What are the responsibilities and job description for the Exmoor Country Club Executive Chef position at Kopplin Kuebler & Wallace?

EXECUTIVE CHEF PROFILE :

EXMOOR COUNTRY CLUB

HIGHLAND PARK, IL

EXECUTIVE CHEF AT EXMOOR COUNTRY CLUB

The Executive Chef position at Exmoor Country Club in Highland Park, IL, is an exceptional opportunity for a culinary professional to lead in a prestigious club with a rich history infused into its culture. Recently recognized as a Distinguished Club with Elite Status, Exmoor boasts a busy F&B operation with multiple updated dining venues and a strong focus on family-oriented activities. The club takes great pride in its outstanding employee and member culture, creating an environment where tradition and innovation coexist.

The club is seeking an Executive Chef with proven expertise in banquet and a la carte services, as well as a solid understanding of logistics, as food and beverage offerings are delivered seamlessly across the property. The ideal candidate will bring creativity and innovation to Exmoor's culinary experience while respecting the club's traditions. The Executive Chef will oversee multiple kitchens, support diverse dining venues, and collaborate closely with a dedicated team to deliver exceptional service to members and their families.

Click here to view a brief video about this opportunity.

EXMOOR COUNTRY CLUB

Exmoor Country Club, founded in 1896 as Illinois' third golf club, is a premier private, full-service destination in Highland Park, just 28 miles north of Chicago. Anchored by a historic Donald J. Ross-designed championship golf course, Exmoor combines tradition with modernity, offering an unparalleled range of sports, social, and family-oriented experiences. The club's commitment to excellence is evident in its diverse offerings : golf, curling, tennis, platform tennis, pickleball, swimming, and cross-country skiing. Members enjoy year-round engagement through an exciting social calendar, exceptional dining, and state-of-the-art facilities, including the vibrant Oakhouse-a hub for casual dining, live sports, and community connection.

Exmoor's rich history includes over 20 national golf and curling championships, with members excelling in Olympic competitions and other prestigious events. Yet, the club's spirit remains youthful and inclusive, fostering skill development, good sportsmanship, and lifelong connections for all ages. From the iconic swimming pool and sun-soaked deck to the spectacular vistas of the golf course, Exmoor is a family-focused retreat. Upholding its mission to deliver the finest golf, sporting, and social experiences, Exmoor is more than a club-it's a legacy of camaraderie, tradition, and vibrant community.

The Club's mission is to provide the finest golf, sporting, and social experiences for its community of member families and their guests all year long.

The Employee Mission is "We demonstrate Whole-Hearted Hospitality through effort, recognition, innovation, and service excellence; doing so creates great experiences for our members and each other".

EXMOOR COUNTRY CLUB BY THE NUMBERS

542 Memberships
15 M Gross Club Revenue
2.5 M Food revenue
1.5 M Beverage revenue
56% a la carte 44% banquets
14 Annual Weddings
21 Kitchen employees
Employee Housing - Yes (limited)
50k Total Covers (lunch / dinner)
3 Kitchens (Main renovated in 2024, Banquet renovated in 2017 & Oak House renovated in 2015)
40 % food cost - budgeted
53 Average Age of Membership
501(c)(7) Tax Status
The Club is transitioning to Cobalt POS software in April

EXMOOR COUNTRY CLUB WEBSITE : www.exmoorcountryclub.org

EXMOOR COUNTRY CLUB FOOD & BEVERAGE PROGRAM :

The club recently completed a stunning $8.6M renovation of the main kitchen, first floor of the clubhouse (dedicated to all member la carte dining), pool, and pool cabana. The club operates seasonally, closing on Mondays (except for golf outings), Christmas Day, New Year's Day, and Thanksgiving, which is limited to pick-up service ending at 3 PM. Golf season officially begins April 1 but doesn't reach peak activity until mid-May, with June being the busiest month. The season winds down by the end of October, though November remains active with the weather holds. The pool season runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day, while the Oak House, catering to racquet players, curlers, and casual family dining, operates from October to April. The club boasts a robust events program, with signature events such as Mother's Day Brunch, Easter, Santa Brunch, and July 4th and Labor Day festivities drawing up to 600 attendees.

Exmoor's F&B outlets include the following spaces :

Oak House : Open October to April; casual dining for lunch and dinner. Capacity : 100.

Pool Cabana : Uses the main clubhouse kitchen, open Memorial Day to Labor Day. Capacity : 60.

Heritage Room : Open for lunch and dinner (11 AM-9 PM). Closed in January. Capacity : 84.

