ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY
Located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, The Pearl is proud to be a member of Surack Enterprises.
Help transport guests to the shores of Italy as you take charge of a brand-new kitchen opening soon in vibrant Downtown Fort Wayne. This soon-to-be-announced restaurant will feature not just fine Italian dishes, but steak and seafood as well, allowing guests to return night after night and still find a fresh experience. We invite you to join our foundational team as Executive Chef!
As we develop our signature menu items together, you’ll be empowered to unleash your culinary creativity, finding inspiration from the flavors found on the streets of Naples, Bologna, and Rome. Your day-to-day will be focused on maintaining a clean and safe working environment, managing inventory, and ensuring the exquisite quality of every delectable dish you send out. Your attitude and expertise set the tone for the rest of the kitchen, so strong leadership skills are essential. We expect you to be capable of teaching, coaching, and developing your kitchen staff into a cohesive team.
This new restaurant will be featured as a prominent commercial tenant at The Pearl, a state-of-the-art, mixed-use building featuring 76 apartments, a 300-person event space, and more. Both this new restaurant and The Pearl itself fall under the umbrella of Surack Enterprises. At Surack, we encourage work-life balance and can offer you stability, professional growth, and a fulfilling career. As we continue to grow, our mission remains the same – always do the right thing.
EXECUTIVE CHEF RESPONSIBILITIES
- Oversee and manage the day-to-day culinary operations of the restaurant
- Develop and create new menu items that align with our company culture and philosophy
- Remain hands-on and eyes-on at all times in every aspect of the kitchen
- Manage kitchen staff, including recruitment, training, and performance evaluation, fostering a collaborative and supportive work environment
- Standardize recipes and plate presentations to ensure consistent quality
- Collaborate with management to create a memorable and exceptional dining experience for guests
- Oversee and ensure compliance with the total operating profit for the designated area of responsibility
- Ensures the restaurant is accountable for the successful execution of all operating systems (ordering, receiving, storage, inventory, etc.)
- Maintain high standards of cleanliness, food safety, and sanitation in accordance with regulatory requirements and restaurant policies
- Control food costs, inventory levels, and purchasing decisions to maximize profitability while maintaining quality and freshness
- Ensures that positive and corrective review feedback is immediately provided to the entire BOH staff and coaches the BOH staff to exceed performance standards
EXECUTIVE CHEF REQUIREMENTS
- 3+ years of previous experience as an Executive Chef/Head Chef in a full-service upscale dining establishment specializing in Italian cuisine
- Passion for high quality food and cooking techniques, with a creative and innovative approach
- Must be a great cook and be passionate about how the food quality affects a guest experience; no office chefs
- Strong leadership qualities and the ability to motivate and inspire a team
- Ability to lead, coach, and develop their team
- Dedication to strict sanitation guidelines and ability to develop SOPs
- Must be systems and detailed oriented
- Proven proficiency in inventory, ordering, scheduling, team building, and the ability to analyze food cost and labor cost
- In-depth knowledge of cost and labor systems to maintain profitability and efficiency
- A portfolio of previous work/original dishes is highly preferred
EXECUTIVE CHEF BENEFITS
- Competitive salary range of $90,000 to $100,000 annually
- Creativity of new menu items with great local ingredients
- Health, dental, vision insurance benefits and 401k
- Strong people-first culture
- PTO/Vacation
- Paid parking
- Bonus potential
- Opportunities for career growth for those who are driven
