Executive Chef

Sonesta International Hotels Corporation; New Orleans (LA); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

HSA with company match

401(k) with company match

Paid vacation & sick time

Paid parental leave

Life insurance

Job summary

Sonesta International Hotels Corporation in New Orleans seeks an Executive Chef to lead the culinary vision across hotel dining, banquets, room service, and events. You’ll drive menus, ensure quality and safety, manage costs, and mentor a high-performing kitchen team to deliver memorable experiences.

Partner with Food & Beverage, Banquets, Sales, and Operations to align with brand standards, guest preferences, and strategic goals, while championing innovation and hospitality excellence in a

Qualifications

• Culinary degree or equivalent required.
• Progressive culinary leadership experience in hotels, restaurants, or high-volume hospitality.
• Knowledge of food safety regulations, HACCP, sanitation, and health compliance.

Responsibilities

• Lead culinary operations across hotel dining, banquets, catering, room service, bars, and events.
• Develop innovative menus and seasonal offerings aligned with brand standards.
• Oversee food preparation, presentation, quality assurance, sanitation, and kitchen operations.

Skills

Culinary leadership

Menu development

Cost control

Food safety HACCP

Staff development

Education

Culinary degree or equivalent

Tools

Inventory management software

Menu costing tools

Job description

We’re People People. Are you? We’re Sonesta International Hotels—the 8th largest hotel company in the U.S. (and growing fast). With a dynamic mix of full-service and focused hotels across major cities, our diverse portfolio of owned, managed, and franchised properties means we’re everywhere our guests need us to be. But here’s the thing—we’re not just in the business of hotels, we’re in the business of people. We bring service with passion, loyalty with purpose, and create experiences that genuinely connect—delivering quality, value, and memorable stays across 1,000+ properties in eight countries (and counting).

What this role is all about Food is more than just part of the guest experience — it’s part of the story we create. As the Executive Chef, you’ll lead the culinary vision for the hotel, creating exceptional dining experiences that bring people together while driving creativity, operational excellence, and guest satisfaction. This role is perfect for someone who thrives in a fast-paced hospitality environment and loves blending culinary creativity with strong leadership and business strategy. You’ll oversee all kitchen operations including restaurant dining, banquets, catering, room service, and special events while leading and inspiring a high-performing culinary team. You’ll partner closely with Food & Beverage, Banquets, Sales, and Operations leaders to deliver memorable guest experiences, maintain quality standards, optimize costs, and drive culinary innovation across the property. If you’re passionate about food, leadership, hospitality, and creating experiences guests remember long after checkout — we’d love to meet you.

What you’ll be doing

• Lead all culinary operations across hotel restaurants, banquets, catering, room service, bars, and special events.
• Develop innovative menus, seasonal offerings, catering packages, and food concepts that align with brand standards and guest preferences.
• Oversee food preparation, presentation, quality assurance, sanitation, and kitchen operations to ensure exceptional dining experiences.
• Recruit, train, coach, schedule, and develop culinary team members while fostering a positive, collaborative kitchen culture.
• Manage food costs, labor costs, inventory control, purchasing, menu pricing, and kitchen budgets to drive profitability and operational efficiency.
• Ensure compliance with food safety regulations, sanitation standards, HACCP guidelines, and health department requirements.
• Partner closely with Banquets, Catering Sales, Food & Beverage, and hotel leadership teams to execute meetings, weddings, conferences, and special events successfully.
• Monitor guest feedback, dining trends, and operational performance to continuously improve culinary offerings and guest satisfaction.
• Oversee vendor relationships, food ordering, inventory management, and product quality standards.
• Support employee engagement, culinary training, and succession planning initiatives within the kitchen team.
• Maintain consistency in food quality, presentation, portioning, and service standards across all culinary operations.
• Drive innovation and creativity while delivering memorable hospitality experiences that reflect Sonesta’s People People culture.
• Any other duties as assigned.

What great looks like

• Culinary degree or formal culinary training preferred.
• 5+ years of progressive culinary leadership experience in hotels, restaurants, resorts, banquets, or high-volume hospitality environments.
• Previous Executive Chef, Sous Chef, or senior culinary leadership experience preferred.
• Strong knowledge of food preparation, banquet operations, catering, menu development, inventory management, and kitchen operations.
• Experience managing food costs, labor management, budgeting, purchasing, and operational performance metrics.
• Strong leadership, coaching, and team development skills with the ability to motivate and inspire culinary teams.
• Knowledge of food safety regulations, HACCP standards, sanitation practices, and health department compliance.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced hospitality environment while managing multiple priorities and operational demands.
• Creative mindset with a passion for culinary innovation, guest experience, and hospitality excellence.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• A passion for hospitality, food, teamwork, and creating memorable dining experiences for guests and events alike.

Anticipated Pay Range & Additional Job Information

How we reward you

• Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with Company Match
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with Company Match
• Paid Vacation & Sick Time
• Paid Parental Leave
• Company-Paid Life Insurance
• Company-Paid Short-Term & Long-Term Disability
• Hospital Indemnity, Critical Illness & Accident Insurance
• Educational Assistance
• Sonesta Hotel Discounts (yes, you’ll want to use these )

Our Commitment to You

Sonesta is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We actively support professional growth and personal happiness in each of our employees at each of our hotels, resorts, suites and cruise ships. We seek out people who will eagerly partner with us to improve the overall Sonesta experience for our guests, and the overall Sonesta experience for their fellow colleagues.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.