Executive Chef, Colonial Country Club

BoardRoom magazine; Fort Worth (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Colonial Country Club seeks an Executive Chef to lead all culinary operations, including a la carte dining, banquets, and special events, delivering consistent, high‑quality cuisine for a discerning private club membership.

You will work with the Executive Director of Food & Beverage, manage budgeting, cost control, purchasing, and inventory, and mentor a multilingual team while upholding health and safety standards. This is a hands-on leadership role with a focus on member experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts or Hospitality Management with minimum six years of experience.
• Private club culinary experience strongly preferred.
• Food safety certification.
• American Culinary Association certification is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Lead culinary operations across la carte, banquet and events.
• Manage budgeting, cost control, purchasing and inventory.
• Develop menus and maintain health and safety standards.
• Mentor and develop kitchen staff and ensure high-quality dining.
• Collaborate with club leadership, front-of-house, and events teams.

Skills

Culinary leadership

Menu development

Cost control

Team development

High-volume events

Private club culture

Food safety

Budgeting

Education

Bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts or Hospitality Management

6+ years food production and management experience

Private club culinary experience

Food safety certification

Job description

The Opportunity

Founded in 1936, Colonial Country Club is one of the nation's most prestigious private clubs and a recognized leader in championship golf and exceptional member experiences. Located in Fort Worth, Texas, the Club has earned an international reputation for its rich history, timeless traditions, and commitment to excellence in every aspect of its operation. Designed by legendary golf architects John Bredemus and Perry Maxwell, Colonial’s championship golf course has hosted some of the game’s most significant events, including the U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open, THE PLAYERS Championship, and the PGA Tour’s Charles Schwab Challenge, making it the longest-running non-major PGA Tour event held at the same venue. The course recently underwent a thoughtful restoration led by renowned architect Gil Hanse, further preserving its architectural heritage while enhancing the championship golf experience. Beyond its storied golf tradition, Colonial Country Club offers a comprehensive private club lifestyle centered on family, community, and hospitality. Members enjoy a variety of recently reimagined dining venues, an active social calendar, state‑of‑the‑art fitness and wellness facilities, tennis and pickleball, aquatics, youth programming, and premier event spaces. The Club continually invests in its facilities and amenities to meet the evolving expectations of its membership while honoring its distinguished legacy. Colonial Country Club is dedicated to delivering personalized service and creating meaningful experiences for its members and guests. The Club's culture is built on professionalism, teamwork, innovation, and an unwavering pursuit of excellence, making it one of the most respected private clubs in the country and an outstanding environment for hospitality professionals seeking to build exceptional careers. Today, Colonial Country Club remains a symbol of tradition and innovation, offering its members unparalleled experiences both on and off the course, and for the staff, a culture of excellence and a team environment in which to thrive and be proud of. Gross revenues total $48M with Food & Beverage accounting for approximately $10M ($8.8M excluding the Charles Schwab Challenge), of which 70% a la carte & 30% banquets. There are 1,200 memberships.

The Position

The Executive Chef is responsible for the overall leadership, direction, and execution of all culinary operations at Colonial Country Club. This includes a la carte dining, banquet and event services, and all food-related programming, with a focus on delivering consistent, high-quality cuisine that meets and exceeds the expectations of a private club membership.

As a key member of the Club’s leadership team reporting to the Executive Director of Food & Beverage, the Executive Chef works closely with department heads to align culinary operations with the Club’s standards, culture, and strategic objectives while driving meaningful contributions to the overall success of Colonial Country Club. This is a hands-on leadership role, requiring active involvement in daily kitchen operations, team development, and service execution.

The Executive Chef holds full accountability for the financial and operational performance of the culinary department, including budgeting, cost control (food and labor), purchasing, inventory management, and adherence to all health and safety standards.

This is a highly visible position that demands exceptional leadership, organization, and a steadfast commitment to excellence in both product and service. This position reports directly to the Executive Director of Food and Beverage.

Direct Reports: Outlet Sous Chefs (2), Pastry Chef, Banquet Chef, & CDC of the North Building.

The candidate

• An accomplished culinary professional with excellent cooking skills and creativity who is experienced with a broad range of cuisines.
• Able to balance refined culinary expertise with practical execution, delivering exceptional dining experiences across a la carte service, banquets, and special events.
• Ability to thrive in a member-centric setting and demonstrate a deep commitment to consistency, quality, and personalized service. A strong understanding of private club culture is essential.
• Experienced with managing high-volume events while maintaining consistency across multiple service formats simultaneously.
• Proven and verifiable leadership qualities with a track record of directing, coordinating, and controlling all aspects of an active food and beverage operation of scale.
• Possess a hands-on leadership style and demonstrates a visible and active presence in the kitchen.
• Leads by example with a track record of mentoring and developing other culinary team members.
• An emotionally mature, coachable communicator and collaborator who receives constructive feedback productively and builds alignment among Club leadership, front-of-house, events, finance, purchasing, and culinary teams.
• Positive and professional with a passion for driving continuous improvement who fosters a culture rooted in accountability, professionalism, and continuous improvement.
• Values member engagement and is approachable and visible with the membership; flexible to accommodate a wide range of member preferences.
• Highly organized and detail oriented with demonstrated expertise in budgeting, cost control, menu development and engineering, purchasing, receiving, inventory management, waste tracking, and labor optimization.
• Strong financial literacy is essential, including experience owning daily and weekly reporting, explaining variances, taking timely corrective action, and communicating transparently with finance and operational leaders.
• Demonstrated ability to standardize recipes, production systems, prep and station documentation, and food-safety practices while developing a diverse, multilingual workforce.

Education & Experience Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts and/other Hospitality Management degree and minimum of six years food production and management experience; or 10 years relevant experience is preferred; or any equivalent combination of experience and training that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• Private club culinary experience is strongly preferred.
• Certification from American Culinary Association or other professional hospitality association is highly beneficial.
• Food safety certification

PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Required to stand for long periods and walk, climb stairs, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, bend, stretch and twist or reach
• Push, pull or lift up to 50 pounds
• Continuous repetitive motions
• Hot, humid, and noisy environment

The Salary

This position pays a competitive salary and standard benefits package. The salary is negotiable based on the candidate’s qualifications and experience.