Executive Chef

Culinary Leadership

Provide strategic leadership for all culinary operations across East Bank Club, including restaurants, retail food operations, catering, banquets, employee dining, and production kitchens.

Establish, communicate, and uphold culinary standards that reflect East Bank Club's commitment to excellence.

Lead the development and continuous improvement of culinary operating procedures, systems, and quality standards.

Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, respect, innovation, and continuous learning.

Mentor and develop culinary leaders while creating clear pathways for professional growth.

Promote teamwork across culinary, stewarding, purchasing, service, and support departments.

Lead by example while maintaining a positive, respectful, and inclusive workplace.

Menu Development & Culinary Innovation

Lead the creation, development, execution, and ongoing evolution of menus across all Club dining outlets.

Balance innovation, seasonality, wellness, member preferences, local market trends, operational efficiency, and profitability.

Ensure consistency in menu execution throughout restaurants, banquets, catering, retail food operations, and employee dining.

Develop standardized recipes, production guides, plating standards, and culinary training materials.

Evaluate menu performance and identify opportunities to improve quality, efficiency, and member satisfaction.

Introduce new culinary concepts, products, and techniques that enhance the overall member experience.

Wellness & Nutrition Collaboration

Partner closely with the Club's Nutrition team to develop innovative culinary programs that support East Bank Club's mission of promoting healthy lifestyles while delivering exceptional dining experiences.

Collaborate on health-focused menus, wellness initiatives, educational programming, retail offerings, and special events that encourage members to live well.

Ensure nutritional principles are thoughtfully incorporated into menu development while maintaining exceptional flavor, creativity, and culinary excellence.

Work collaboratively with the Nutrition, Fitness, and Food & Beverage teams to identify emerging wellness trends and translate them into engaging culinary experiences.

Support the continued evolution of East Bank Club as a leader in wellness-focused hospitality through innovative food offerings and cross-department collaboration.

Balance wellness-focused programming with the diverse dining preferences of the Club's membership by creating menus that offer both nutritious and indulgent options while maintaining the highest culinary standards.

Operational Excellence

Direct all daily culinary operations including production, prep, receiving, stewarding, storage, sanitation, and service execution.

Ensure kitchens are properly staffed, organized, and prepared to meet daily business demands.

Maintain exceptional standards of food quality, consistency, freshness, presentation, cleanliness, and organization.

Oversee receiving procedures and inventory management to ensure product quality, proper rotation, and food safety.

Maintain organized walk-ins, storage areas, and production spaces.

Conduct regular kitchen inspections to ensure adherence to Club standards.

Lead daily culinary meetings and shift briefings.

Partner closely with front-of-house leadership to ensure seamless service execution.

Financial & Business Management

Develop and manage departmental budgets.

Drive financial performance through effective management of food cost, labor, purchasing, forecasting, inventory controls, and operational efficiencies.

Analyze financial reports and operational metrics to identify opportunities for improvement.

Partner with Purchasing to ensure product quality, vendor performance, and cost management.

Support capital planning and equipment replacement initiatives.

Utilize technology and operational data to improve efficiency and decision-making.

Team Leadership & Talent Development

Recruit, hire, onboard, train, coach, and retain exceptional culinary professionals.

Direct the work of Executive Sous Chefs, Sous Chefs, kitchen managers, supervisors, cooks, stewards, and support staff.

Conduct performance evaluations and development plans.

Partner with Human Resources regarding employee relations and disciplinary matters.

Develop future culinary leaders through coaching, mentoring, and succession planning.

Member Experience

Ensure every culinary experience reflects East Bank Club's commitment to exceptional hospitality.

Collaborate with Food & Beverage leadership to continually improve the member dining experience.

Partner with Banquets, Catering, Marketing, Membership, and Club leadership on programming and events.

Seek member feedback and continually enhance culinary offerings.

Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance

Ensure compliance with all City of Chicago, State of Illinois, and federal health regulations.

Maintain the highest standards of sanitation, HACCP, labeling, temperature control, and safe food handling.

Ensure required food safety certifications remain current.

Communication & Cross-Department Collaboration

Maintain strong communication across departments.

Partner with Purchasing, Finance, Human Resources, Engineering, Marketing, Fitness, Nutrition, Membership, and Club Operations.

Foster collaboration between front-of-house and back-of-house teams.