Executive Chef

Piatti Ristorante; Mill Valley (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) retirement plan

Travel and dining discounts

Two weeks vacation

Job summary

Piatti Mill Valley, our flagship location, is seeking an Executive Chef to lead the kitchen and define Piatti's standards across locations. This hands-on leadership role focuses on building a consistent, high-quality food program and hospitality.

You will partner with the Director of Culinary to validate recipes, techniques, and presentation, while guiding staff, controlling costs, and ensuring food safety. A strong track record in upscale, fast-paced environments is essential.

Qualifications

• 3+ years as Executive Chef in a full-service, high-volume restaurant.
• Experience with inventory platforms/systems.
• Competent with MS Office.
• Flexible weekends and closing shifts.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily kitchen operations and menu execution.
• Oversee budgeting, cost control, and procurement.
• Supervise staff, hiring, training, and performance management.
• Collaborate with the Director of Culinary on recipes and standards.
• Ensure food safety, sanitation, and workplace safety.

Skills

Inventory systems

MS Office

Basic computer skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts

Tools

Inventory platforms

Job description

Compensation: $110,000–$120,000 annually

Candidates should have 3+ years as an Executive Chef for a full service, high volume restaurant - previous working experience with inventory platforms/systems - Competent with Word Office - Basic computer competency. A flexible availability to work weekends and closing shifts is required.

Piatti Mill Valley - our flagship location - is looking for an Executive Chef to lead our kitchen and help define what "Piatti" tastes like everywhere. This is a hands‑on leadership role for someone who believes that great hospitality starts in the kitchen, with a beautiful, consistent food product that tells the Piatti story the same way, every time, at every location.

In addition to running the culinary program at Mill Valley, this Executive Chef will partner directly with our Director of Culinary to define and validate the recipes, techniques, and presentation standards that get rolled out across all Piatti properties. You'll help build the system - not just execute it.

A LITTLE ABOUT US

Established in 1987, Piatti is a fresh take on the neighborhood Italian trattoria offering Italian cuisine, finely‑crafted, with authenticity. The soul of the menu is our house‑made pasta that we roll, cut and cook by hand every day. Piatti combines a warm, inviting atmosphere, seamless service and a gourmet takeaway experience. Whether dining in or taking home, Piatti brings friends and family together.

Piatti is a division of Palisades Hospitality, a Northern California‑based bespoke hospitality management company that manages and develops a curated portfolio of 20+ hotels and restaurants and provides industry‑tailored financial, design, and development consulting services.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Executive Chef is responsible for the daily operations of the kitchen, along with short- and long‑range planning including menu execution, equipment and budget planning, cost control, and profit contribution to the restaurant. As the leader of our flagship kitchen, this role carries an added responsibility: ensuring that what Mill Valley produces is the standard the rest of the Piatti system is built on. The Executive Chef directly supervises kitchen staff with responsibility for hiring, training, coaching, and performance management, and is accountable for food safety, sanitation, and workplace safety standards at all times. The Executive Chef works hand‑in‑hand with the General Manager on the vision of the restaurant, and with the Director of Culinary on system‑wide recipe, technique, and presentation standards. In this role, the Executive Chef is a role model and mentor to the kitchen staff and maintains a professional appearance and demeanor at all times.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Cuisine / Food Service

• Oversee and personally work the line to support, observe, train, and direct staff during service
• Ensure every dish is prepared exactly to specification - recipe, technique, and presentation - with zero unapproved deviation
• Serve as the final gatekeeper for all food leaving the kitchen
• Standardize production recipes to ensure consistent quality across every shift
• Establish and enforce presentation technique and quality standards
• Plan and price menus in line with company standards
• Oversee the ordering, receipt, and storage of all food products
• Ensure quality culinary dishes are served on schedule and resolve any issues that arise
• Partner with the Director of Culinary to develop, test, and validate recipes and presentation standards intended for system-wide rollout across all Piatti properties
• Document and codify processes so that standards are transferable and repeatable across locations, not dependent on any one person

Leadership

• Ensure the kitchen is adequately staffed in all areas
• Ensure employees receive the training needed to consistently produce standardized dishes
• Assign food preparation and line duties to kitchen staff
• Spot problems and resolve them quickly and efficiently
• Delegate kitchen tasks simultaneously while maintaining composure
• Maximize productivity of the kitchen staff; manage and direct the Sous Chef and kitchen leadership team
• Promote cooperation and accountability in the kitchen
• Hold the team - and yourself - to the same standard on every shift

Administrative

• Monitor weekly sales and adjust prep production levels accordingly
• Ensure food safety and Health Department sanitation requirements are maintained at all times
• Ensure accurate inventories, extensions, and menu price verifications are maintained
• Maintain food cost and budgetary guidelines, with a working understanding of food costing formulas and yield percentages
• Estimate food consumption and requisition or purchase food accordingly
• Ensure proper equipment operation and maintenance
• Ensure all supplies - food, dishes, utensils, cleaning products, cooking supplies - are ordered, stocked, and properly stored
• Track and report kitchen expenses to the General Manager
• Maintain and update repair & maintenance and temperature logs
• Ensure staff adherence to break compliance policy

ARE YOU THE EXECUTIVE CHEF WE'RE LOOKING FOR?

This is not a role built around personal creative expression on the menu - it's a role for someone who takes real pride in building and protecting a consistent, repeatable standard, and who understands that consistency is the foundation of great hospitality. We're looking for someone who wants to help define what "Piatti" means across the whole company, not just at one restaurant.

You should bring:

• A solid track record as an Executive Chef, Chef de Cuisine, or senior Sous Chef in an upscale, fast‑paced, high‑volume environment
• A systems mindset - you value process, documentation, and consistency over improvisation
• A great palate and a keen sense of taste, used in service of matching a standard precisely, not reinventing it
• Strong leadership skills: the ability to direct a team, hold people accountable, and coach and train effectively
• A hands‑on approach - you work the line and lead from the front
• Strong organizational skills and composure under pressure
• Experience with budgeting, cost control, ordering, and inventory management
• Computer literacy across recipe, ordering, and scheduling systems
• Clear, professional, and respectful communication
• A collaborative approach to working with the Director of Culinary and cross‑property peers to build standards that scale

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum 5 years of experience as a Sous Chef, Chef de Cuisine, or Executive Chef
• BA or related culinary degree, with 8+ years of industry and culinary management experience preferred
• Food Safety Certification
• Food Handlers Certification

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Conversational Spanish

BENEFITS

Palisades Hospitality offers the following benefits for eligible full‑time employees:

Health: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Accounts, Legal, Transportation, Voluntary Benefit Center for Ancillary Coverages like Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, Travel Insurance, Pet Wellness and more!

Retirement: 401(k) Retirement savings program available for all full- and part-time employees over the age of 21

Perks: 2 weeks Vacation for management and alll employees are eligible for a Travel + Dining Discount to stay and dine at sister locations. Employees celebrating years of service are recognized with a bonus award for milestone years.