Executive Chef, St. Davids Golf Club – Wayne, PA

DZA Associates, LLC; Pennsylvania; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k plan

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Life insurance

ACF Dues & Conference

Job summary

St. Davids Golf Club is seeking an Executive Chef to lead a culinary team in a historic Wayne, PA private club. You will balance culinary creativity with member expectations, manage food costs and labor, and supervise daily kitchen operations across dining rooms and events.

The role emphasizes leadership, training, and collaboration with the General Manager and FOH to deliver consistent, high-quality dining experiences for members and guests.

Qualifications

• Executive Chef experience preferred in private clubs or high-end operations.
• Strong leadership, staff development and collaboration with FOH.
• Proven ability to manage food and labor costs and budgets.

Responsibilities

• Strengthen kitchen systems, planning, and organization.
• Lead culinary team, establish accountability and standards.
• Develop menus with creativity while meeting member preferences.
• Manage daily operations across multiple dining rooms and events.
• Monitor food quality, taste, presentation and consistency.

Job description

St. Davids Golf Club is a family-oriented club founded in 1897 in Wayne, PA. The Donald Ross-designed golf course dates to 1927 and has hosted many regional tournaments and qualifiers. The Club offers a warm and inviting atmosphere to our members, their families, and guests. The location, in the heart of Wayne, is an ideal spot for golf outings, weddings and other special events. St. Davids has a long and colorful history on the Main Line. In 2022, they celebrated our 125th anniversary with the publication of a book filled with stories and photos, from its founding to the present day.

St. Davids is a club that allows members to enjoy both golf and social events in a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere with a newly renovated golf course, attentive service, casual and formal dining in one of our dining rooms or on the expanded patio. The new clubhouse opened in November 2006 with over five hundred members attending a grand opening cocktail party. In 2014 the Club extended the patio next to the Grill Room overlooking the golf course. A recent renovation was successfully completed in the Spring of 2026.

Chef Position Specific

St. Davids Golf Club is looking for a talented culinary professional who is also a strong leader and effective department head. The successful candidate should be organized, accountable, collaborative, emotionally mature and approachable. They should have high standards without being ego-driven, be comfortable receiving feedback, and understand that success in a private club requires balancing culinary creativity with member preferences. We want someone who develops people, communicates well with management and staff, takes ownership of their operation, and is genuinely interested in becoming part of the St. Davids community.

The new Executive Chef is known for strong a la carte culinary execution; menu development and engineering; banquet and special-event execution; food and labor cost management; purchasing and inventory controls; kitchen organization and sanitation; scheduling and staffing; recruitment, training and development of culinary employees; effective communication with front-of-house leadership; and the ability to manage multiple dining experiences and events simultaneously. The Chef must also be comfortable using financial and operating information to manage the department and make informed decisions.

Note From the General Manager

St. Davids is a welcoming, relationship-driven private club with a membership that cares deeply about the Club and takes pride in its community. Members have high expectations for quality and service but also value genuine relationships with the staff and appreciate employees who take the time to get to know them and their families. The Club has an experienced department head team that works collaboratively and supports one another, with an expectation that leaders take ownership of their areas while contributing to the success of the entire Club. The successful Chef will find an organization that is supportive of new ideas and continuous improvement while respecting the traditions and relationships that make St. Davids special.

The ‘Best Advice’ I can give our new Chef is to get to know St. Davids before trying to change it. Listen to the members, spend time with the staff, and understand what has historically worked well before making significant changes. Our membership appreciates quality and creativity, but also values consistency, familiarity, and genuine hospitality. Build trust with the team, communicate openly with your fellow department heads, and do not be afraid to introduce new ideas once you understand the culture and expectations of the Club.

Candidate Qualifications:

Summary: Members increasingly expect restaurant-quality food and presentation while still wanting the comfort, familiarity, and personalization of their Club. The Club sees demand for healthier and lighter options alongside traditional club favorites, greater menu variety, fresh and seasonal offerings, and flexibility around dietary preferences. Members also increasingly value casual dining and social experiences rather than exclusively traditional formal dining. Consistency, speed of service and value remain important, particularly as expectations for private club dining continue to rise.

