Executive Chef – Grand Gardner Hotel
About The Position
Urschel, a 100% employee-owned company, is seeking a passionate, innovative, and operationally strong culinary leader to join the opening team of the new Grand Gardner Hotel as Executive Chef. The Grand Gardner Hotel is an Urschel Development property located in Downtown Valparaiso, IN. Urschel Development is a fully owned subsidiary of Urschel Laboratories located in Chesterton, Indiana. Opening in the second quarter of 2026, this independent, boutique hotel is uniquely positioned on a residential tree-lined street adjacent to vibrant downtown Valparaiso. Thoughtfully designed to provide an authentic sense of place, the property will feature 58 luxurious rooms and suites, a speakeasy, banquet spaces, a boutique spa, and multiple gathering areas throughout the hotel. The Executive Chef oversees all culinary operations, including restaurant service, in-room dining, banquets, and menu development. This role leads all back-of-house functions with responsibility for recruiting, training, supervising, and evaluating kitchen staff while ensuring a consistent, high-quality dining experience across all outlets. The Executive Chef drives menu innovation, maintains rigorous food quality standards, and collaborates with hotel leadership to deliver exceptional guest experiences. The ideal candidate is a creative and disciplined culinary professional with a proven track record in kitchen leadership and menu development. A minimum of five years of culinary management experience in a hotel, resort, upscale dining, or banquet-driven environment is preferred. The candidate should possess strong leadership and communication skills, a passion for innovative cuisine, and the ability to manage inventory, food costs, and vendor relationships effectively. Proficiency with standard commercial kitchen equipment and familiarity with safety and sanitation regulations are essential. The role requires significant physical stamina, including standing for long periods, lifting to 80 pounds, navigating stairs, and performing repetitive manual tasks. Experience in boutique or full-service hotels is advantageous.
Requirements
- Creative and disciplined culinary professional with a proven track record in kitchen leadership and menu development.
- Strong leadership and communication skills
- Passion for innovative cuisine
- Ability to manage inventory, food costs, and vendor relationships effectively.
- Proficiency with standard commercial kitchen equipment
- Familiarity with safety and sanitation regulations are essential.
- Significant physical stamina, including standing for long periods, lifting to 80 pounds, navigating stairs, and performing repetitive manual tasks.
Nice To Haves
- A minimum of five years of culinary management experience in a hotel, resort, upscale dining, or banquet-driven environment is preferred.
- Experience in boutique or full-service hotels is advantageous.
Responsibilities
- Oversees all culinary operations, including restaurant service, in-room dining, banquets, and menu development.
- Leads all back-of-house functions with responsibility for recruiting, training, supervising, and evaluating kitchen staff
- Ensuring a consistent, high-quality dining experience across all outlets.
- Drives menu innovation
- Maintains rigorous food quality standards
- Collaborates with hotel leadership to deliver exceptional guest experiences.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Executive
Education Level
No Education Listed
