Executive Chef - Del Monte Forest

THE EXECUTIVE CHEF OPPORTUNITY AT MONTEREY PENINSULA COUNTRY CLUBThe Executive Chef opportunity at Monterey Peninsula Country Club represents a rare and career-defining role within one of the most prestigious private clubs in the country. · Renowned for its iconic setting, distin ...

Job description

THE EXECUTIVE CHEF OPPORTUNITY AT MONTEREY PENINSULA COUNTRY CLUB

The Executive Chef opportunity at Monterey Peninsula Country Club represents a rare and career-defining role within one of the most prestigious private clubs in the country.

Renowned for its iconic setting, distinguished membership, and deep appreciation for exceptional dining, the Club offers a well-established, high-quality, and highly utilized food and beverage program that is central to the member experience.

The incoming Executive Chef will assume leadership of a successful and respected culinary operation, guiding a talented team across multiple dining venues while building upon an already strong foundation.

Food and beverage are both popular and highly visible at the Club, with a sophisticated and discerning membership that values consistency, creativity, and thoughtful execution.

This role is ideally suited for a top-level culinary leader who is collaborative, engaged, and confident, stepping into an operation that is performing well and poised for continued refinement.

ABOUT MONTEREY PENINSULA COUNTRY CLUB
Monterey Peninsula Country Club is situated at a magnificent meeting of land and sea.

Encompassing more than 400 acres of forest and coastal dunes, including over two miles of Pacific Ocean coastline, the Club's setting is both dramatic and inspiring.

For generations, this unparalleled landscape and the Club's exceptional golf courses have attracted discerning Members seeking an active lifestyle centered on their shared passion for the game of golf, superb dining, and engaging social experiences with family and friends in one of the world's most beautiful environments.

The Club celebrates and treasures its heritage, remaining true to the founder's original vision, a commitment that has guided the Club for nearly a century.

Members enjoy two championship courses, the Shore Course and the Dunes Course, along with the distinctive ambiance of the main clubhouse, the Dunes Shelter, and the Beach House, all of which contribute to a sense of place that is refined, welcoming, and unmistakably special.

MONTEREY PENINSULA COUNTRY CLUB BY THE NUMBERS:
Members: 1149 – all categories

Average age of membership: 71

Approximate Annual Gross Volume $45M
Annual Beverage Volume Approximately $2M* with MPCC unique Member Benefits Pricing
Annual Food Volume Approximately $4M* with MPCC unique Member Benefits Pricing
Annual Food Cost Approximately 80%
A la carte 60% Banquets 40%
3 Clubhouses
4 Kitchens – (Clubhouse, Dune Shelter, Golf House, Shore Shelter)
Total Number of FB Outlets: 4 plus private dining spaces and banquet spaces
Covers per year 200k
Average 8-12 Weddings a year
Annual Kitchen Gross Payroll Approximately $3 million
50 direct/indirect reports, including: Sous Chefs, Banquet Chef, Pastry Chef, Executive Sous Chef


EXECUTIVE CHEF JOB OVERVIEW

The Executive Chef (EC) at Monterey Peninsula Country Club provides strategic leadership and oversight for all culinary operations across multiple food and beverage outlets within a high-volume, high-revenue club environment.

This includes à la carte dining, banquets and events, member programming, and specialty outlets.

Working in close partnership with the Director of Operations and the broader leadership team, the Executive Chef establishes and enforces culinary standards, systems, and operating procedures that support consistency, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Leadership
Take full ownership of the culinary team; build trust by engaging, observing, learning, and listening.
Earn members' trust by instilling confidence through continued enhanced operations, interaction, and visibility.

Create a fun, collaborative work environment while being "hands-on" when necessary but understanding when to step back and lead the team.

Involve team members in the decision-making process of how "work gets done" and create a work environment of mutual respect in which people want to come to and participate every day.

Work closely with the front of house leadership and broader club leadership team to ensure a cohesive experience that consistently exceeds expectations for Members and guests.

Be a focused and consistent evaluator of personnel, ensuring that standards of conduct and delivery are met; this includes oversight of high standards of appearance, hospitality, service, and cleanliness of the kitchen facilities.

Be an active and dynamic recruiter of team members and someone who inherently enjoys developing and building his/her team and leading them to significant, positive membership satisfaction outcomes.

