Chef de Cuisine

Whale Harbor Restaurant Group operates Flagler Station SteakHouse (an upscale steakhouse overlooking the Atlantic), Wahoo's (high-volume waterfront dining), Hog Heaven (BBQ and sports bar), and a forthcoming gourmet market in Islamorada, Florida Keys. We are seeking a hands-on Chef de Cuisine for Flagler Station SteakHouse who leads from the line, develops people, controls costs, maintains an immaculate kitchen, and delivers consistent excellence.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day kitchen operations and set the standard for culinary excellence.
• Maintain exceptional food quality, consistency, flavor, presentation, and portion control.
• Lead from the line and remain highly visible during service.
• Train, coach, develop, and hold back-of-house employees accountable.
• Develop and execute recipes, specials, seasonal dishes, and menu items.
• Ensure every recipe has accurate ingredients, yields, portions, procedures, and plating specifications.
• Manage food cost, labor cost, purchasing, inventory, waste, and product utilization.
• Maintain proper pars and ordering levels without unnecessary overstock.
• Conduct and oversee accurate inventories.
• Work with management systems to monitor actual vs. theoretical food cost.
• Inspect deliveries for quality, weight, specifications, and proper pricing.
• Maintain strong relationships with seafood, meat, produce, and specialty-food purveyors.
• Properly utilize trim, by-products, and cross-utilization opportunities while maintaining quality standards.
• Create effective prep and production systems.
• Develop BOH schedules based on forecasted sales and business demand.
• Control overtime and unnecessary labor while maintaining appropriate staffing levels.
• Enforce FIFO, labeling, dating, storage, temperature, sanitation, and food-safety standards.
• Maintain an exceptionally clean and organized kitchen, walk-in, freezer, dry storage, and prep areas.
• Conduct effective pre-shift meetings and communicate specials, 86'd items, VIPs, events, and operational priorities.
• Work closely with front-of-house management to provide a seamless guest experience.
• Participate in tastings, menu development, special events, banquets, and restaurant promotions.
• Develop sous chefs, supervisors, and cooks into stronger culinary professionals.
• Establish a culture of urgency, accountability, respect, teamwork, and pride.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive professional kitchen experience.
• Previous experience as a Chef de Cuisine, Executive Sous Chef, Executive Chef, or comparable kitchen leadership position.
• High-volume restaurant experience strongly preferred.
• Strong knowledge of proteins, seafood, sauces, butchery, grilling, roasting, sauté, and proper cooking techniques.
• Experience with upscale dining and steakhouse operations highly desirable.
• Strong understanding of food cost, recipe costing, inventory, purchasing, yields, waste, and kitchen labor management.
• Proven ability to recruit, train, motivate, and retain a strong culinary team.
• Excellent organization and communication skills.
• Current food-safety certification or ability to obtain required certification.
• Ability to work nights, weekends, holidays, and peak business periods.

Physical Requirements

• Stand and walk for extended periods.
• Work in hot, humid, refrigerated, and fast-paced kitchen environments.
• Frequently bend, reach, stoop, push, pull, and perform repetitive movements.
• Safely lift and carry up to 50 pounds.
• Work around hot cooking equipment, knives, wet surfaces, refrigeration, and other commercial-kitchen equipment.
• Maintain the physical stamina necessary to lead and participate in high-volume services.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation based on experience.
• Opportunity for advancement within a growing restaurant group.
• Creative involvement in menus and culinary development.
• Professional leadership environment.
• Work with premium Florida seafood, steaks, fresh ingredients, and specialty products.
• Live and work in Islamorada in the Florida Keys.