Executive Chef

Gate Golf Club•Naples, FL

19d•Onsite

About The Position

Established in 2023 and located in Naples, Florida, The Gate Golf Club ("The Gate") is a non-profit organization driven by a shared love for golf and a commitment to creating a lasting impact on the community. Scheduled to open in late 2026, The Gate consists of a 175-seat freestanding full-service restaurant, pavilion bar, concessions snack bar, 30-bay state-of-the-art practice range with Trackman technology, expansive putting course, and a Jacobsen-Hardy-designed 9-hole regulation-length golf course. Recognizing the limited availability of public courses in Southwest Florida, The Gate Golf Club is dedicated to making the sport more accessible for families and players of all skill levels. Reporting to the General Manager, the Executive Chef will interact frequently with department heads to execute the mission of The Gate Golf Club. The Gate strives to accomplish three things: provide high-quality experiences at affordable rates to members of the greater Naples (SWFL) community, educate and train the next generation of the hospitality and golf workforce, and introduce golfers to the game through the integration of First Tee programming. The Executive Chef is accountable for the overall success of the daily and long-term kitchen operations. The Executive Chef exhibits culinary talent by personally performing tasks while leading the staff and managing all food-related functions, working to continually improve guest and employee satisfaction while maximizing financial performance in all areas of responsibility. The Executive Chef will supervise all kitchen areas to ensure a consistent, high-quality product is produced and is responsible for guiding and developing staff, including direct reports. High sanitation and food standards must be achieved and always maintained. Areas of responsibility comprise overseeing all food preparation areas (e.g., events, Oakwood Grill, The Gimme (concession), The Pavilion and The Bays, and employee meals) and supporting all areas (e.g., dish room and purchasing).

Requirements

6 years of experience in a high-volume culinary department in a multi-unit business model
2-year degree from an accredited college preferred, ideally in Culinary Arts
New property launch experience strongly preferred
Availability to work flexible hours, including weekends and holidays
Proficient in Microsoft Office and facility-based point-of-sale systems
Deep understanding of multi-outlet hospitality operations in a seasonal environment and the ability to manage cross-functional teams
Passionate about delivering high-quality service and fostering a strong team culture

Nice To Haves

2-year degree from an accredited college, ideally in Culinary Arts
New property launch experience strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Leads kitchen management team and provides direction for all day-to-day operations
Understands employee positions and can perform duties in employee absence or determine appropriate replacement to fill gaps
Provides guidance and direction to staff, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance
Utilizes interpersonal and communication skills to lead, influence, and encourage others; advocates sound financial/business decision making; demonstrates honesty/integrity; leads by example
Encourages and builds mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members
Serves as a role model to demonstrate appropriate behaviors
Ensures property policies are administered fairly and consistently
Reviews staffing levels to ensure that guest service, operational needs and financial objectives are met
Establishes and maintains open, collaborative relationships with employees and ensures employees do the same within the team
Solicits employee feedback, utilizes an "open door" policy, and reviews employee satisfaction results to identify and address employee problems or concerns
Supervises and coordinates activities of cooks and workers engaged in food preparation
Demonstrate new cooking techniques and equipment for staff
Develops and implements guidelines and control procedures for purchasing and receiving areas
Establish goals including performance goals, budget goals and team goals
Communicates the importance of safety procedures, detailing procedure codes, ensuring employee understanding of safety codes, monitoring processes and procedures related to safety
Manages department controllable expenses including food cost, supplies, uniforms and equipment
Participates in the budgeting process for areas of responsibility
Understands and implements The Gate Golf Club's safety standards
Provides direction for menu development
Monitors the quality of raw and cooked food products to ensure that standards are met
Determine how food should be presented and create decorative food displays
Recognizes superior quality products, presentations, and flavor
Ensures compliance with food handling and sanitation standards; follows proper handling and correct temperatures for all food products
Ensures that employees maintain required food handling and sanitation certifications
Maintains purchasing, receiving, and food storage standards
Prepares and cooks food of all types, either on a regular basis or for special guests or events
Provides and supports exceptional customer service behaviors that are above and beyond for customer satisfaction and retention
Improves service by communicating and assisting individuals to understand guest needs, providing guidance, feedback, and individual coaching as needed
Manages day-to-day operations, ensuring the quality, standards and meeting the expectations of the customers
Displays leadership in guest hospitality, exemplifies excellent customer service and creates a positive atmosphere for guest relations
Interact frequently with guests in the venues to obtain feedback on product quality and service levels
Interact with VIP and Board Members on every visit to obtain feedback on product, quality and service levels
Responds to and handles guest problems and complaints
Empowers employees to provide excellent customer service; establishes guidelines so employees understand expectations and parameters and ensures employees receive on-going training to understand guest expectations
Reviews comment cards, guest satisfaction results and other data to identify areas of improvement
Identifies developmental needs of staff; Coaches and mentors to help others to improve their knowledge or skills
Ensures employees are treated fairly and equitably
Trains kitchen associates on the fundamentals of good cooking and excellent plate presentations
Administers the performance appraisal process for direct report managers
Interacts with the Banquet Chef and Catering department on training regarding food knowledge and menu composition
Observes service behaviors of employees and provides feedback to individuals and managers
Manages employee progressive discipline procedures for areas of responsibility
Ensures disciplinary procedures and documentation are completed according to Standard and Local Operating Procedures (SOPs and LSOPs) and supports the Peer Review Process