Sushi Chef

West Des Moines, IA, USA|

Job Overview

Benefits

Health Insurance

Retirement Plan

Paid Time Off

employee discount

Training and Development

Employee assistance program

flexible schedule

Job Description

Hy-Vee is a leading employee-owned supermarket chain renowned for its commitment to quality, customer service, and community engagement. Established over many decades, Hy-Vee operates numerous stores across the Midwest, offering a wide range of products including groceries, pharmacy services, and specialty food departments. The brand is built on the promise of providing "a helpful smile in every aisle," which reflects its dedication to creating a welcoming and positive shopping environment for all customers. At the core of Hy-Vee’s success is its workforce, which is described as its greatest strength — employees are encouraged to be engaged, professional, and customer-focused to contribute to the company’s family-like culture and supportive atmosphere.

The Sushi Chef position at Hy-Vee is an essential role within the Asian department, specifically focused on preparing fresh sushi for customers. This is a non-exempt, hourly role that requires a unique combination of culinary skill, attention to food safety, customer service excellence, and teamwork. The Sushi Chef will handle various duties including preparing made-to-order sushi as well as packaged sushi products, ensuring all dishes meet quality and safety standards. The position involves taking accurate food orders, managing inventory by ordering and receiving sushi-related products, labeling and storing goods properly, and maintaining clean and sanitary workstations.

A major part of this role is providing outstanding customer service — greeting customers warmly, answering product-related questions, assisting with shopping needs, and promoting a friendly department atmosphere. The Sushi Chef also plays a key role in training sushi clerks, contributing to smooth operations within the department. Responsibilities extend to food merchandising, helping to create attractive sushi displays, participating in food demonstrations, and keeping up with meal trends to enhance menu offerings.

Hy-Vee values teamwork and professionalism, encouraging sushi chefs to work cooperatively with colleagues, support store operations, and help maintain a positive shopping experience for all visitors. Physical demands include frequent lifting and other active tasks, and the fast-paced environment requires promptness and reliability. The ideal candidate will have high school education or equivalent, food safety certification, and 1-3 years of experience in food preparation or a related culinary field.

This position offers a unique opportunity for culinary professionals who are passionate about sushi and customer service to become part of a well-established company that nurtures growth, encourages a results-oriented mindset, and focuses on providing exceptional value to its customers. Employment is contingent upon passing a pre-employment drug screen, emphasizing Hy-Vee’s commitment to maintaining a safe and healthy workplace environment. Those ready to share a helpful smile and deliver top-quality sushi are encouraged to apply and join the Hy-Vee family.

Job Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent
Completed Hy-Vee food safety training
Food Safety Certified
One to three years of related work experience in food preparation
Ability to lift up to 50 pounds frequently and 10 pounds constantly
Vision with or without correction including depth perception, color vision and field of vision
Ability to perform physical activities such as balancing, stooping, kneeling, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting, finger dexterity, grasping, feeling, talking, hearing and repetitive motions
Ability to solve problems using abstract and concrete thinking
Ability to perform arithmetic calculations
Strong communication skills

Job Qualifications

High school diploma or equivalent
Hy-Vee food safety training
Food Safety Certification
One to three years of similar or related work experience
Prior experience in meal preparation is preferred
Ability to do logical or scientific thinking to solve problems
Ability to perform arithmetic calculations involving fractions, decimals and percentages
Excellent communication skills to compose correspondence and interact with customers
Teamwork and training experience

Job Duties

Prepares fresh sushi for customers both packaged and made-to-order
Provides prompt, efficient and friendly customer service by exhibiting caring, concern and patience in all customer interactions and treating customers as the most important people in the store
Smiles and greets customers in a friendly manner whether in the employee's department or elsewhere in the store
Makes an effort to learn customers' names and address them by name whenever possible
Answers the telephone promptly and provides friendly, helpful service to customers including taking product orders
Assists customers by escorting them to products, securing out-of-reach items, loading/unloading heavy items, making notes of customer suggestions, enhancing the shopping experience
Works as a team with co-workers and provides training to ensure customer satisfaction and a pleasant work environment
Practices proper sanitation procedures and keeps the work area clean and neat
Involved in scheduling and overseeing food ordering and planning
Communicates with customers via phone, email, or in person regarding food and preparation
Aids in merchandising sushi foods and food layout
Attends company and industry meetings as assigned
Adheres to company policies and store guidelines
Reports to work as scheduled and on time