California Main Lodge Culinary Assistant Manager

Vail Resorts Careers; South Lake Tahoe (CA); On-site; USD 34,000 - 44,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Ski/Mountain perks

401(k) Retirement Plan

Employee Assistance Program

Excellent training and development

Job summary

Heavenly Mountain Resort in California seeks an experienced Culinary Assistant Manager to lead daily kitchen operations at California Main Lodge. You will partner with the General Manager to drive food quality, guest experience, and financial performance in a high-volume mountain dining environment.

This hands-on leadership role requires coaching teams, ensuring safety, and delivering an exceptional guest experience throughout the season.

Qualifications

• 2-4 years progressive leadership in culinary/hospitality operations.
• Strong culinary knowledge with high standards for quality and execution.
• Experience with scheduling, purchasing, inventory management, and cost controls.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily kitchen operations, production planning, and line execution.
• Coach and develop culinary staff through hands-on leadership and feedback.
• Ensure safety, sanitation, and compliance with health standards.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Culinary knowledge

Scheduling

Inventory management

Education

California Food Handler Certification

ServSafe Certification

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Now hiring for winter 2026/27 - Cooks, Drivers, Instructors & more.

Select how often (in days) to receive an alert: Create Alert

California Main Lodge Culinary Assistant Manager

Location: South Lake Tahoe, CA, US

Company: Heavenly Mountain Resort

Shift Type: Winter Seasonal 2026/2027

Create Your Experience of a Lifetime!

Come work and play in the mountains! Whether it is your first-time seeing snow or you were born on the slopes, joining our team means discovering (or re-discovering!) a passion for the outdoors while building lifelong connections with teammates and guests from around the world.

With 40+ resorts across 3 continents, you can join our team for a season or stay to build a career. From day one, you'll receive some of the highest compensation rates in the industry, free pass(es) along with free ski and snowboard lessons, 40% retail discounts, the chance to grow through Epic Service - our leading training and development experience, and wellness benefits to fuel your success.

Hiring for our seasonal positions occurs on a rolling basis. Applications will be accepted until December 15th or until the positions are filled (whichever is first).

Employee Benefits

• Ski/Mountain Perks! Free passes for employees, employee discounted lift tickets for friends and family AND free ski lessons
• MORE employee discounts on lodging, food, gear, and mountain shuttles
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Employee Assistance Program
• Excellent training and professional development

Job Summary

California Main Lodge is Heavenly's California base area dining destination, serving a diverse guest base while delivering high-quality food, hospitality, and memorable mountain experiences in one of the resort's busiest operations. As Assistant Manager, Chef, you'll partner with the General Manager to lead daily food and beverage operations while maintaining exceptional culinary standards, developing employees, and supporting safe, efficient, and profitable business performance. This is a hands-on leadership role where you'll spend your day leading kitchen operations, coaching teams, ensuring operational readiness, maintaining food quality standards, and supporting the execution of a consistently exceptional guest experience. Success in this role requires balancing culinary expertise with strong operational leadership. You'll help drive food quality, team engagement, safety, financial performance, and continuous improvement while working alongside your team in a fast-paced mountain environment. This position is ideal for a hospitality leader who enjoys leading from the front, developing people, and creating experiences that make California Main Lodge a destination guests want to return to throughout the season.

Job Specifications

• Starting Wage: $25.00/hr - $32.14/hr
• Employment Type: Winter Seasonal 2026/2027
• Shift Type: Full Timehours available
• Minimum Age: At least 18 years of age
• Housing Availability: No

Job Responsibilities

Guest Experience

• Lead by example to ensure every guest receives high-quality food, friendly service, and an exceptional dining experience.
• Maintain consistent standards for food quality, presentation, freshness, and execution across all culinary offerings.
• Support seasonal menus, promotions, events, and culinary initiatives that enhance the California Main Lodge guest experience.
• Address guest concerns professionally while empowering employees to create positive resolutions and memorable experiences.
• Conduct regular operational walkthroughs to ensure dining areas, kitchens, service stations, and guest-facing spaces consistently meet Heavenly's standards for cleanliness, presentation, and hospitality.

