Executive Sous Chef

Bird Key Yacht Club; Town of Florida (NY); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Bird Key Yacht Club in Sarasota is seeking an Executive Sous Chef to lead a private club kitchen, rebrand dining concepts, and implement a sustainable, locally sourced culinary program. The role requires hands-on leadership, staff training, and close collaboration with the Executive Chef to ensure top-quality presentations for lunch, dinner, and events.

The ideal candidate brings private club or luxury hospitality experience, a proven track record in team leadership, and a passion for culinary

Qualifications

• Experience in luxury, hotel/resorts preferred.
• Strong leadership with ability to inspire and hold teams accountable.
• Ability to supervise kitchen staff and ensure menu quality and consistency.

Responsibilities

• Assist the Executive Chef in operating a private club food production operation.
• Hands-on manager and trainer of the kitchen crew; supervise service staff in the kitchen.
• Maintain sanitation and upkeep of preparation areas and equipment; manage costs within budget.
• Assume Executive Chef duties in their absence and participate in budgeting and menu development.

Skills

Private club experience

Leadership

Team building

Hospitality mindset

Budgeting understanding

Menu development

Scheduling

Job description

Bridging the Sea & Sarasota, Bird Key Yacht Club is a place shaped by water and defined by people. You’ll find more than a marina or a clubhouse at Bird Key Yacht Club. You’ll discover rhythm and ritual, conversation, and care. A way of living that blends Sarasota’s cultural soul with coastal ease and welcomes you with the kind of quiet confidence that doesn’t have to prove anything. We’re not flashy; we’re thoughtful. Not rigid, but intentional. This is a Club where the pace is just right; the details matter, and the experiences — on the dock, at the table, or pleasantly face to face — linger longer than expected.

Bird Key Yacht Club, founded in 1959, has long been one of Sarasota's most treasured private clubs, where life on the water, meaningful relationships, and gracious hospitality come together. While honoring its rich history and traditions, the Club is now entering its most exciting chapter with the opening of a remarkable new clubhouse. In 2025, the club broke ground for a brand new 22,000 square foot clubhouse, tennis pavilion and tennis courts, pool, fitness studio, locker rooms, and outdoor spaces and the opportunity to redefine the member experience for generations to come.

Position Specifics:

Bird Key Yacht Club is looking for a bright culinary talent who understands food trends and is open to our new culinary philosophy of sustainable, locally or regionally sourced, organic, clean, and fresh. We have the opportunity to completely rebrand who and what our dining is at BKYC, to go along with the complete rebrand that we just did. We are starting fresh … and excited to have you join us!

The Executive Sous Chef is responsible for assisting the Executive Chef in operating a private club food production operation. He or She will aid the Chef in his responsibilities for the quality and presentation of all food served for lunch, dinner, private parties, and staff meals. The Executive Sous Chef will be a “hands on” manager and trainer of the entire kitchen crew. He or She will also have general supervisory responsibility for the conduct of all service staff while they are present in the kitchen. The sanitation and general upkeep of all preparation areas and equipment is also key. From a financial standpoint, The Executive Sous Chef is expected to understand and ensure that costs are kept within budget. The Executive Sous Chef will assume the full duties of the Chef in his absence.

Candidate Qualifications:

Personal Traits & Characteristics: The ideal candidate views hospitality as a calling, not simply an occupation. They are energized by building teams, creating systems, and establishing and holding to a culture of excellence. They enjoy interacting with the membership and fellow employees. The ideal candidate also adopts a philosophy of “Unreasonable Hospitality” and “Extreme Ownership”.

• Candidate must have current or prior private club experience or experience in luxury, hotel/resorts
• An engaged self-starter. A confident leader with empathy and an ability to inspire the team. Someone that will hold the team accountable and challenge them to be better than they were yesterday. The goal is to move the program from ‘Good to Great.’
• Prepares and/or directly supervises kitchen staff responsible for the daily preparation of all food items to ensure that methods of cooking, garnishing, and portion-sizing are as prescribed by standardized specifications.
• Is the supervisor of all a la carte food operations, checking daily for the quality and quantity of la carte food items needed. Also to lend creativity and help to ensure that the food quality and presentation of banquet meals and buffets are of the highest standards.
• He/she is highly organized, with the ability to meet deadlines related to a la carte service, event execution, weekly features, and operational deliverables.
• Passionate about all things culinary and committed to staying current with food trends, techniques, and equipment. Ensure the production of all a la carte items such as soups, sauces, and daily mis en place meets quality standards.
• Understand and assist with the development of all menus including procedures for seasonality, pricing, kitchen specification worksheets, portion specifications, and ordering system.
• The Sous Chef will attend regular staff meetings i.e., BEO-Staff- Event Planning where practical and is expected to maintain a professional relationship with all employees. He or She will communicate weekly schedules and document the performance of employees under his or her supervision.
• Attend the Food & Beverage Committee meeting with the Executive Chef to support the culinary operation, address questions and report progress.
• It is expected the Executive Sous Chef will be actively present on the dining room floor, when able, participates in special club functions like wine dinners and cooking classes, will contribute to writing the newsletter article some months, will communicate to the membership via e-blasts, and develop and create other member engagements opportunities.
• The Club wished to engage the Executive Sous Chef heavily in the budgeting process as part of their leadership and management development.
• Work with maintenance staff on general upkeep of kitchen. Perform monthly kitchen inspections for general upkeep and cleanliness.
• To assume responsibility for the Executive Chef’s duties in his absence and understand the operations of all food outlets including banquets, a la carte, and special events.