Chef de Cuisine / Head Chef

Hotel Reynard; Troutdale (OR); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A small independent hospitality venue in Troutdale, Oregon, is seeking a Chef de Cuisine to lead the kitchen operations. The ideal candidate will manage daily prep and service, hire and train the back of house team, and maintain high standards of cleanliness and food safety. This role requires solid kitchen leadership experience and good judgment in food quality. Join a team focused on creating a restaurant with character in a collaborative environment.

Qualifications

• Experience as a chef, sous chef, or CDC-level role is essential.
• Ability to balance creativity with repeatability.
• Good judgment regarding labor and service flow.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily kitchen operations including prep and service.
• Hire and train the back of house team.
• Maintain cleanliness and food safety standards.

Skills

Kitchen leadership experience

Good judgment around food quality

Calm leadership

Strong command of prep and line execution

Job description

Hotel Reynard is a small independent restaurant, bar, and hotel in Troutdale, Oregon. It is an eight-room inn above a 60-seat tavern-style restaurant and bar, built by experienced hands‑on operators with a clear point of view. We are creating a place with character, warmth, and high standards, and the restaurant is at the center of it.

We are hiring a Chef de Cuisine / Head Chef to lead the opening kitchen, set the tone for the back of house, and help build a restaurant people return to. This role is for a chef with strong fundamentals, good taste, and a clear sense of hospitality. We are interested in food that is seasonal, well judged, rooted in good product and sound technique, and made with restraint.

This is a small independent house, and the work is visible here. The right person will take pride in building something lasting and running a kitchen that is clean, steady, and well led.

THE ROLE

You will lead daily kitchen operations and establish the habits, routines, and standards that define the kitchen. This includes prep and line execution, hiring and training, ordering and receiving, recipe documentation, sanitation, labor management, and food cost control.

You will work within an owner‑defined concept and help shape a menu and kitchen that are organized, consistent, and worth returning to. You should be comfortable leading a small team, coaching in real time, and maintaining standards without drama. You will also work closely with ownership, management, and beverage to create a restaurant experience that feels coherent from kitchen to dining room.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead daily kitchen operations across prep, service, and closing
• Hire, train, schedule, and develop the opening BOH team
• Maintain cleanliness, organization, sanitation, and food safety standards
• Build prep systems, pars, production forecasts, and station readiness
• Create and maintain recipes, procedures, and plating standards
• Manage ordering, receiving, storage, labeling, and inventory
• Work with ownership and purveyors on sourcing and menu development
• Lead service with strong communication, calm urgency, and attention to detail
• Coach cooks and dish staff in real time
• Monitor labor, food cost, waste, and controllable expenses

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR?

• Kitchen leadership experience in a chef, sous chef, or CDC‑level role
• Strong command of prep, line execution, expediting, and daily systems
• Calm leadership, direct feedback, and accountability
• Good judgment around food quality, labor, ordering, and service flow
• Appreciation for regional ingredients and European gastropub‑influenced cooking
• Ability to balance creativity with repeatability in a small independent operation

WHY JOIN US?

Hotel Reynard is being built by people who care about substance, good taste, and useful work. This is an opportunity to help shape a restaurant with character inside a larger house of hospitality.

If that sounds like you, we would like to hear from you.