Winery Chef

JOB TITLE: Winery Chef

DEPARTMENT: Wine & Food Events

REPORTS TO: Director, Consumer Sales & Marketing

CLASSIFICATION: Exempt

Born from our founder’s deep connection to the exploration of wines through his travels around the world, along with the undeniable draw of the inspirational spirit of Napa Valley – Sequoia Grove Winery has always centered itself around people, place, and history. Our past, present, and future are built upon a community of people who relentlessly and tirelessly pour themselves into crafting wines that not only tell a story of place, but are destined to attempt life’s greatest pleasure: enriching the lives of those we are able to share them with.

Sequoia Grove Winery crafts an array of balanced and complex Cabernet Sauvignon that showcase the Napa Valley as well as the diversity of the single vineyards from which our wines are born. Each bottle is a signature of the land, the people, and the history poured into it.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Winery Chef role is a unique opportunity to spearhead one of Napa Valley’s most highly regarded Wine & Food pairing programs. The Winery Chef is responsible for the creation of exceptional culinary programs that showcase and uplift our outstanding wines to provide memorable experiences for guests. The Winery Chef is responsible for the planning and preparation of pairings for our Wine & Food Program, plus all winery events including but not limited to Winemaker Dinners, Wine Club Events, and Private Events.

As a key manager for the winery, this role is also responsible for the financial management and accountability for all related costs and achievement of the financial goals for the W&F Department. This is a regular, full-time, exempt position requiring weekends and some holidays, as well as flexibility in scheduling to ensure business staffing needs are met. Reliability and punctuality are a must.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

· Manages all Wine & Food operations, ensuring the highest food quality and sanitation standards are maintained.

· Plans/develops menus for all food service, including trade/VIP menus, considering wine pairing, seasonality, costs, and all relevant factors.

· Manages staff to improve morale, reduce turnover, and increase productivity. Provides supervision, training, and education to Hosts, Support/Kitchen staff as needed, to ensure exceptional guest experiences.

· In coordination with Winemaking, provides optimal pairings for specific wines. Learns and shares the Winery’s point of view on how food preparation can by adjusted to elevate the essence of a wine, especially Cabernet.

· Contributes to marketing efforts with a willingness and eagerness to appear in digital and in person marketing initiatives including but not limited to social media videos, recipe/blog posts, and press visits.

· Represents the winery at Wine & Food Pairings and other on-site and off-site events, cooking demonstrations, media events and interviews.

· Manages and controls Wine & Food Dept. budget; monitors budget vs financial results; takes corrective action as necessary to ensure financial goals are met.

· Manages physical inventories of food supplies, linens, etc., purchasing as needed.

· Responsible for compliance with the Winery’s sustainability policies/practices, and supports conservation, energy efficiency, and recycling.

· Special projects and other responsibilities as required.

MANAGEMENT/LEADERSHIP

· Ensures, by performance and example, that the Winery culture is consistently upheld in all business and employee interactions, complying with federal & state laws, and company policies & procedures.

· Hires, leads, develops, and trains Wine & Food team to provide exceptional customer service to all guests, achieve goals, and build customer loyalty.

· Keeps SOPs up to date. Upholds all standards of professionalism.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE/SKILLS

· Bachelor’s degree in related area, specialized/technical training such as a Certificate of Completion from a culinary institute, a minimum of 7 years of related experience or equivalent education + experience.

· Exceptional culinary skills. highly imaginative with the ability to visualize and create exciting and innovative Wine & Food programs and experiences.

· General wine industry knowledge with a discerning palate for tasting and evaluating wine & food.

· Previous management or supervisory experience in the wine and/or food industry.

· Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills. Able to make presentations to groups and communicate and connect with guests.

· Excellent organizational, planning, and scheduling skills; highly accurate, organized, and detail oriented, with strong time management.

· Ability to work weekends, holidays, and periodic evenings, plus scheduling flexibility to ensure staffing needs met.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Most job duties will be performed in the Winery Kitchen. Work involves moderate exposure to unusual elements, such as extreme temperature, dirt, dust, fumes, smoke, unpleasant odors, and/or loud noises. Some areas in the Kitchen are cold, wet, slippery, and noisy and may involve exposure moving equipment and parts. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, climb stairs, talk, hear, taste, and smell. Must possess vision, hearing, and sufficient digital manipulation skills to utilize a computer keyboard, telephone, and other office equipment. The employee is occasionally required to climb, balance, and bend. The employee must be able to frequently lift and carry up to 50 lbs.

Sequoia grove Winery is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment. (EOE M/V/F/D)

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $85,000.00 - $110,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Pay rate:

• Yearly pay

Shift:

• Day shift
• Evening shift
• Night shift

Weekly day range:

• Every weekend
• Monday to Friday

Work setting:

• Casual dining restaurant

Ability to Relocate:

• Napa, CA 94558: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person