Executive Chef

Description

Essential Purpose: To provide strategic leadership and creative vision for all culinary operations across the property, ensuring exceptional guest dining experiences, operational efficiency, and financial performance. This role oversees the development of innovative menus, maintains the highest standards of food quality and safety, leads a high-performing culinary team, and aligns the kitchen’s output with the properties brand, service philosophy, and business goals.

• Provide visionary leadership in the recruitment, development, scheduling, and performance management of all culinary leaders and team members, fostering a property-wide culture of excellence, collaboration, and accountability.
• To deliver exceptional, memorable culinary experiences by anticipating and responding to guest needs, preferences, and feedback in a timely, gracious, and professional manner.
• To conceptualize and curate diverse, upscale, and property-appropriate menus for multiple outlets (e.g., fine dining, casual dining, room service, poolside, banquets, employee dining and seasonal pop-ups) that reflect regional flavors and global influences.
• To ensure all food storage, preparation, and service comply with the highest standards of food safety, sanitation, and temperature control in accordance with local (tribal) health codes and brand policies.
• To partner with the Director of Food & Beverage, Banquet Manager, and Outlet Managers to ensure coordinated, elevated, and seamless delivery of food and service across all guest touchpoints.
• To establish and maintain efficient systems for the internal requisition, prep, and distribution of food across multiple outlets, banquet functions, and employee meal operations.
• To design and oversee balanced, cost-effective employee meal programs that support wellness, morale, and productivity across all resort departments.
• To lead and enforce consistency in the presentation and quality of all food served, ensuring it reflects the resort’s luxury standards, brand identity, and guest expectations.
• To optimize food cost and control waste through strategic purchasing, accurate forecasting, inventory controls, and sustainable sourcing practices aligned with the resort’s values.
• To oversee capital kitchen equipment planning, routine maintenance schedules, and coordination of necessary repairs with Engineering, ensuring uninterrupted culinary operations.
• To lead the strategic development, costing, and pricing of all menus, aligning culinary creativity with profitability targets and competitive market positioning.
• To uphold rigorous sanitation and cleanliness standards through regular inspections, documentation, and proactive health department compliance planning.
• To collaborate with executive leadership and finance to develop, present, and manage the annual culinary budget, ensuring departmental performance aligns with property financial goals.
• To actively monitor and adjust labor and food costs to meet budgetary targets while maintaining quality and guest satisfaction across all food and beverage venues.
• To contribute as a senior leader in property events, VIP experiences, and guest recognition efforts, representing the culinary brand of the resort.
• To ensure timely, accurate, and compliant processing of all payroll, HR, and performance documentation for the culinary department in alignment with property policies.
• To champion resort-wide policies, initiatives, and service philosophies, modeling professional behavior and cultivating a high-integrity, high-performance team environment.
• To proactively identify and mitigate safety risks, ensuring all culinary team members adhere to established safety protocols and training requirements.
• To maintain a pristine, organized, and efficient kitchen environment, emphasizing cleanliness, safety, and readiness for inspection at all times.
• To implement and continuously improve safe work practices across all culinary areas, including equipment use, lifting procedures, knife handling, and emergency response protocols.
• To attend all property leadership meetings, food and beverage briefings, and property-wide training sessions to support operational alignment and excellence.
• To perform other duties and cross-functional leadership tasks as assigned, contributing to the ongoing growth, reputation, and success of the property.

Requirements

Knowledge + Education: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience with special courses or certification in culinary schooling required. English fluency required. Spanish fluency helpful. Must have a minimum of five years’ experience as an Executive Chef in an establishment of comparable quality, with demonstrable knowledge of culinary operations and quality food preparation. Familiar with OSHA, SB198, local Department of Health regulations, and relevant current laws governing handling of hazardous substances. Hotel experience preferred.

Skills: Demonstrated ability to train staff and ensure luxury resort customer service. Strong written and verbal communication skills. Detail oriented. Organized and efficient. Safety-minded. High quality standards for production and service. Good team player. Customer service focus. Ability to effectively manage staff to maintain a high level of morale and productivity.

Physical Demands: Stands and walks short distances approximately 60% of shift. Sits at desk or in meetings approximately 40% of shift. Occasionally required to handle and move objects weighing up to 30 lbs. over short distances. Must be able to work under pressure. Moderate to frequent use of stairs, daily.

Temecula Creek Inn is an Equal Opportuity Employer M/F/D/V