Executive Chef

Amara at Paraiso•Miami, FL

22d•Onsite

About The Position

The Genuine Hospitality Group, led by James Beard Award–winning Chef Michael Schwartz, is seeking a visionary Executive Chef to lead the culinary program at Amara at Paraiso—one of South Florida’s premier waterfront dining destinations. This is a rare opportunity for a dynamic culinary leader to shape a high-profile, high-volume restaurant known for bold Central and South American flavors, seasonal coastal cuisine, and an elevated guest experience. With over 300 seats, a thriving events business, and a team of nearly 100 employees, this role offers both creative freedom and operational impact at scale. With delegated authority, reporting to the Owner and General Manager, the Executive Chef is responsible for leading the development of seasonal, coastal South American inspired menus that adhere to the ethos of Genuine cooking. This includes developing, implementing and maintaining systems that enhance communication, cost control, and nurture creative output. The Executive Chef will design and evolve menus that reflect culinary trends, guest preferences, dietary needs, and locally and sustainably sourced ingredients, and plan and execute seasonal menu transitions with a strong focus on quality, consistency, and creativity. They will create, document, and standardize recipes to ensure scalability and consistency across operations. The role oversees all kitchen operations, including prep, production, service, and execution across both the restaurant and offsite commissary kitchen, managing commissary operations including labor, logistics, maintenance, production, and quality control as an extension of the main kitchen. Ensuring all food is prepared and presented according to established recipes, portioning, and quality standards, and implementing and maintaining rigorous quality control measures for sourcing, handling, and preparation of all ingredients are key responsibilities. Maintaining strict adherence to sanitation, safety, and cleanliness standards, including scheduled maintenance of equipment and facilities is also crucial. The Executive Chef will own and manage kitchen financial performance, including food cost (COGs), labor, and operating expenses, develop and manage kitchen budgets, proactively monitor and adjust to meet financial targets, and optimize costs while maintaining the highest standards of quality and guest experience. Controlling inventory, ordering, and product usage in alignment with company specifications and procedures is essential. Providing strong leadership, direction, and motivation to a large, high-performing kitchen team (up to 40 employees), including recruiting, interviewing, hiring, training, evaluating, and developing kitchen personnel, and fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement are vital. Overseeing onboarding and training programs to ensure team success and alignment with company standards, and scheduling labor strategically based on business needs while meeting labor cost goals are also part of the role. The Executive Chef will lead by example—stepping into operations as needed to support service and uphold standards, partner closely with front-of-house leadership to ensure seamless service and communication, and collaborate with the Marketing team to develop food-focused content and campaigns. Contributing to brand storytelling through menu features, seasonal promotions, and participation in key food holidays and events, and working with senior leadership to align culinary strategy with overall business objectives are also expected.

Requirements

Minimum 7+ years of progressive culinary experience, including leadership in high-volume or fine dining environments
At least 5 years in a senior kitchen leadership role (Executive Chef, Chef de Cuisine, or equivalent)
Proven experience leading large teams of 10 or more staff members and complex kitchen operations
Strong financial acumen with experience managing COGs, labor, and budgets
Experience with high-volume production and/or commissary operations preferred
Passion for seasonal, locally sourced ingredients and culturally inspired cuisine
Exceptional leadership, communication, and organizational skills

Responsibilities

Lead development of seasonal, coastal South American inspired menus that adhere to the ethos of Genuine cooking
Develop, implement and maintain systems that enhance communication, cost control, and nurture creative output
Design and evolve menus that reflect culinary trends, guest preferences, dietary needs, and locally and sustainably sourced ingredients
Plan and execute seasonal menu transitions with a strong focus on quality, consistency, and creativity
Create, document, and standardize recipes to ensure scalability and consistency across operations
Oversee all kitchen operations, including prep, production, service, and execution across both the restaurant and offsite commissary kitchen
Manage commissary operations including labor, logistics, maintenance, production, and quality control as an extension of the main kitchen
Ensure all food is prepared and presented according to established recipes, portioning, and quality standards
Implement and maintain rigorous quality control measures for sourcing, handling, and preparation of all ingredients
Maintain strict adherence to sanitation, safety, and cleanliness standards, including scheduled maintenance of equipment and facilities
Own and manage kitchen financial performance, including food cost (COGs), labor, and operating expenses
Develop and manage kitchen budgets; proactively monitor and adjust to meet financial targets
Optimize costs while maintaining the highest standards of quality and guest experience
Control inventory, ordering, and product usage in alignment with company specifications and procedures
Provide strong leadership, direction, and motivation to a large, high-performing kitchen team (up to 40 employees)
Recruit, interview, hire, train, evaluate, and develop kitchen personnel
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement
Oversee onboarding and training programs to ensure team success and alignment with company standards
Schedule labor strategically based on business needs while meeting labor cost goals
Lead by example—stepping into operations as needed to support service and uphold standards
Partner closely with front-of-house leadership to ensure seamless service and communication
Collaborate with the Marketing team to develop food-focused content and campaigns
Contribute to brand storytelling through menu features, seasonal promotions, and participation in key food holidays and events
Work with senior leadership to align culinary strategy with overall business objectives