Traveling Support Executive Chef

Bon Appétit Management Company; Minneapolis (MN); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Retirement Plan

Health and Wellness Programs

Discount Marketplace

Job summary

Bon Appétit Management Company is hiring a Traveling Executive Chef in Chicago, IL. The role requires travel up to 85% and offers a pay range of $90,000–$100,000 per year. The executive chef will provide senior culinary leadership across the portfolio, ensuring food quality, safety, and operational excellence.

Ideal candidates will have 5+ years of culinary leadership and the ability to manage through openings, transitions, and ongoing program improvements while maintaining cost discipline.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive culinary leadership experience in high-quality food service environments.
• Experience leading kitchens at a high level, opening programs from scratch, and managing cost and quality.

Responsibilities

• Deploy to locations across the country to provide senior culinary leadership.
• Stabilize operations and maintain culinary standards during leadership gaps.
• Provide coverage across multiple culinary formats within the portfolio.
• Develop and enforce food safety, quality, and SOPs across deployed sites.

Skills

Culinary leadership

Financial acumen

Travel readiness

Job description

• We are hiring immediately for a Traveling Executive Chef position.
• Location: Chicago,IL
• Pay Range: $90,000 -$100,000
• Travel required up to 85%

Diversityof thought and inclusion for all is what drives our success - we invite you to start your journey with us today!

Are you looking for a job with competitive wages and benefits, one in which you can learn and grow while making a difference in the world? We’re hiring! Bon Appétit Management Company operates more than 1,000 cafés around the country for corporations, universities, and museums, as well as a few dozen public restaurants. We’ve led the industry in socially and environmentally responsible sourcing, from sustainable seafood to cage‑free eggs. We cook everything from scratch using fresh, local ingredients.

Learn more about careers with Bon Appétit: http://www.bamco.com/careers/

The Traveling Support Executive Chef is a culinary leader and field operator responsible for advancing food quality, culinary standards, kitchen operations, and culinary culture across the region as needed. Reporting directly to the Regional Vice President, this role serves as bench strength that can be deployed to any location in the portfolio — providing hands‑on culinary leadership, kitchen stabilization, and executive chef‑level coverage when needed.

This is an operator's role as much as it is a culinary role. The Traveling Support Executive Chef is deployed into locations when Executive Chefs are transitioning or on leave, when a kitchen requires immediate senior‑level intervention, or when a new location is being opened and requires culinary leadership.

The ideal candidate is an accomplished chef‑operator who has led kitchens at a high level, opened food & beverage programs from scratch, and has the operational discipline to manage food safety, cost, and consistency across multiple environments. This is a role for a chef who is as comfortable with a P&L as they are behind a line — and who earns respect from a team the moment they walk through the kitchen door.

Key Responsibilities

Field Deployment & Culinary Coverage

• Deploy to locations across the country (mainly the Midwest but supports other accounts as needed) to provide senior culinary leadership when Executive Chefs are transitioning, on leave, or when kitchen support is required
• Stabilize kitchen operations during leadership gaps, service challenges, or food quality issues — maintaining full culinary continuity and standards
• Provide coverage across all culinary formats in the portfolio including full-service dining, education accounts, café programs, and catered event kitchens
• Serve as a credible, calm culinary presence that builds trust with kitchen teams and clients from day one of deployment

Culinary Standards & Food Quality

• Champion food quality, flavor authenticity, presentation standards, and temperature integrity across all supported locations
• Evaluate kitchens against program culinary standards and develop clear, actionable improvement plans
• Ensure menu accuracy at both the station and digital/online level, and maintain cultural and dietary inclusivity across all programs
• Partner with site chefs to strengthen day-to-day culinary execution, consistency, and quality output

Food Safety, Sanitation & Compliance

• Ensure strict adherence to HACCP protocols, temperature log accuracy, and BOH sanitation standards across all deployed locations
• Maintain allergen accuracy and food safety escalation documentation in full compliance with client and regulatory requirements
• Drive health inspection readiness, targeting A ratings or equivalent pass results at all supported sites
• Champion a culture of safety, cleanliness, and accountability in every kitchen environment

New Openings & Special Projects

• Bring hands‑on opening expertise to new location launches — developing kitchen systems, building culinary teams, establishing food quality standards, and ensuring culinary readiness prior to go‑live
• Support program-wide culinary initiatives, menu development, and innovation projects as directed by Regional Vice President
• Contribute to the development of culinary SOPs, recipe standards, training programs, and food quality benchmarks

Purchasing, Cost & Financial Discipline

• Advise on and support purchasing practices, product sourcing, vendor relationships, and cost‑conscious procurement decisions
• Maintain food cost discipline at deployed locations, contributing to budget adherence and financial reporting accuracy
• Identify opportunities to improve culinary efficiencies without compromising food quality or guest experience

Team Leadership & Culinary Development

• Mentor and develop site chefs and kitchen leaders, building culinary confidence, technical skills, and operational discipline
• Support staffing coverage, succession planning, and the development of culinary bench strength at key locations
• Ensure training completion in HACCP, allergen management, food safety, and culinary standards across deployed teams

Requirements

• 5+ years of progressive culinary leadership experience in high-quality food service environments
• Proven background in restaurant or hotel food & beverage new openings — experience as a pre-opening Executive Chef, Corporate Chef, or Culinary Director for a multi‑unit or flagship program strongly preferred
• Deep expertise in kitchen operations, food quality standards, food safety compliance, and culinary team development
• Demonstrated ability to walk into a kitchen, quickly assess operations and food quality, and implement practical, immediate improvements
• Experience managing diverse culinary formats
• Strong financial acumen with experience managing food costs, supporting P&L accountability, and driving procurement discipline
• A chef who balances creativity with operational rigor — passionate about food quality and innovation while maintaining consistency and cost discipline
• Ability to build credibility quickly with kitchen teams, site operators, and clients — calm under pressure, decisive in the moment
• Background in corporate dining, higher education, or contract food service is a strong plus
• Must be based near an airport
• Ability to travel approximately 85% of the time to program locations including Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Texas

Associates at Bon Appétitare offered many fantastic benefits.

Full‑time and part‑time positions offer the followingbenefits to associates:

• Retirement Plan,
• Associate Shopping Program,
• Health and Wellness Programs,
• Discount Marketplace,
• Identity Theft Protection,
• Pet Insurance,
• Voluntary Benefits, including Critical Illness Insurance, Accident Insurance, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Legal Services, and Choice Auto and Home Program

Full‑time positions also offer the following benefits to associates:

• Medical,
• Dental,
• Vision,
• Life Insurance/AD,
• Disability Insurance,
• Commuter Benefits,
• Employee Assistance Program,
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

Associates may also be eligible for paid and/or unpaid time off benefits in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. For positions in Washington State, Maryland, or to be performed Remotely, click here or copy/paste the link below for paid time off benefits information. https://www.compass-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023_WageTransparency_BAMCO.pdf

About Compass Group: Achieving leadership in the foodservice industry

Compass Group is an equal opportunity employer. At Compass, we are committed to treating all Applicants and Associates fairly based on their abilities, achievements, and experience without regard to race, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other classification protected by law.

Qualified candidates must be able to perform the essential functions of this position satisfactorily with or without a reasonable accommodation. Disclaimer: this job post is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all essential responsibilities, skills, tasks, or requirements associated with this position. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the position posted, the Company reserves the right to modify or change the essential functions of the job based on business necessity.

Certain positions may require Florida Level 2 background screening. Details: https://info.flclearinghouse.com/

Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

Bon Appetit maintains a drug‑free workplace.