Executive Chef

Fieldhouse; Marion (IL); On-site; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Base pay 65,000–85,000

Performance bonus

Certification paid

Paid leave

Gameplay privileges

Job summary

Mammoth Fieldhouse in Marion, IL is seeking an Executive Chef to own the entire culinary operation—from menu development to kitchen safety and cost control, building a brigade from zero and leading both open dining and large-format banquet service. You will hire and train two Sous Chefs, set a high-performance pace, and deliver a scratch kitchen that competes regionally while hosting events.

The role requires 5+ years in progressive kitchen leadership, a strong cost-control track record, and the

Qualifications

• 5+ years in progressive kitchen leadership including Executive Chef roles.
• Scratch cooking background in high-volume operations.
• Proven food cost ownership with documented results.
• Banquet, catering, or large-format events execution experience.
• Ability to build a team from zero and sustain it.
• Flexible schedule including nights, weekends, and holidays.

Responsibilities

• Own menu development, recipe standards, plate specs, and seasonal changes.
• Own execution quality on the busiest nights and major events.
• Build banquet/events menus and execute large-format service.
• Set pace for line and expo discipline to align with sales.
• Hire, train, and develop the full kitchen team, including two Sous Chefs.
• Own food safety, HACCP, temperature logs, sanitation and inspections.

Skills

Kitchen leadership

Menu development

Cost control

Banquet events

Team building

Flex scheduling

Tools

Inventory software

Recipe costing software

Job description

Benefits

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

Executive Chef

Mammoth Fieldhouse | Marion, IL

Full-Time, Exempt | Reports to Director of Operations | Kitchen

About Mammoth Fieldhouse

Mammoth Fieldhouse is where Southern Illinois comes to get off the bench. Pure Putt. Flight Deck. Pickleball. Battle Bats. A scratch kitchen and a full bar that would draw a crowd on their own. Open play, leagues, tournaments, and private events, all night, every night.

Three rules run our buildings:

No Sidelines, No Spectators. Elite Isn't Exclusive. Competition Is Community. Everyone plays, everyone belongs, and a good time beats a good score. We do not shout. We cheer. There is a big difference, and everybody who works here learns it fast.

About the Role

The food has to be worth the drive.

This is not concession food next to a game. Mammoth Fieldhouse serves a scratch kitchen menu that has to hold its own against any restaurant in the region, and it has to do it while the building is full and loud and moving.

The Executive Chef owns the entire culinary operation: menu, execution, cost, safety, and the kitchen team. You will build the kitchen from an empty room, hire the brigade, write the recipes and specs, and set the pace that the line will keep for years.

You will also own a real banquet and events business running alongside open play. Both have to be excellent at the same time.

Menu and Execution

• Own menu development, recipe standards, plate specs, and seasonal changes in partnership with executive leadership.
• Own execution quality on every ticket, on the busiest night of the year.
• Build the banquet and events menu and execute large-format service without pulling the line apart.
• Own ticket times and expo discipline. The kitchen sets a pace the floor can sell against.

Cost and Purchasing

• Own food cost and kitchen COGS to target. Recipe costing, yield management, waste control, and menu engineering.
• Own purchasing, vendor relationships, and receiving standards.
• Run inventory on a fixed cycle and reconcile against theoretical cost.
• Own kitchen labor against the sales forecast.

Team and Safety

• Hire, train, and develop the full kitchen team, including two Sous Chefs.
• Build a kitchen culture people want to work in. Loud is fine. Cruel is not.
• Own food safety, HACCP practice, temperature logs, sanitation, and health inspection readiness.
• Own certification tracking for the entire kitchen team.

Your First Year

• First 90 Days: Menu is finalized and costed, the brigade is hired and trained, and the line executes to spec under volume.
• First Year: Food cost is on target, the kitchen holds through peak, and the food is a reason people come back, not an afterthought.

What You Bring

• 5 or more years in progressive kitchen leadership, including 2 or more as an Executive Chef or Chef de Cuisine.
• Scratch cooking background in a high-volume operation.
• Proven food cost ownership with documented results.
• Banquet, catering, or large-format events execution experience.
• The ability to build a team from zero and keep it.
• Flexible schedule. Nights, weekends, and holidays required.

Certifications

Required, at hire or shortly after:

• Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) through an ANSI-ANAB accredited program such as ServSafe Manager. Illinois requires a certified manager on site during all operating hours. Valid five years.
• CPR and AED certification through the American Heart Association or American Red Cross. Our courts mean we keep a trained responder on the floor every hour we are open. Renewed every two years.

A plus if you already have it:

• BASSET certification. Illinois requires it for anyone who sells alcohol, serves alcohol, or checks IDs, within 120 days of hire. Valid three years.
• Allergen awareness training.

We pay for every certification on this list and we give you the time to get it. If you do not have one yet, that is not a reason to skip applying.

Preferred

• Restaurant or venue opening experience.
• Experience writing menus for a guest who is also playing, not just eating.
• Familiarity with inventory and recipe costing software.

Working Conditions

• Extended periods of standing and moving throughout the kitchen and venue.
• Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds.
• Exposure to heat, cold storage, sharp equipment, and commercial kitchen environments.
• Nights, weekends, and holidays required.

What We Offer

• Base pay of $65,000 to $85,000 annually, plus performance bonus.
• Paid leave under the Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act. Up to 40 hours a year, usable after 90 days, for any reason you like. You do not have to tell us why.
• Food, beverage, and gameplay privileges. You work here. You get to play here.
• Every required certification paid for, plus the paid time to go get it.
• A seat in a growing brand. More Fieldhouses are coming, and we promote the people who build them well.

Mammoth Fieldhouse Marion is an equal opportunity employer. We hire on merit, character, and the ability to make people feel like they belong here. Elite isn't exclusive. Everyone plays.

Illinois law: we do not ask for your salary history, and we do not ask about criminal history before you have been selected for an interview.