Executive Chef - Nashville, TN (#2505)

Pivotal Talent Search Inc.; Nashville (TN); On-site; USD 80,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Paid time off

Creative ownership over menu and厨房文化

Job summary

Pivotal Talent Search Inc. in Nashville is seeking a hands-on Executive Chef to lead an upscale, dinner-only kitchen in Sylvan Park. You will own the menu, mentor a skilled team, manage food costs, and build a distinct culinary identity with a clear point of view.

You will drive culinary vision, partner with front-of-house leadership, and ensure exceptional guest experiences while maintaining profitability and local Tennessee-sourced collaborations.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive culinary leadership experience, including at least 2 years as an Executive Chef or Executive Sous Chef in an upscale, full-service restaurant.
• Proven track record developing original menus and running profitable kitchens.
• Strong knowledge of contemporary American cuisine (preferred, not required).
• Culinary degree or equivalent professional experience.
• ServSafe Manager certification (or ability to obtain within 30 days).
• Excellent leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
• Ability to work evenings, weekends, and holidays, consistent with a dinner-only service schedule.
• Familiarity with Nashville's dining scene and local purveyor network is a strong plus.

Responsibilities

• Design and continually refine a seasonal dinner menu that reflects a clear point of view and elevates local, Southern,and regional ingredients
• Develop tasting menus, specials, and pairings in collaboration with front-of-house and bar leadership
• Maintain consistency and quality across every plate that leaves the kitchen
• Oversee all back-of-house operations, including prep schedules, service flow, sanitation and closing procedures for a dinner-only service model
• Manage food costs, portioning, and waste to meet target margins
• Own inventory, ordering, and vendor/purveyor relationships, prioritizing local Tennessee farms and producers where possible
• Ensure full compliance with health, safety, and sanitation regulations (ServSafe or equivalent required)
• Recruit, train, schedule, and mentor sous chefs, line cooks, and kitchen staff
• Foster a professional, respectful, and high-performance kitchen culture
• Conduct performance reviews and support staff development and growth
• Build and manage the kitchen budget, labor costs, and COGS
• Partner with ownership on P& L review, pricing strategy, and profitability targets
• Track KPIs (food cost %, labor %, waste) and report regularly to ownership
• Work closely with the General Manager and front-of-house team to ensure seamless guest experience
• Coordinate with the bar/wine program on pairings and menu integration
• Representing the restaurant at community events, media opportunities, and industry functions as needed

Skills

Culinary leadership

Menu development

Food cost management

Team leadership

ServSafe certified

Evening/weekend availability

Local Nashville purveyors

Executive chef experience

Education

Culinary degree

Job description

Location: Sylvan Park, Nashville, TN

Type: Full-time, salaried

Compensation: $80,000–$95,000 annually, commensurate with experience

Reports to: General Manager

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are looking for a chef who doesn't just cook — who creates. Someone who sees a blank menu the way an artist sees a blank canvas and can't wait to fill it.

This is your chance to take the helm of an upscale, dinner-only kitchen in Sylvan Park — one of Nashville's most cherished dining neighborhoods, where locals come not just to eat, but to be moved. We are not looking for someone to maintain what is already there. We are looking for a culinary leader ready to build something singular: a menu with a point of view, a kitchen with a pulse, a dining experience people will talk about for years.

If you are the kind of chef who dreams in flavor combinations, who gets restless without a project to obsess over, who wants full creative reins to develop a distinctive identity from the ground up — this is your stage.

What you will bring to life:

• A menu that is unmistakably yours — rooted in technique, driven by creativity, and worthy of Sylvan Park's discerning palate
• A kitchen culture people are proud to be part of — where you mentor, challenge, and elevate a strong team into a great one
• Operational excellence that makes the art sustainable — a tight, profitable kitchen that runs as beautifully as the plates it sends out.

You are:

A hands-on leader. A relentless craftsperson. Someone who treats consistency and innovation as partners, not opposites.

A chef who wants ownership — not just of the line, but of the vision.

If you have been waiting for the right room to finally do your thing — this, is it.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Culinary Vision & Menu Development

• Design and continually refine a seasonal dinner menu that reflects a clear point of view and elevates local, Southern,and regional ingredients
• Develop tasting menus, specials, and pairings in collaboration with front-of-house and bar leadership
• Maintain consistency and quality across every plate that leaves the kitchen

Kitchen Operations

• Oversee all back-of-house operations, including prep schedules, service flow, sanitation and closing procedures for a dinner-only service model
• Manage food costs, portioning, and waste to meet target margins
• Own inventory, ordering, and vendor/purveyor relationships, prioritizing local Tennessee farms and producers where possible.
• Ensure full compliance with health, safety, and sanitation regulations (ServSafe or equivalent required)

Team Leadership

• Recruit, train, schedule, and mentor sous chefs, line cooks, and kitchen staff
• Foster a professional, respectful, and high-performance kitchen culture
• Conduct performance reviews and support staff development and growth

Financial Management

• Build and manage the kitchen budget, labor costs, and COGS
• Partner with ownership on P& L review, pricing strategy, and profitability targets
• Track KPIs (food cost %, labor %, waste) and report regularly to ownership

Collaboration

• Work closely with the General Manager and front-of-house team to ensure seamless guest experience
• Coordinate with the bar/wine program on pairings and menu integration
• Representing the restaurant at community events, media opportunities, and industry functions as needed

QUALIFICATIONS

• 5+ years of progressive culinary leadership experience, including at least 2 years as an Executive Chef or Executive Sous Chef in an upscale, full-service restaurant
• Proven track record developing original menus and running profitable kitchens
• Strong knowledge of contemporary American cuisine (preferred, not required)
• Culinary degree or equivalent professional experience
• ServSafe Manager certification (or ability to obtain within 30 days)
• Excellent leadership, communication, and organizational skills
• Ability to work evenings, weekends, and holidays, consistent with a dinner-only service schedule
• Familiarity with Nashville's dining scene and local purveyor network is a strong plus

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Annual salary of $80,000–$95,000, commensurate with experience
• Health benefits
• Paid time off
• Creative ownership over menu and kitchen culture
• The opportunity to help define a new culinary destination in Sylvan Park