Executive Chef

EXECUTIVE CHEF – POSITION POSTING

THE ORGANISATION

The University Women’s Club of Vancouver (UWCV) was founded in 1907 as a private women’s club. In 1962, it purchased Hycroft, a large Heritage mansion in Shaughnessy, and maintains and operates the property as its clubhouse. Open year-round with a variety of events catering to Members, Guests, and Public, Hycroft is renowned as one of Vancouver's most elegant venues for weddings and social functions.

THE STRUCTURE

The University Women’s Club of Vancouver (UWCV) operates under a Board of Directors structure that tasks the General Manager with full responsibility of operations. The Executive Chef reports directly to the General Manager and interfaces with Club committees and interest groups. The kitchen staff totals up to 10 team members including a Sous Chef, prep cooks, and dishwashers.

THE EXECUTIVE CHEF JOB DESCRIPTION

• The Executive Chef (EC) at UWCV is responsible for all food production including a la carte, banquets, and other outlets. He or she develops menus, food purchase specifications and recipes; trains, mentors, and supervises production staff; monitors and manages food and labour costs for the department; and maintains the highest professional food quality and sanitation standards.
• The EC leads, manages, motivates, and directs kitchen staff to achieve the objectives set by the GM/COO and EC. The EC creates the standards for kitchen policies and procedures, communicates these policies, and ensures that the policies are adhered to by all BOH staff. The EC leads by example and is very hands-on in all aspects of the operation.
• The EC is responsible for ensuring that all food is consistently outstanding – from traditional Club favourites to innovative offerings and special events throughout all dining venues. The EC understands that quality and consistency in producing and delivering the Lunch Soup & Sandwich Special is just as important to the member experience as producing a wine pairing dinner for its active Wine Interest Group. The EC is responsible to ensure that the culinary team takes pride in the meals that they produce and approaches each item on the plate with equal focus.
• The EC creates and updates menus often, incorporates daily features, and develops and documents recipes and controls to ensure consistency. Creativity and innovation, not just variety, is essential in planning menus and events for the members of the University Women’s Club of Vancouver. Creativity in presentation is also important – plate presentation as well as how food is presented on buffets.
• The EC stays current on all culinary trends and is well-versed in accommodating a wide variety of food allergies and intolerances. The EC incorporates gluten-free and vegetarian items on the menu and trains all staff in the proper handling of gluten- free dishes and requests.
• The EC is the face of culinary operations and needs to be comfortable conversing and interacting in both the kitchen and dining rooms as he or she interfaces with multiple and diverse constituencies (members, staff, vendors, etc.) throughout the day. The EC is visible and approachable.
• The EC is responsive to club member and team member requests and strives to find creative ways to accommodate reasonable requests. He or she believes in the service philosophy: “the answer is ‘yes,’ what is the question?”
• The EC leads the BOH initiative relative to accident prevention, training and retention of staff, and sanitation and safety standards. The EC pays sharp attention to detail, enforces the highest standards of sanitation and safety, and ensures that all BOH staff approach the standards with the same level of focus.
• The EC is a team builder who mentors kitchen staff and develops a pipeline of talented and creative individuals by building on its reputation as an excellent learning and training ground for up-and-coming culinarians. The EC treats all staff with respect and, in return, requires that of the team. The EC works to ensure that a positive working atmosphere is maintained throughout all F&B operations.
• The EC has a proven track record of controlling food and labour costs. He or she is adept at creating and managing a budget and provides food purchase specifications to control food quality and costs.
• The EC works as a strategic and operational partner with the managers, staff, House and Social committees of UWCV to develop information sharing, good communication, superior internal and external customer relationships and high-performance teamwork in order to achieve club objectives.
• Ultimately, the Executive Chef of UWCV is an important and positive face of culinary operations. He or she is an integral part of the overall success of the operation. The responsibility to lead this facet of the organisation from a passionate, creative, supportive, progressive, and team-focused perspective is of critical importance for long- term success.

THE INITIAL PRIORITIES OF THE EXECUTIVE CHEF

• Evaluate current operations and set appropriate and necessary standards of operation, processes, execution, and delivery within the culinary operation, taking ownership for the entire experience from production to final delivery of the end product, while working closely and positively with the FOH team.
• Focus on delivering consistency and the highest quality in a la carte and banquet operations.
• Earn the staff’s trust, as well as evaluate and continue to develop, train and mentor the culinary team while promoting fairness and consistency within.
• Find and maintain a menu balance focused on meeting and exceeding member dining expectations, from classic club fare to new, innovative dining options. The Executive Chef will need to offer menu options that appeal to tenured members as well as newer, younger members and provide creative plate, buffet and action station presentations as well as provide value to the membership.
• Engage with, observe, learn, and listen to the members and staff. Learn members’ names and culinary and dining preferences. Being visible and approachable is an important aspect to this position.
• Meet budgeted food and labour cost goals by proactively monitoring and controlling food and labour costs.

CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS

The successful candidate:

• Is an effective and passionate, hands-on leader and culinary professional with a proven track record of providing high-level services with a personality that is commensurately appropriate to the University Women’s Club of Vancouver.
• Has successfully led dynamic culinary operations. Additionally, those with a proclivity for healthy, seasonally driven menus will be favoured.
• Has exceptionally strong culinary credentials, and most importantly, the ability to consistently define and achieve goals and objectives. This includes proven and verifiable leadership qualities with a demonstrated ability to direct, coordinate and control all facets of an active food and beverage operation. The EC has verifiable strengths in inspirational leadership, financial performance, and people skills.
• Is a confident, proactive team builder who has a history of attracting, developing, and retaining high performing staff.
• Takes tremendous pride in making members happy and exceeding their expectations and fosters that accountability among the team – both BOH and FOH.
• Possesses strong written and oral communications skills.
• Is organised as well as flexible. He or she proactively leads a la carte and banquet operations simultaneously and is also able to execute pop-up member events successfully. The number of covers fluctuates depending on the night and event so the Executive Chef must be flexible, organised and an exceptional planner.
• Is knowledgeable about wine and wine and food pairings. He or she should also be comfortable with beer and spirits pairings.
• Has solid computer skills including but not limited to Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel. Experience with Jonas POS software is a plus.
• Has a successful track record of proactively managing food and labour costs, inventory, waste, etc.
• Has a positive disposition and a sense of humour.

EDUCATIONAL AND CERTIFICATION QUALIFICATIONS

The successful candidate:

• Has a Culinary Arts degree from an accredited school or apprenticeship program or equivalent experience.
• Has a minimum of five years’ prior management experience as an Executive Chef and at least eight years of diversified kitchen and hospitality industry experience including banquet and a la carte operations. Sous Chefs with successful track record at larger Food & Beverage programs and that are ready for their first Executive Chef opportunity may be considered.
• Must be certified in food safety.

SALARY & BENEFITS

Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience within the range of $70,000 to $80,000 per year plus bonuses. The club offers an extended health and wellness benefits package.

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO APPLY

Please apply by submitting your resume and cover letter.

The University Women’s Club of Vancouver would like to thank all candidates for their interest. Only those qualified will be contacted for further discussions in regards to this posting.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Salary: $70,000.00-$80,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental care
• Extended health care
• Paid time off
• RRSP match

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Weekends as needed

Supplemental pay types:

• Bonus pay

Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 2024-01-26