Operations & Execution

• Partner with the General Manager to ensure California Main Lodge operates safely, efficiently, and in accordance with company standards.
• Lead daily kitchen operations, production planning, food preparation, line execution, and operational readiness.
• Coordinate staffing, scheduling, shift leadership, and daily work assignments to support business demands.
• Ensure kitchens, storage areas, receiving locations, workspaces, and exterior operational areas remain clean, organized, and inspection-ready.
• Monitor food quality and product handling from receiving through service to maintain consistency and accountability.
• Support menu execution, operational improvements, and process enhancements that improve efficiency, quality, and guest satisfaction.
• Support labor, food cost, revenue, and profitability goals through effective operational leadership and resource management.
• Manage purchasing, receiving, inventory controls, product ordering, and month-end inventory processes.
• Monitor food waste, product utilization, and inventory levels while promoting responsible stewardship of company resources.
• Maintain awareness of labor and cost-of-sales performance and identify opportunities to drive improved financial results.
• Support accurate completion of payroll, inventory, reporting, and other administrative responsibilities.
• Lead, coach, and develop culinary and back-of-house employees through hands-on leadership, training, feedback, and accountability.
• Support recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and seasonal staffing efforts to build an engaged and high-performing team.
• Foster a positive team culture built on communication, respect, collaboration, safety, and continuous improvement.
• Lead by example through daily shift leadership, pre-shift meetings, coaching conversations, and employee recognition.
• Hold employees accountable to company policies, procedures, food safety requirements, and performance expectations while supporting their professional growth and development.

Safety & Compliance

• Promote a culture of safety while ensuring compliance with food safety, sanitation, OSHA, and company safety standards.
• Conduct regular operational and safety inspections while proactively addressing hazards and maintenance concerns.
• Ensure compliance with all required health department regulations, food handling standards, and safety procedures.
• Support accurate completion of safety plans, facility inspections, payroll processes, operational checklists, and required documentation.
• Maintain safe working conditions throughout the winter season, including snow-related operational responsibilities as required.
• Collaborate with Mountain Operations, Facilities, Retail, Ski School, Lift Operations, and other resort partners to deliver a seamless guest experience.
• Embrace innovation and support new ideas that improve food quality, operational efficiency, employee engagement, and guest satisfaction.
• Contribute ideas that strengthen culinary execution, enhance consistency, and support the continued evolution of Heavenly Mountain Dining. Culinary
• Support mountain-wide initiatives, special events, changing weather conditions, and other departments as business needs require, demonstrating a One Team approach.
• Support additional responsibilities and operational needs as assigned while maintaining flexibility and a commitment to team success.

Job Requirements

• 2-4 years of progressive leadership experience in culinary, food and beverage, hospitality, restaurant, resort, or related operations.
• Demonstrated success leading teams in a high-volume food and beverage environment.
• Strong culinary knowledge with the ability to maintain high standards for food quality, consistency, and execution.
• Exceptional communication, coaching, and team-building skills with a collaborative, hands-on leadership style.
• Experience with scheduling, purchasing, inventory management, food cost control, labor management, and operational reporting preferred.
• Intermediate proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook).
• California Food Handler Certification and ServSafe Certification required.
• Ability to work weekends, holidays, and in a mountain environment during all weather conditions.
• Positive attitude, strong work ethic, and a genuine passion for hospitality, people development, and continuous improvement.

The expected pay range is$25.00/hr - $32.14/hr. This is the pay range we reasonably expect to pay for this position. Individual compensation decisions are based on a variety of factors.

In completing this application, and when submitting related documentation, applicants may redact information that identifies their age, date of birth, and/or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.

We follow all federal, state, and local laws including restrictions on child/minor labor. Minors hired into this position will not be asked or permitted to engage in any activities restricted to adult workers.

Vail Resorts is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other status protected by applicable law.