Executive Chef

About the role

The Executive Chef (EC) at Tradition Golf Club is responsible for the day-to-day leadership and execution of all culinary operations, including the main dining room and bar, satellite dining space, and private dining spaces. This role requires a hands-on leader who is deeply involved in menu development, food purchasing specifications, and recipe execution, while ensuring consistent quality, strong cost controls, and adherence to food safety and sanitation standards.

Responsibilities

• Earn members' trust by instilling confidence through continued enhanced operations, interaction, and visibility.
• Create a fun, collaborative work environment while being "hands-on" when necessary but understanding when to step back and lead the team.
• Involves team members in the decision-making process of how "work gets done" and creates a work environment of mutual respect in which people want to come to and participate every day.
• Work closely with the front-of-house leadership and broader club leadership team to ensure a cohesive experience that consistently exceeds expectations for Members and guests.
• Develop and maintain standard recipes and techniques for food preparation and presentation that help to ensure consistency, high-quality, and minimize food costs.
• Attend Food and Beverage, Leadership, Financial, and other Meetings and represent the culinary team as a senior leader at the club.
• Establish controls to minimize food and supply waste and theft. Safeguard all food-preparation employees by implementing training to increase their knowledge about safety, sanitation, and accident prevention principles.
• Maintain safety training programs.
• Have a heart of hospitality, embrace, appreciate, promote, and elevate the warmth and culture of the Club.
• Welcome, encourage, and engage in regular feedback from Members.
• Strive to find creative ways to accommodate reasonable requests with a "can-do" approach.
• Create seasonally appropriate menus that the Membership has a hard time choosing from, with regular features and specials.
• Clearly understand the metrics for successful attainment of financial goals and objectives in F&B operations and consistently review these expectations with their direct reports to ensure understanding and 'buy-in' from those contributing to their attainment.
• Schedule and coordinate the work of chefs, cooks, and other kitchen employees to ensure that food preparation is economical and technically correct, and within budgeted labor cost goals.
• Embrace the use of systems (including regular inventory processes) and technology to assist in the management of the kitchen and the financial performance of the operation.
• Maintain strong relationships with local vendors and identify new vendors to ensure the best prices for the best quality products.
• Set a Culture of Quality and Pride: Establish clear expectations around food quality, cleanliness, and execution, and ensure that member favorites and special offerings are prepared with care, consistency, and attention to detail.
• Prioritize doing the basics well every day, strong organization, sound systems, and reliable execution so that members can count on a consistently positive dining experience.
• Take time to understand member preferences, dining habits, and traditions, maintaining popular staples while building trust through responsiveness and familiarity.
• Refresh menus and features in a way that feels approachable and appropriate for the Club, balancing creativity with comfort and familiarity.
• Lead and Develop the Team: Serve as a hands-on leader and mentor, supporting staff development through coaching, training, and clear expectations while fostering a positive, collaborative kitchen culture.
• Provide Steady, Practical Leadership: Offer calm, organized leadership within a smaller operation, working closely with the front-of-house and management team to support teamwork, communication, and shared goals.

Requirements

• Five years’ experience in a similar role or Executive Sous Chef with exposure to luxury hospitality, or large multi-outlet operations with both busy a la carte and banquets.
• Experienced with and embraces new technology, including POS and Microsoft Suite.
• This is an ideal role for a mature Executive Sous Chef to begin their advanced leadership in the private club sector.

Qualifications

• An associate or bachelor’s degree is preferred with a focus on Hospitality Management or Culinary.
• In lieu of the degree, substantial culinary or hospitality experience will be considered.
• Has achieved or is working towards Certified Executive Chef (CEC) certification through the American Culinary Federation (ACF) or Pro Chef II certification through the Culinary Institute of America.
• Food Safety Certified