Lead Chef: Elevate Kitchen, Menu & Events

Lakeside Companies; Post Falls (ID); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Lead Chef at The Grill & Tap House within The Highlands Golf Course, owned by Lakeside Companies, leads the back-of-house and drives quality, consistency, and output across the kitchen. This hands-on role runs the line, coaches the team, controls food cost, and raises standards that turn the clubhouse restaurant into a destination for golfers and events.

We seek an experienced chef who brings structure, accountability, and pride to the kitchen, and who is excited to grow the restaurant's

Qualifications

• Proven ability to run a high-volume line and banquet or event production.
• Strong knowledge of food safety, sanitation, and allergen practices.
• Ability to lead, train, and hold a team accountable while staying calm under pressure.
• Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, holidays, and longer hours during peak golf season.
• Familiarity with kitchen display systems, inventory software, and point-of-sale reporting.

Responsibilities

• Lead all back-of-house operations, setting clear standards for preparation, presentation, ticket times, and cleanliness.
• Work the line during service, expediting and stepping in wherever needed to keep service on pace.
• Hire, train, schedule, and supervise kitchen staff, and hold the team accountable to standards through coaching and regular feedback.
• Build a professional, respectful kitchen culture with low turnover and clear expectations.
• Partner with front-of-house leadership so service runs smoothly from order to table.
• Develop and refresh menus for the restaurant, on-course and snack bar service, banquets, tournaments, and private events.
• Create standardized recipes, plating guides, and prep lists so every dish is consistent no matter who cooks it.
• Introduce seasonal and local ingredients where they strengthen the menu and the margin.
• Taste and inspect food daily, and correct quality issues immediately.
• Manage food cost to the target set with leadership through portion control, waste tracking, and smart purchasing.
• Order inventory, manage vendor relationships, and negotiate pricing and quality.
• Conduct regular inventory counts and report results.
• Manage kitchen labor scheduling against the business forecast, including seasonal ramp-up and slow-down.
• Plan and execute food for tournaments, weddings, corporate outings, and other events, from menu planning with the events team through service.
• Scale production for large groups without sacrificing quality or timing.
• Maintain full compliance with health district and Idaho food code requirements and lead the kitchen through health inspections.
• Enforce food safety, allergen handling, and sanitation procedures.
• Keep equipment maintained and coordinate repairs with facilities.
• Ensure kitchen staff hold required food handler certifications.

Skills

High-volume kitchen leadership

Food safety & sanitation

Team leadership & coaching

Evening/weekend/holiday flexibility

Kitchen tech familiarity

Education

Culinary degree or certificate

Tools

Kitchen display systems

Inventory software

POS reporting

Job description

The Lead Chef at The Grill & Tap House within The Highlands Golf Course, owned by Lakeside Companies, leads the back-of-house and drives quality, consistency, and output across the kitchen. This hands-on role runs the line, coaches the team, controls food cost, and raises standards that turn the clubhouse restaurant into a destination for golfers and events.

We seek an experienced chef who brings structure, accountability, and pride to the kitchen, and who is excited to grow the restaurant's