Executive Chef - Fine Dining Steakhouse

Noble Steakhouse LLC; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Noble Steakhouse seeks an Executive Chef to lead the culinary program in our upscale Colorado steakhouse, aligning with the Noble vision of luxury hospitality and disciplined execution.

As senior culinary leader, you will drive menu development, oversee back-of-house operations, and mentor a high-performing team while maintaining food safety, quality, and financial stewardship.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to lead a high-performing culinary team in a fine-dining setting.
• Strong track record in menu development, recipe standardization, and plating execution.
• Demonstrated expertise in food and labor cost management, forecasting, and inventory control.

Responsibilities

• Own the culinary identity and execution of Noble's menus, recipes, and standards.
• Lead all back-of-house operations: production, sanitation, purchasing, inventory, scheduling, training and safety.
• Recruit, coach, and develop a high-performing kitchen team; set expectations and accountability.
• Develop Executive Sous Chef and Sous Chefs as leaders capable of managing service, training, cost control, and performance.
• Create and maintain standardized recipes, yields, portion controls, prep levels, and quality-control procedures.
• Manage food cost, labor cost, purchasing, waste, inventory variance, and productivity against budgets.

Skills

Culinary leadership

Menu development

Cost control

Education

Culinary degree or equivalent

Job description

Description

WHY NOBLE

Noble is a modern Colorado steakhouse that reimagines classic fine dining through luxury hospitality, exceptional ingredients, and a vibrant, celebratory atmosphere. Our culinary team is responsible for translating that vision into disciplined execution: exceptional products, precise technique, consistent presentation, strong financial stewardship, and a kitchen culture built on respect, accountability, and continuous improvement.

JOB OVERVIEW

The Executive Chef is the senior culinary leader for Noble Steakhouse and is accountable for the quality, consistency, safety, profitability, and culture of all back-of-house operations. Working in close partnership with the General Manager, the Executive Chef develops and protects the culinary vision, leads and develops the kitchen team, manages food and labor costs, establishes systems and standards, and ensures that every dish reflects Noble's commitment to craftsmanship, luxury, and modern Colorado hospitality.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own the culinary identity and execution of Noble's menus, recipes, specifications, plating standards, and seasonal development.
• Lead all back-of-house operations, including production, service, sanitation, purchasing, receiving, inventory, scheduling, training, maintenance, and safety.
• Recruit, select, onboard, coach, evaluate, and retain a high-performing culinary team; establish clear expectations and hold leaders and employees accountable.
• Develop the Executive Sous Chef and Sous Chefs as operational leaders capable of managing service, training, cost control, and employee performance.
• Create and maintain standardized recipes, yields, portion controls, prep levels, production pars, line diagrams, and quality-control procedures.
• Manage food cost, labor cost, purchasing, waste, transfers, credits, inventory variance, and productivity against approved budgets and forecasts.
• Review sales mix, covers, reservations, events, and historical trends to create accurate production and staffing plans.
• Build productive vendor relationships; approve products and substitutions; negotiate within authorized parameters; and ensure receiving accuracy and quality.
• Inspect all food for quality, freshness, temperature, seasoning, presentation, and consistency before service.
• Lead menu tastings, recipe testing, training, and cross-departmental communication with FOH leadership, sommeliers, bar leadership, and private dining.
• Maintain full compliance with health-code, HACCP, allergen, sanitation, food-storage, employee-safety, and responsible-workplace requirements.
• Establish a professional kitchen culture that prohibits harassment, retaliation, intimidation, unsafe behavior, and working off the clock.
• Ensure timely and accurate scheduling, timekeeping review, break compliance, payroll communication, and documentation of performance concerns.
• Oversee culinary execution for private dining, events, tastings, media, ownership visits, VIP experiences, and high-volume periods.
• Coordinate preventive maintenance, repair, and replacement of kitchen equipment; immediately address unsafe or unsanitary conditions.
• Partner with the General Manager on annual planning, opening initiatives, capital needs, financial review, guest feedback, and continuous improvement.
• Perform other leadership duties as assigned based on business needs.

NOBLE EXECUTIVE CHEF STANDARDS

STANDARD EXPECTED BEHAVIOR

Culinary Vision Translate the Noble concept into distinctive, disciplined, and commercially viable food.

Consistency Protect recipes, yields, seasoning, temperature, presentation, and service timing every day.

Financial Stewardship Manage food, labor, purchasing, waste, and inventory as controllable business drivers.

Leadership Set clear expectations, develop leaders, coach directly, and maintain a respectful kitchen culture.

Safety Treat sanitation, allergens, equipment safety, and injury prevention as non-negotiable.

Partnership Operate as one leadership team with the General Manager and FOH departments.

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS

Education / Certifications

• Culinary degree or equivalent combination of education and progressive professional experience preferred.
• Current food-protection manager certification and all certifications required by law or Company policy.

Experience

• Minimum five years of progressive culinary leadership experience, including Executive Chef or senior Executive Sous Chef responsibility in an upscale, fine-dining, steakhouse, hotel, or high-volume operation.
• Demonstrated experience with menu development, high-volume production, private events, budgeting, inventory, purchasing, labor management, and team development.

Knowledge / Skills

• Advanced culinary technique and product knowledge, including premium beef, butchery, seafood, sauces, garde manger, pastry coordination, and modern kitchen systems.
• Strong financial acumen, including recipe costing, yields, theoretical versus actual food cost, labor productivity, forecasting, and variance analysis.
• Excellent leadership, communication, planning, judgment, coaching, conflict-resolution, and organizational skills.
• Proficiency with restaurant technology, spreadsheets, scheduling, inventory, recipe, purchasing, and point-of-sale reporting systems.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT

The requirements below are representative of those necessary to perform the essential functions of the position. Reasonable accommodations may be made for qualified individuals with disabilities.

• Stand and walk for prolonged periods and work extended hours in a hot, fast-paced kitchen environment.
• Frequently bend, reach, stoop, crouch, grasp, taste, smell, and use knives and commercial kitchen equipment.
• Lift, push, pull, and carry up to 50 pounds with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Work around open flames, hot surfaces, steam, sharp tools, wet floors, cleaning chemicals, refrigerated spaces, and loud equipment.
• Work a flexible schedule including early mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, inventory periods, and special events.

EMPLOYMENT EXPECTATIONS

• Maintain regular and punctual attendance and follow established call-off and scheduling procedures.
• Accurately record all time worked. Working off the clock is prohibited, and overtime requires advance authorization while remaining payable when worked.
• Comply with the Noble Employee Handbook, all training materials, Company directives, safety rules, dress and appearance standards, anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies, confidentiality obligations, and all applicable laws.
• Immediately report workplace injuries, unsafe conditions, suspected harassment