Phill Mudge

Experience

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  Cactus Club Cafe

  Jun 1993 - Jan 1997

  Line Cook, Junior Sous Chef, Sous Chef

  A Part time job during high school and university turned into a passion for cooking, management, and leadership. I learned all of the steps of food preparation, shift management and leading teams.Working for Cactus Club when it was a group of 5 ambitious locations, I participated in the start of what the organization is today.

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  Cactus Club Cafe

  Jan 1998 - Jan 2011

  As a Senior Chef, I fuelled my passion for Leadership development, operational excellence, and broadening influence. I became a Chef mentor, a Culture ambassador for struggling locations, and participated in multiple new store openings.Development- I developed a team of Sous chefs and Senior Sous Chefs to manage the operations in my absence. When deployed to other locations, I left behind an internally trained replacement that seamlessly took over the day to day operation.Chef mentor- I performed store visits to Nanaimo to support a struggling Chef improve results in food quality, systems and profitability. I spent 4 Weeks in Calgary to onboard a new Chef and stabilize the operation as they integrated. Culture ambassador/ Change management- Entered the Richmond location that had been struggling to produce results and in 2 months had Food Cost, Kitchen Labor and staffing needs stabilized and below set budgets.- Entered the West Broadway location in 2009 during the recession to turn the struggling operation around. Hired and trained a new Sous Chef team, Cross trained the entire roster, created and reimplemented systems and routines that had been neglected. In 6 Months the location was thriving and operating despite the economic downturn.Openings- I was a member of 6 Training Chef teams to open new locations. Responsibilities included supporting the opening Chef, and Sous Chefs, teaching culture, procedures and systems to new staff, ensuring a seamless opening day. Performance management of trainees, supporting termination decisions for poor fits, and creating/implementing adjustments to the operation during testing. Show less Promoted to Chef when I was 22 years old.As a Chef I was responsible for all Kitchen operations. The responsibilities included;- People- Recruitment, On boarding, Performance management, Terminations, Recognition- Product- Product quality control, consistency with the organization, Purchasing and operational execution, Food Safety compliance, - P&L accountability- Managing costs with a focus on Food Cost and Labor costs. - Marketing- Sales building strategies, Chef collaborations, Menu rollouts, Golf tournament offerings- Strategy- Co-led weekly manager meetings with Jr managers and Sous Chefs to align operations, participated in Annual Business General meetings, Supported creation of early adopted training materials and system documentsI was promoted at the Richmond location, transitioned to North Vancouver to gain experience. Show less

  • Senior Chef

    Jan 2002 - Jan 2011

  • Junior Chef

    Jan 1998 - Jan 2002
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  Cactus Club Cafe

  Jan 2012 - Dec 2022

  Took a step away from Regional Ops to participate in a new Store opening of the Richmond Center location. With changes in my life situation, I made the decision to focus on one location and its operation. Successes in these years included;Leadership Development skills- Assisting in the promotion of 3 Chefs and 3 Senior Sous Chefs. Pairing up with 3 New General Managers to support their transition to Senior Leadership.Operational sustainability- Maintaining profits and execution excellence while focusing on team development, external mentoring, improved Work/ Life integration for my team, and navigating a changing generational and ethnic work force.Crisis Leadership- Directed COVID-19 adaptation strategies- enhanced health & safety measures, business model shift to Takeout and delivery, Staffing complexity and Cost and Supply chain issues. My location maintained high sales and profit and were able to restore full pre-pandemic revenue within two years.Chef support- Visited other locations to share best practices, support culture changes, and help training and development of their teams. Show less Responsible for the Kitchen Operations for three locationsDuties included; - Leadership Team development and Succession planning- Financial results for all locations, Setting and approving budgets and Capital spending, - Operational strategy to support openings, - Regional Team Collaboration- Improving organizational processes and initiatives- Champion projects (Creating training material, Audit systems, Culinary training)- Driving Culinary excellence and consistency across all locations. Show less

  • Legacy Chef

    Jan 2017 - Dec 2022

  • Regional Chef

    Jan 2012 - Jan 2017
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  Enviro-Tech Mechanical Services Ltd.

  Jan 2023 - Oct 2024

  General Manager

  I spearheaded strategic operations management at Enviro-Tech Mechanical Services Ltd. in Burnaby, BC, focusing on revenue optimization, talent development, customer retention, market expansion, and brand building.