The St. Davids Golf Club has made meaningful progress in its culinary operation over the past several years, and they are looking for the next Executive Chef to build upon that foundation. His/her primary focus should be to improve consistency in a la carte execution, continue to elevate menu variety and creativity while remaining approachable for the membership.

• The Executive Chef should be well versed on strengthening kitchen systems and organization and maintaining appropriate food and labor cost controls.
• The Club needs a strong leader who will develop the culinary team, establish accountability and standards, and work collaboratively with the front-of-house operation. Communication, planning and consistent execution across both everyday dining and larger Club events are particularly important.
• Exceptional management and administrative skills with the ability to communicate effectively with staff and the department head team.
• Highly organized, with the ability to meet deadlines related to menu planning, event execution, weekly features, and operational deliverables.
• Passionate about all aspects of the culinary profession and committed to staying current with food trends, techniques, and equipment.
• The Executive Chef is an active participant in developing and managing the annual culinary operating and capital budgets. The Chef is responsible for developing departmental assumptions and needs related to food cost, culinary labor, operating expenses, equipment, and capital requirements in collaboration with the General Manager/COO and Controller. Throughout the year, the Chef is expected to review financial performance, understand variances to budget and take appropriate action while maintaining the quality and service standards expected by the Club.
• Ability to create house-made items, creative buffet presentations, and evolving menus appropriate for a private club environment.
• The Executive Chef is visible at events and in the dining room, responds to email questions/feedback from members and is actively engaged.

Additional Information:

• Annual food sales at $1.5 MM; total Food & Beverage Sales $2.3 MM.
• The food cost is 40% with a budgeted food cost 40%. Sales mix of 63% a la carte and 37% banquet.
• The Culinary Team is supported by a $650,000 labor budget. The Executive Chef is supported by one Sous Chef and a Banquet Chef. The Chef does the purchasing.
• The Club has one (1) kitchen and the management rates the condition of kitchen as a (4) out of (5).
• STDGC has one Clubhouse with 500 members whose average age is 60.
• The Club operates 11 months annually and is closed during the month of January. The busy months are May – October.
• The Executive Chef reports to the General Manager and works directly with the Clubhouse Manager, Private Events Coordinator, Food & Beverage Manager, Controller, Golf Professional and Golf Course Superintendent.
• The departing Chef has been with the Club 3 years.

Initial Focus

• Learn the Culture of the Club and Build Strong Relationships with the Membership – Take time to understand the culture of the Club and staff. Interact with members, listen to them, and learn what they want. Be visible and engaging with the members.
• Strengthen Financial Controls and Purchasing Practices – Understand and evaluate the financial aspects of the operation. i.e., food cost, labor management, purchasing, inventory, scheduling,forecasting and communication with management.Evaluate all products and cost to ensure the Club is getting best value and quality.
• Develop Systems and Training to Ensure Consistency and Accountability – Evaluate staffing, capabilities and organization. Provide training and procedures to the culinary team to establish food service consistency.Teach staff to work with a sense of urgency, making sure every plate is perfect, holding staff accountable.
• Elevate Food Quality and Execution – Inspire the team and build a strong culinary culture driven to excellence. Team growth and collaboration with other key management are important for success.
• Grille Room – Casual with 60 seats, serving Lunch and Dinner, Tuesday – Sun.
• Ross Room – Casual with 22 seats, serving Dinner, Tuesday – Sunday
• Fireside Room – Casual with 48 seats, serving lunch and dinner, Tues. – Sun.
• Patio – Casual with 120 seats, serving Lunch and Dinner, Tuesday – Sunday
  
• Private Member and Club Events – The Club supports one (1) private room with seating up to 48. The largest sit down event can accommodate 200 guests

The Club offers a competitive base salary, performance bonus based on expectations set with the Chef and GM, and benefits package including a 401k plan, health, life & dental insurance, ACF Dues and Conference. Interested individuals should send resumes, a well-conceived cover letter, and supporting information (a digital Portfolio is encouraged).