Executive Chef

Confidential; Baltimore (MD); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

The Executive Chef will lead all back-of-house operations for a high-volume Baltimore area restaurant, guiding culinary excellence, guest satisfaction, and financial performance.

Reporting to the General Manager, you will develop menus, manage food safety, control costs, mentor culinary managers, and foster a hospitality-first culture while ensuring brand standards across all shifts.

Qualifications

• 10+ years progressive culinary leadership experience.
• Minimum 3-5 years leading high-volume, full-service ops over $8M annual sales.
• Multi-unit experience preferred.
• Strong financial acumen with food, labor and operating costs.
• Experience with inventory, purchasing, and culinary technology platforms.
• Proven ability to recruit, train, and develop high-performing teams.
• Strong communication, coaching, and conflict-resolution skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead culinary operations with focus on quality and guest satisfaction.
• Ensure menu items meet recipe, prep, and presentation standards.
• Protect and elevate the culinary brand with consistent execution.
• Develop menus and seasonal offerings; monitor trends.
• Manage food and labor costs to meet targets; analyze reports.
• Oversee inventory, purchasing, and procurement.
• Recruit, train, and develop culinary managers and staff.
• Ensure food safety and compliance with health regulations.
• Maintain kitchen standards across shifts.
• Partner with FOH to deliver outstanding guest experiences.

Skills

Culinary Leadership

Food Safety & HACCP

Cost Control & Budgeting

Menu Development

Team Development

High-Volume Ops

Vendor & Purchasing

Guest Experience

Tools

Inventory Systems

Culinary Tech Platforms

Job description

The Executive Chef serves as the senior culinary leader responsible for all back-of-house operations, culinary excellence, team development, food safety, and financial performance. This position partners closely with the General Manager to drive guest satisfaction, profitability, employee engagement, and operational excellence within a high-volume restaurant. We are seeking an Executive Chef to join our team, leading a $10M+ restaurant in the Baltimore Area.

The Executive Chef leads all culinary team members through a culture of accountability, respect, continuous improvement, and hospitality while ensuring consistent execution of restaurant standards.

Culinary Leadership & Brand Standards

• Lead all culinary operations with a focus on food quality, consistency, innovation, and guest satisfaction.
• Ensure all menu items meet established recipe, preparation, and presentation standards.
• Protect and elevate the culinary brand.
• Collaborate on menu development, seasonal features, and limited-time offerings.
• Monitor food trends and recommend enhancements that align with company objectives.

Financial & Business Performance

• Manage culinary operations to achieve approved food cost, labor cost, and prime cost targets.
• Develop action plans when financial targets are not achieved.
• Analyze weekly and monthly operating reports.
• Manage inventory levels and purchasing practices to maximize profitability.
• Partner with operations leadership to support annual budgeting and forecasting processes.
• Drive productivity initiatives while maintaining guest experience standards.

Talent Development & Culture

• Recruit, train, coach, and develop culinary managers and hourly team members.
• Establish clear performance expectations and accountability standards.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and development discussions.
• Identify and develop future leaders through succession planning.
• Foster a culture of engagement, inclusion, teamwork, and continuous learning.
• Maintain staffing levels appropriate for seasonal business demands.

Food Safety & Risk Management

• Ensure full compliance with company food safety standards and local health regulations.
• Maintain ServSafe certification or equivalent credentials.
• Lead all health department inspections and corrective action planning.
• Oversee HACCP procedures where applicable.
• Ensure proper product handling, storage, labeling, and traceability practices.

Operational Excellence

• Establish systems that support consistency across all shifts.
• Oversee production planning and kitchen workflow.
• Monitor labor productivity and scheduling effectiveness.
• Ensure preventative maintenance programs are executed.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives to increase efficiency.
• Utilize technology and reporting tools to improve operational performance.

Guest Experience

• Partner with front-of-house leadership to deliver exceptional guest experiences.
• Monitor guest feedback and identify culinary-related improvement opportunities.
• Support guest recovery efforts when food-related issues occur.
• Maintain visibility during peak operating periods.
• Champion a hospitality-first mindset throughout the culinary team.
• Maintain emergency readiness and operational risk mitigation plans.

Preferred Qualification

• 10+ years progressive culinary leadership experience.
• Minimum 3-5 years leading high-volume, full-service restaurant operations exceeding $8M annual sales. Multi-unit experience preferred.
• Demonstrated success managing large culinary teams.
• Strong financial acumen with experience managing food, labor, and operating costs.
• Experience with inventory, purchasing, and culinary technology platforms. New platform rollout experience preferred
• Proven ability to recruit, train, and develop high-performing teams.
• Strong communication, coaching, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, guest-focused environment

Physical Demands and Work Environment

• Stand for the majority of work shifts
• Lifts, carries and moves up to 50 pounds
• Bends, reaches, stoops and kneels throughout the shift
• Perform repetitive hand tasks including knife work, plating and equipment handling.
• Fast-paced – open kitchen environment with exposure to heat, steam, open flame and other kitchen elements.
• Wet floors, cleaning solutions, and walk-in cooler and freezer temperatures
• Schedule includes evenings, weekends and holidays based on business needs and event calendar.