the General Manager and Area Manager on financial goals, KPIs, and overall back-of-house performance.
Health Standards, Food Safety & Sanitation
- Ensure full compliance with City of Houston / Harris County health department regulations, food safety standards, and company sanitation policies across the entire kitchen.
- Own the Epicure Bakery & Kitchen Cleaning Program, including daily, weekly, and monthly task completion and sign-off.
- Maintain clean, organized, and sanitary production areas, walk-ins, dry storage, and equipment; be inspection-ready at all times.
- Enforce proper food handling, date labeling, temperature logs, cooling, and storage procedures.
- Maintain allergen awareness and cross-contamination controls, particularly between bakery and savory production.
- Ensure all equipment is properly maintained and report repair or maintenance needs promptly.
- Train and hold the team accountable on safe equipment operation, sanitation practices, and workplace safety.
Team Leadership & Development
- Lead, supervise, train, and develop all back-of-house team members across the bakery and café kitchen.
- Write BOH schedules based on production needs, business volume, and established labor budgets.
- Delegate daily responsibilities and ensure every team member understands production priorities and expectations.
- Provide ongoing coaching, constructive feedback, and performance evaluations; address performance issues in a timely, documented manner.
- Recruit, interview, onboard, and train new bakery and kitchen employees; develop BOH staff for career progression.
- Foster a positive, respectful, and team-oriented work environment and lead by example in professionalism, accountability, and work ethic.
- Ensure the team consistently follows company policies, food safety procedures, and operational expectations.
Operations & Guest Experience
- Oversee daily back-of-house operations to ensure efficient production and timely product availability for the bakery case, café service, catering, and wholesale orders.
- Coordinate with café management and front-of-house teams to support daily service and guest needs.
- Address product quality concerns and resolve operational challenges quickly and professionally.
- Identify opportunities to improve production processes, workflow, and overall efficiency.
- Uphold Epicure Café's commitment to exceptional hospitality, quality, and consistency in everything that leaves the kitchen.
Qualifications & Experience Required
- Minimum 3 years of professional baking, pastry, or bakery production experience, including artisan breads, laminated pastries, cakes, and desserts.
- Previous supervisory or management experience in a bakery, pastry kitchen, café, or restaurant.
- Working knowledge of savory kitchen operations and the ability to lead a line during breakfast, lunch, and dinner service.
- Demonstrated ability to manage production schedules, ordering, inventory, food cost, and labor.
- Experience leading, training, and developing bakery and kitchen team members.
- Knowledge of food safety, sanitation, and health department requirements.
- Strong organizational, communication, time-management, and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with ownership and operational leadership.
- High school diploma or GED.
- Availability to work early mornings, weekends, holidays, and flexible schedules based on business needs.
- Food Manager Certification (or ability to obtain within 30 days of hire).
Preferred
- 5+ years of bakery or pastry experience, including leadership responsibilities.
- Culinary or pastry arts degree, certification, or equivalent professional training.
- Experience in a high-volume bakery, upscale café, or scratch kitchen.
- Experience with recipe costing, menu development, production forecasting, and catering or wholesale production.
- Familiarity with inventory management, scheduling, and restaurant operational systems.
- ServSafe Manager Certification.
- Bilingual English / Spanish.
Ideal Candidate Characteristics
- Passion for Quality: Takes pride in producing fresh, high-quality baked goods and plates with consistent execution and presentation.
- Hands-On Leadership: Leads from the production floor and the line, and is willing to work alongside the team.
- Operational Accountability: Owns labor management, food cost, inventory accuracy, and profitability across the whole kitchen.
- Attention to Detail: Maintains high standards for recipes, product consistency, cleanliness, and organization.
- Team Development: Enjoys coaching employees, setting clear expectations, and building a positive work environment.
- Adaptability: Stays organized and solution-oriented while moving between bakery production and café service in a fast-paced setting.
- Hospitality Mindset: Understands that product quality, presentation, and service all contribute to the guest experience.
Physical & Scheduling Requirements
- Ability to stand and walk for extended periods throughout scheduled shifts.
- Ability to lift and carry up to 50 pounds, with or without reasonable accommodation, and to bend, climb, and work in confined spaces.
- Ability to work in a commercial bakery and kitchen environment with exposure to ovens, mixers, fryers, refrigeration equipment, and varying temperatures.
- Ability to perform repetitive tasks associated with bakery and kitchen production.
- Flexibility to work early mornings, weekends, holidays, and extended hours when necessary.
Culinary Khancepts is an equal opportunity employer. This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities required of the employee; duties may change at any time with or without notice.