Have a passion and aptitude for teaching and training all food service personnel, working as necessary with the team directly responsible for operations to create a learning culture of development.

Hold daily/weekly team briefings and line-ups with direct reports to keep them informed.

Operations

Plan, organize, and run a busy a la carte and banquet operation simultaneously with multiple events happening at the same time across multiple locations.

Develop and maintain standard recipes and techniques for food preparation and presentation that help to ensure consistency, high-quality, and minimize food costs.

Be well versed in menu development and execution of various cuisines, including American, French, Mediterranean, Italian, Asian, Caribbean, and Indian.

Always with a focus on quality ingredients with a strong foundation in fundamental culinary techniques.

Continue to maintain the positive culture of healthy employee meals and understand the importance they have for the team's morale.

Attend Food and Beverage, Leadership, Financial, and other Meetings and represent the culinary team.
Establish controls to minimize food and supply waste and theft. Safeguard all food-preparation employees by implementing training to increase their knowledge about safety, sanitation, and accident prevention principles.
Maintain safety training programs. Manages OSHA-related aspects of kitchen safety and maintains MSDSs in an easily accessible location.

Membership
Have a heart of hospitality, embrace, appreciate, promote, and elevate the warmth and culture of the Club.

Be highly visible and engaged with Membership throughout the F&B outlets and events, have an intuitive feel for where to be and when.

Welcome, encourage, and engage in regular feedback from Members.

Be responsive to Members' requests for menu selections, event planning, etc., and strive to find creative ways to accommodate reasonable requests.

Consistently innovate, elevate events, and build on a core selection of club favorites and signature dishes.
Create seasonally appropriate menus that the Membership has a hard time choosing from, with regular features and specials.

Financial

Clearly understand the metrics for successful attainment of financial goals and objectives in F&B operations and consistently reviews these expectations with his or her direct reports to ensure understanding and 'buy-in' from those contributing to their attainment.

Oversee the pricing of menus for all outlets in the club and for special occasions and events.

Schedule and coordinate the work of chefs, cooks, and other kitchen employees to ensure that food preparation is economical and technically correct, and within budgeted labor cost goals.

Embrace the use of systems (including regular inventory processes) and technology to assist in the management of the kitchen and the financial performance of the operation.

Monitor payroll and labor resource allocations to ensure they are in line with financial forecasting and goals.

Prepare data for applicable aspects of the budget; project annual food, labor, and other costs and monitor actual financial results; take corrective action as necessary to help ensure that financial goals are met.

Participate actively in the capital budget planning, representing the equipment, supply, and infrastructure needs of the kitchen.

Maintain strong relationships with local vendors and identify new vendors to ensure the best prices for the best quality products.

INITIAL PRIORITIES OF THE EXECUTIVE CHEF

Establish Excellence as the Standard:

Set a clear expectation that excellence is non-negotiable, from the simplest member favorite to the most elevated dining experience.

Champion Consistency & the

Basics Done Exceptionally Well:

Establish uncompromising standards around food quality, execution, sanitation, and organization, ensuring member favorites and everyday classics are delivered with the same care and focus as special events and refined dining.

Gain an Understanding of Members &

Their Habits:
Quickly learn the members' preferences, traditions, dining patterns, and expectations.

Develop Thoughtful Innovation & Creativity:

Introduce creativity with purpose, refreshing menus, features, and events in ways that feel exciting yet appropriate for the Club.

Developing and Inspiring People:

Lead as a hands-on mentor and teacher, strengthening the culinary bench through training and coaching, while fostering a culture of professionalism and continuous improvement.

Visibility & Member Engagement:

Be an active, approachable presence in both kitchens and dining rooms, genuinely enjoying interaction with Members, team, and stakeholders.

CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS

Five to Seven years' experience in a similar role with exposure to luxury hospitality, or large multi-outlet operations with both busy a la carte and banquets.

Ten years of food production and management.
Experienced with and embraces new technology, including POS and Microsoft Suite.


EDUCATIONAL AND CERTIFICATION QUALIFICATIONS
A bachelor's degree is preferred with a focus on Hospitality Management or Culinary.
In lieu of the degree, substantial culinary or hospitality experience will be considered.

Has achieved or is working towards Certified Executive Chef (CEC) certification through the American Culinary Federation (ACF) or Pro Chef II certification through the Culinary Institute of America.

Food Safety Certified