Campus Executive Chef

Aramark; Hickory (NC); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Harvest Table Culinary Group is seeking an Executive Chef to lead and develop the culinary team, ensuring exceptional food quality, presentation, and service aligned with the company’s standards. The role oversees kitchen operations, safety compliance, and end-to-end menu execution.

The candidate will guide chefs, develop client relationships, and strive for margin improvements while maintaining best-in-class dining experiences across the portfolio.

Qualifications

• Minimum 4 years of culinary experience with 1-3 years in a management role.
• Strong leadership and people-development capabilities.
• Commitment to safety, sanitation and quality standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead culinary team to ensure high-quality food presentation and production.
• Develop client relationships and communicate regional culinary trends.
• Drive food and labor targets while improving margins and efficiency.
• Ensure compliance with safety, health, and wage-hour policies.

Skills

Leadership

Integrity

Active listening

Education

Culinary Associate degree

Bachelor's degree (preferred)

Job description

The Executive Chef is a management position.Responsible for developing and executing culinary solutions to meet customer needs and tastes. Offers a wide variety of culinary solutions to meet customer and client needs and tastes. Oversees and manages culinary operations to meet production, presentation, and service standards. Applies culinary techniques to food preparation and manages the final presentation and service of food.

Scope of Role:

Ensures dining operations comply with Harvest Table’s Executional Framework. Coaches and develops Chef de Cuisine and Sous Chefs by creating a shared understanding of what needs to be achieved and how to execute to create a best-in-class dining experience. Rewards, recognizes, and develops employees. Ensures high safety and sanitation standards in all operations.

Job Responsibilities

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Leadership

Manages culinary team to ensure quality in final presentation of food. Trains and manages culinary and kitchen employees to use best practice food production techniques. Rewards and recognize employees. Plans and executes team meetings and daily huddles. Completes and maintains all staff records, including training records, shift opening/closing checklists, and performance data. Possesses the ability to both multi-task and simplify the agenda for the team.

• Client Relationships

Develops and maintains effective client and customer rapport for mutually beneficial business relationships. Aggregates and communicates regional culinary and ingredient trends.

Responsible for delivering on food and labor targets. Understands performance metrics, data, order, and inventory trends. Maintains consistent focus on margin improvement.

• Productivity

Ensures efficient execution and delivery of all food products per the daily menu. Maintains the integrity of Harvest Table’s standards. Responsible for maintaining the highest quality of all food items at all times. Ensures full compliance with Operational Excellence fundamentals: waste management, standard menus, recipes, and ingredients while managing customer-driven menus and labor standards. Understands end-to-end supply chain and procurement processes and systems, ensuring only authorized suppliers are used. Possesses full knowledge and oversees implementation of the Food Framework. Ensures accuracy of estimated food consumption for appropriate requisitions and/or food purchases. Ensures proper equipment operation and maintenance.

• Compliance

Ensures compliance with Harvest Table' food, occupational, and environmental safety polices in all culinary and kitchen operations. Complies with all applicable policies, rules, and regulations, including (but not limited to) those related to safety, health, and wage and hour practices.

Qualifications

• Requires at least 4 years’ experience and 1-3 years in a management role.
• 2 year Culinary Associate degree or equivalent experience. Bachelor's degree (preferred).
• A strong value system, unquestioned integrity, and good listening skills.

About Harvest Table Culinary Group

Our Mission

Rooted in service and united by our purpose, we strive to do great things for each other, our partners, our communities, and our planet.

At HTCG, we believe that every employee should enjoy equal employment opportunity and be free to participate in all aspects of the company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, pregnancy, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military status, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by applicable law.