Executive Chef

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA HOST PROPERTIES INC•Charlottesville, VA

29d•$95,000 - $110,000•Onsite

About The Position

Boar’s Head Resort is seeking an experienced, hands-on Executive Chef to lead the culinary operation at Birdwood Mansion. The position oversees daily dining, catering, banquet service, food quality, and the culinary and stewarding teams. The Executive Chef will develop seasonal menus, maintain recipes and culinary standards, oversee ordering and receiving, and remain visible and directly involved in service. The role requires a strong balance of guest experience, team development, and financial accountability, including food and labor cost, payroll, inventory, purchasing, and forecasting.

Requirements

Progressive culinary leadership experience in a luxury hotel, resort, fine-dining, club, or comparable high-service environment.
Experience leading culinary and stewarding teams and managing daily kitchen operations, menu development, dining service, catering, banquets, and special events.
Strong working knowledge of food/labor cost, budgeting, payroll, inventory, purchasing, and forecasting.
Proven ability to train, coach, and hold team members accountable while maintaining a professional and positive work environment.
Strong guest engagement, communication, problem-solving, service recovery, organization, and follow-through.
Ability to work collaboratively with front-of-house and Resort teams and maintain a visible, hands-on leadership style.
Ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends, holidays, and changes based on business needs.

Responsibilities

Lead Birdwood Mansion culinary and stewarding operations, including daily dining, catering, banquets, and special events.
Develop and update seasonal menus based on quality, availability, market conditions, and guest needs; create and maintain recipes, preparation standards, and culinary SOPs to ensure consistency, quality, and presentation.
Oversee ordering, receiving, food preparation, storage, kitchen organization, and day-to-day culinary execution.
Remain directly involved in service and adjust staffing, production, and operating plans as business needs change.
Coordinate culinary requirements for Mansion events and banquet functions, including last-minute changes and clear direction to service teams.
Maintain a visible presence with guests and the Dining Room team, taking an active role in the overall service experience.
Provide menu descriptions, preparation details, and storytelling/service talking points so Butler and service teams can confidently explain menu items.
Address guest comments and culinary concerns promptly, and partner with the Dining Room team to reinforce food and service standards.
Recruit, train, coach, schedule, and manage culinary and stewarding team members; set clear expectations for performance, conduct, teamwork, and follow-through.
Provide ongoing training and development to strengthen culinary skills, service execution, and bench strength.
Use the Team Member Handbook and established procedures consistently; develop clear SOPs and job expectations for the culinary team.
Conduct or participate in daily operational meetings and stand-ups as needed to keep the team informed and prepared.
Manage the culinary operating budget and remain accountable for food cost, labor cost, payroll, scheduling, inventory, purchasing, and other controllable expenses.
Review weekly payroll and make corrections before final submission; review weekly/monthly financial results and actual versus forecast, adjusting staffing, purchasing, and operating plans as needed.
Maintain appropriate inventory levels and identify practical ways to improve efficiency, control costs, and support revenue without compromising food quality or service.
Maintain standards for food quality, preparation, presentation, cleanliness, organization, and kitchen readiness; work with Purchasing on food, smallware's, and kitchen equipment.
Maintain recipes, operating procedures, and job expectations so standards are understood and applied consistently.
Collaborate with Boar’s Head Resort culinary, banquet, stewarding, and other shared resources when support is needed for Mansion operations or events.