Executive Chef

Job Title: Executive Chef

Department: Dining Services

Reports To: Director of Food and Beverage

FLSA Status: Exempt

TB Requirements: Yes

Supervises: Sous Chefs, Cooks, Prep Cooks, Dishwashers, Dining Service Leads, Dining Room Servers, Bistro Attendants

Our Mission: To provide a luxury resort experience with genuine hospitality and five-star quality care for our residents.

Basic Function

The Executive Chef is responsible for managing all aspects of the food service program available at the community, including staffing; inventory/budget control; food handling, preparation, and storage; and sanitation procedures. Adheres to customer service and hospitality philosophy by engaging in excellent customer service to residents and their families, and team members.

Position Summary:

The Executive Chef is a key leadership role responsible for overseeing all aspects of the culinary operations at Symphony Park. This position demands creativity, passion for food, and a strong commitment to providing an outstanding dining experience for our residents.

Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities:

Managing People

• Maintains a regular presence in the dining room during mealtimes to hear input and concerns, while monitoring and ensuring high quality food preparation, satisfaction, and presentation.
• Builds and maintains professional resident relationships in order to resolve issues or concerns in a timely and positive manner.
• Provides team members with coaching, feedback, and developmental opportunities and builds effective teams.
• Effectively hires staff that exhibit standard expectations and competencies, while maintaining a low turnover rate for consistency in the dining experience for residents.
• Determines and communicates clear standards and expectations for the department and holds team members accountable for performance.
• Evaluate team members’ skills and competencies and ensure regular coaching and the completion of timely performance reviews.
• Recommends salary adjustments, transfers, promotions and dismissals.
• Fosters a cooperative and harmonious working climate conductive to maximize employee morale and productivity in the dining department as well as all other community departments.
• Plans staffing levels and schedules based on dining levels of residents.
• Prepares and administer daily, weekly, and monthly job duty lists for all food service staff.
• Assures proper training and certification of all food service staff as required by state and local guidelines.
• Enforce the community uniform and dress code.

Administration

• Adheres to budgetary guidelines established in collaboration with the General Manager.
• Maintains an accurate spend-down worksheet for dining service budgets.
• Prepares and enforces all regular cleaning schedules and monitors for compliance.
• Using company menus, prepares and places orders for all food and non-food items needed for daily food preparation and kitchen sanitation with company approved vendors.
• Provides timely management reports, as required.

Production

• Schedules and supervises all food preparation activities, as well as hands-on cooking (working the line) on most days.
• Establishes menu items from approved recipes in accordance with department policies and procedures.
• Provides leadership and staff training for a made-from-scratch menu, including making stocks, baking fresh bread and making salad dressings in-house.
• Creates and markets a Signature-food item for the community.
• Initiates creative menu items within provided guidelines for regional preferences requested by residents.
• Always enforces the practice of safe food handling.
• Ensures that foods and flavors meet and exceed residents’ approval.
• Ensures that all work surfaces and utensils are cleaned and sanitized before use and throughout the workday.
• Ensures that all food is attractively presented.

Job Qualifications and Skills:

• Education: Culinary Arts Degree or equivalent professional culinary certification.
• Experience: Minimum of 5 years in a leadership role in a fine dining or high-volume culinary environment, with experience in menu creation and staff management.
• Leadership: Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire and motivate a team.
• Communication: Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a focus on resident satisfaction.
• Flexibility: Ability to work a flexible schedule, including weekends, holidays, and special events.

Physical Demands:

• Walk/Stand – must be able to continuously walk and stand.
• Environment Condition – must be able to perform work both inside and outside.
• Sit – sit infrequently.
• Lift - constantly 0-10 pounds, frequently 11 – 50 pounds, occasionally 51 – 100 pounds.
• Carry - constantly 0-10 pounds, frequently 11 – 50 pounds, occasionally 51 – 100 pounds.
• Push - constantly 0-10 pounds, frequently 11 – 50 pounds, occasionally 51 – 100 pounds.
• Climb – must be able to climb stairs on a frequent basis, with the opportunity to utilize the elevator as an alternate resource if available.
• Bend – must be able to bend at the waist, knees, hips, and spine on a frequent basis; may require frequently manipulating weights of 25 pounds or more.
• Squat – must be able to squat on a frequent basis to reach below the knee, may require lifting of 50 pounds or less.
• Twist or rotate – must be able to twist or rotate occasionally at the trunk, hips, knees, and neck, manipulating weights of 25 pounds or more.
• Reach– must be able to reach on a frequent basis. May occasionally reach overhead, requiring manipulation of weight of 10 pounds or less, and below waist manipulating weight of 25 pounds or more.