Executive Chef

Omni Hotels; New Orleans, Northern (LA, KY); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Omni Hotels in New Orleans seeks an experienced Executive Chef to lead the kitchen operations across multiple outlets, crafting memorable dining experiences and stewarding F&B programming.

You will manage budgeting, menu design, supplier relationships, and staff development while ensuring guest satisfaction and compliance with standards. This role demands strong leadership in a luxury hotel environment.

Qualifications

• Prior executive kitchen leadership in a hotel with multiple outlets.
• Strong budgeting skills for food cost and payroll.
• Experience designing menus and passing costed recipes to F&B controllers.
• Ability to optimize profitability while maintaining guest satisfaction.

Responsibilities

• Oversee all kitchen operations across multiple outlets.
• Partner with managers to budget food cost, payroll, and overhead.
• Lead menu design and cost analysis with standard recipes.
• Ensure guest satisfaction and smooth day-to-day operation.
• Manage purchasing standards and receiving controls with finance.
• Evaluate products for quality, yield, and wastage.
• Forecast quantity needs to minimize over/under production.
• Supervise kitchen staff training and development.
• Recruit and interview suitable kitchen staff.
• Ensure compliance with state employment legislation and hotel policies.

Skills

Leadership

Budgeting

Menu design

Cost control

Food safety/quality

Staff management

Vendor management

Forecasting

Training & development

Job description

Overview:

The executive chef embraces the local food scene and creates a memorable dining experience for guests of the hotel. As the leader of the food & beverage programming at the hotel, the executive chef is responsible for managing all aspects of the kitchen for multiple unique dining outlets.

Responsibilities:

• Assist the hotel manager and, at times, the general manager, in budgeting i.e. food cost/payroll/etc.
• When agreed, control all overheads/achieve food cost budget throughout the oncoming year/report all variances from actual budget with the reasons and recommendations for remedial action.
• Collaborate with other food and beverage department managers on the market potential for food outlets relating to the market competitors and the availability of the product.
• In conjunction with the hotel general manager, plan and implement menu design, creating suitable dishes and passing standards recipes to the food & beverage controller for costing.
• Ensure guest satisfaction with the smooth and effective running of the day-to-day operation.
• Work closely with the purchasing manager and hotel finance team to establish and maintain control of the standards for purchasing and receiving items.
• Test and evaluate products for quality, paying particular attention to yield/holding qualities/market price/wastage usage of leftovers.
• Control requisitioning of food quantities, by forecasting volume, to achieve maximum profitability by avoiding over/under production.
• Constantly inspect all food service sections during service time to ensure that the correct standards are maintained.
• Responsible for control of equipment and scheduling maintenance.
• Maintain an up-to-date knowledge of local and international market trends in order to create food products which satisfy guest needs, thereby maximizing sales opportunities in food outlets and an up-to-date knowledge of competitor’s food production/offering.
• Assist in the promotion of in-house sales activities, such as culinary festivals, chef specialties and culinary competitions.
• Plan/organize/control the efficient and effective utilization of all food production staff, especially in scheduling and controlling overtime.
• Interview/recruit suitable staff for the operation, in conjunction with director of operations, personnel and the hotel general manager.
• Oversee the training/development of all kitchen staff by ensuring that effective on and off the job training is carried out.
• Stay aware of state legislation in employment and industrial relations.
• Establish effective and efficient office procedures in handling daily menus/banquet menus/purchase requirements/general correspondence/filing and records.
• Perform all duties applicable to a department manager within the hotel.
• Actively participate in the critical path task sheet for the food and beverage department.