Executive Chef

Vicente's Supermarket is seeking a skilled, hands-on Executive Chef to lead culinary operations across multiple store locations, serving a diverse customer base including Haitian, Cape Verdean, Brazilian, Latin American, and Portuguese communities. This role requires deep, authentic expertise in Haitian, Cape Verdean, and Brazilian cuisines — the heart of Vicente's culinary identity — with working range across Caribbean, Portuguese, and Central & South American cooking.

Responsibilities

• Oversee kitchen operations across multiple store locations, ensuring food safety, quality, and consistency at all times
• Ensure compliance with health, safety, and sanitation regulations across all locations
• Drive the presentation and sales performance of prepared foods and catering programs across all units
• Develop and standardize culturally authentic menus, anchored in Haitian, Cape Verdean, and Brazilian cuisine and reflecting the broader communities Vicente's serves
• Standardize recipes with exact specifications to maintain consistency and quality across all store locations
• Ensure breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffet menu schedules are upheld to company standards
• Train and manage culinary teams across all locations, overseeing schedules and implementing HR standards to foster a positive and collaborative work environment
• Establish and run a chef accountability structure — quality, cost, and shrink standards with a named owner in every kitchen
• Conduct ongoing training sessions to enhance team skills, food knowledge, and service standards
• Drive cultural changes within the team to align with the supermarket's values and goals
• Control food cost, manage inventory levels, and oversee ordering practices to stay within budget
• Build and maintain vendor relationships to ensure availability of fresh, high-quality ingredients
• Provide complete, accurate recipe documentation and current recipe costs to support the Commissary food cost platform, and partner with that team until food cost reaches target
• Maintain high food quality and presentation standards to ensure an excellent customer experience
• Collaborate with Store Directors and Marketing to develop merchandising strategies, appealing food displays, and promotional campaigns
• Address customer feedback promptly and use customer insights to continuously improve the dining experience

Requirements

• Proven experience as an Executive Chef or senior culinary leader, ideally overseeing multiple locations or high-volume prepared foods operations
• Deep, hands-on expertise in Haitian, Cape Verdean, and Brazilian cuisines required; broader Caribbean, Portuguese, and Central & South American range strongly preferred
• Demonstrated ability to standardize recipes, control food cost, and manage inventory and vendor relationships
• Strong leadership and training skills, with experience managing and developing culinary teams
• ServSafe or equivalent food safety certification required; strong working knowledge of health and sanitation regulations
• Excellent organizational and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across Store Directors, Marketing, and corporate teams
• Bilingual (English/Haitian Creole, English/Cape Verdean Creole, English/Portuguese, or English/Spanish) strongly preferred
• Willingness and ability to travel regularly between store locations

Working Conditions

• Fast-paced, multi-location kitchen environment with frequent standing, lifting, and multitasking
• Must be able to work around heat, steam, and commercial kitchen equipment
• Requires regular travel between store locations to oversee culinary operations and teams
• Requires flexibility to work during busy breakfast, lunch, dinner, and catering event periods, including some evenings, weekends, and holidays
• Must maintain cleanliness and food safety protocols at all times across all locations