C

CSC Generation

Acquires and revitalizes retail brands

Culinary Lead - Sur La Table

Full-Time
$20.50 - $21.81/hr
Junior, Mid
Bachelor's
Albany, NY, USA
In Person

About the job

Requirements
  • One to two years of progressively responsible kitchen operations or kitchen management experience.
  • A culinary degree or equivalent Sous Chef experience in lieu of the degree.
  • A valid Food Handlers or Food Managers Certification.
  • Must be at least 21 years old.
  • Familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, and Outlook.
  • Demonstrated successful teaching and training experience.
  • Proven ability to drive sales and motivate teams.
  • Proven training and communication skills.
  • Proven leadership and financial management skills.
  • Ability to communicate verbally and work cooperatively with employees and customers.
  • Ability to remain stationary for up to three hours at a time.
  • Ability to move about the workplace while coaching and directing employees, class participants, or while selling to customers.
  • Ability to distinguish differences or similarities in the intensity or quality of flavors or odors.
  • Ability to grab, reach, push, pull, bend, stoop, kneel, and crouch to demonstrate, retrieve, or replenish merchandise and cooking equipment.
  • Ability to use hands to chop, whisk, slice, stir, juice, and demonstrate other techniques.
  • Ability to work a varied schedule to teach classes at different times of day, week, and year.
  • Ability to operate a computer, point-of-sale system, keyboard, merchandise scanners, and mouse.
  • Regular and predictable attendance.
  • Ability to lift or move merchandise or kitchen equipment weighing up to 35 pounds.
  • Ability to work with an open flame or other heating units and tolerate variation in kitchen temperature.
Responsibilities
  • Model and direct employees to ensure customer service standards are met.
  • Deliver and hold employees accountable for an exceptional cooking class experience using provided recipes and game plans.
  • Support or deliver training for all employees.
  • Maintain proper storage, preparation, and service procedures, as well as sanitary equipment and workspaces.
  • Ensure food items are cooked and served at the correct temperature.
  • Communicate, maintain, and consistently enforce company policies and standard operating procedures.
  • Provide coaching and performance feedback to culinary employees.
  • Identify opportunities to increase cooking class and retail sales, and direct culinary employees in executing sales plans.
  • Anticipate and solve problems through decisive action, and follow up with the Resident Chef.
  • Maintain product knowledge, access available training, and seek additional resources when necessary.
  • Ensure the accuracy and integrity of employee information, including time and attendance records and personal data.
  • Partner with the Resident Chef, headquarters culinary team, Human Resources, and other departments as needed.
  • Communicate with employees, customers, field management, and the corporate office.
  • Ensure adherence to applicable wage and hour laws and accurately record time worked.
  • Handle, serve, and pour liquor, wine, and beer, and mix ingredients to prepare cocktails and other drinks.
  • Perform additional responsibilities assigned by the Resident Chef.

About the company

CSC Generation acquires underperforming retail brands and grows them into profitable ventures by integrating them into its shared operating platform. It operates across retail, e-commerce, and wholesale, leveraging technology, skilled staff, efficient processes, and scalable operations to optimize product sourcing, marketing, fulfillment, and customer experience. Its portfolio includes brands like DirectBuy, One Kings Lane, Sur La Table, Touch of Modern, and Cherry Man Industries, collectively offering over 325,000 products and attracting about 10 million monthly page views. The company differentiates itself by targeting “unsexy” opportunities others overlook and by applying its centralized platform to turn around and scale these brands into sustainable revenue generators. Its goal is steady growth and profitability by transforming underperforming brands into thriving parts of its portfolio, serving a wide range of consumers and business clients.

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

Series E

Total Funding

$107.6M

Headquarters

Chicago, Illinois

Founded

2016

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • CSC says 2026 revenue exceeded $1 billion across 13 brands.
  • It added Backcountry in September 2024, expanding into outdoor recreation.
  • Backcountry launched a 2026 brand incubator, showing acquisition-led growth momentum.

What critics are saying

  • Indeed reviews in 2026 cite low pay, burnout, and constant layoffs.
  • Headcount fell to 2,836 in March 2026, signaling continued operating pressure.
  • Backcountry CEO Melanie Cox left in January 2025, exposing integration and retention risk.

What makes CSC Generation unique

  • CSC Generation uses Genesis, a shared AI-enabled operating platform across 13 brands.
  • It buys distressed retailers like Backcountry, Sur La Table, and One Kings Lane.
  • It monetizes turnaround expertise, not standalone software, across home and outdoor verticals.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

401(k) Company Match

Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account

Life Insurance

Paid Holidays

Paid Vacation

Pet Insurance

Employee Discounts

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

↑ 13%

1 year growth

↑ 13%

2 year growth

↑ 12%
The Salt Lake Tribune
Sep 10th, 2024
Backcountry.com, once the outdoor industry's 'cool brand,' sells to investment firm

Backcountry.com, the Utah outdoor brand known for its goat logo and semi-annual sales at its West Valley City warehouse, has sold to investment firm CSG Generation, according to a report from Pulse Ratings, Inc.

PR Newswire
Sep 10th, 2024
CSC Generation Enterprise Acquires Backcountry, Expanding Its Portfolio of Consumer-Centric Brands

CSC Generation Enterprise acquires Backcountry, expanding its portfolio of consumer-centric brands.

SGB Media
Sep 10th, 2024
EXEC: Backcountry Sold as TSG Closes Deal with CSC Generation Enterprise

CSC acquired the company from TSG Consumer Partners, which acquired the business in July 2015.

BGM
Dec 6th, 2023
Is your business underestimating the value of older workers?

In October, global employment nonprofit Generation, in partnership with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), released a report entitled The Midcareer Opportunity: Meeting the Challenges of an Ageing Workforce.

The Business Journals
Jan 25th, 2023
BrandX, owner of Boston Store name, brings back BonTon brand online

CSC Generation had purchased the intellectual property through The Bon-Ton Stores Inc.’s bankruptcy proceedings.