1896 Room : Primarily active in fall / winter for lunch and dinner. Closed in January. Capacity : 40.

Egan Caf : Seasonal grab-and-go breakfast and lunch. Capacity : 50.

Men's Bar : Open April through October for lunch and dinner. Capacity : 50.

Wine Room : Closed in January, available for intimate dining. Max capacity : 30.

Stupey House (Turn Grab-and-Go) : On-course dining option for golfers.

Banquet Spaces

Main Dining Room : Maximum capacity of 320.

Ballroom : Maximum capacity of 80.

Living Room : Maximum capacity of 50.

EXECUTIVE CHEF - POSITION OVERVIEW

The Executive Chef is a pivotal leader within a seasoned and experienced food and beverage team, ensuring the delivery and execution of cuisine to the well-traveled club membership. The culinary leadership team consists of the Banquet Chef, Sous Chef, Pastry Chef, and Purchaser. This role demands seamless and consistent standards for the culinary excellence the club is known for. The next Executive Chef will continue to build on the culinary culture, securing wisdom in leadership and defining an authentic style of a strong culinary vision within the culture of the club. The Executive Chef will report to the GM / COO and interact with the House and Communications Committee.

Leadership

Be a collaborative team player who is willing to work with and train the team each day doing whatever it takes to deliver the best Member experience.

Empower the culinary team and delegate appropriately, so they can focus on growth; be confident that the operation can run well in EC's absence.

Be an active recruiter of team members and someone who inherently enjoys developing and building his / her team and leading them to significant, positive membership satisfaction outcomes. as well as an engaged team of staff members.

Have a passion and aptitude for teaching and training all food service personnel, working, as necessary, with the staff directly responsible for operations.

Be a focused and consistent evaluator of personnel, ensuring that standards of conduct and delivery are met; this includes oversight of high standards of appearance, hospitality, service, and cleanliness of the kitchen facilities.

Maintain existing operating standards for personnel in areas of responsibility and consistently evaluate knowledge, understanding, and execution to these high standards.

Work closely with the front-of-house food and beverage managers to assure a cohesive experience that continually exceeds the expectations of Members and guests.

Engage with, observe, learn, and listen to the Members and staff. Earn Member trust by instilling confidence through continued enhanced operations, interaction, visibility, and consistency.

Remain current and continue education regarding diverse and new culinary trends and cuisines.

Maintain physical presence during times of high business volume.

Create a welcoming, approachable, and inclusive kitchen atmosphere for all club staff based on mutual respect.

Operations

Maintain existing standard recipes and techniques for food preparation and presentation that help to assure consistent high-quality food.

Maintain a rotation of varied food offerings that feature global cuisines. Evaluate food products to ensure that quality standards are always attained.

Maintain opening and closing cleaning checklists for each area / station within the kitchen and develop a weekly / monthly cleaning checklist.

Safeguard all food-preparation employees by implementing training to increase their knowledge about safety, sanitation, and accident-prevention principles.

Maintain safety training programs; manage OSHA-related aspects of kitchen safety and maintains MSDSs in an easily accessible location.

Financial

Plan menus for all food outlets in the club and for special occasions and events. Schedule and coordinate the work of chefs, cooks, and other kitchen employees to assure that food preparation is economical technically correct, and within budgeted labor cost goals.

Consistently monitoring payroll and labor resource allocations to ensure they are in line with financial forecasting and goals, the club has a strong finance department that provides monthly and bimonthly updates to the EC.

Embrace the use of systems (including regular inventory processes) and technology to assist in the management of the kitchen and the financial performance of the operation.

Prepare necessary data for applicable parts of the budget; project annual food, labor, and other costs and monitor actual financial results; take corrective action as necessary to help assure that financial goals are met.

Review and approve product purchase specifications.

Set the direction of capital approvements with proper execution and planning in partnership with the Dir. of Finance

CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS

5 years of luxury Executive Chef or Executive Sous Chef experience within a large multi-outlet operation.

Exposure to a private club or large 4-star / 5-star hotel / resort experience is preferred.

Is a strong and passionate leader and culinary professional with a proven track record of providing high-level services. The EC must be passionate about their craft and inspire those around them with the same energy and passion.

The EC is a lifelong learner and instills that characteristic into his or her team.

Is extremely organized to successfully manage and lead multiple a la carte and banquet venues simultaneously as well as prepare for and execute successful banquet events.

Has a successful track record of controlling costs, standardizing recipes, and planning budgets, and has the skills necessary to perform all kitchen tasks and train others to properly execute those tasks. The EC leads by example.

Is a visionary and trendsetter yet understands and respects the club's long-standing culinary traditions and can balance both in creating menus, specials, and banquet offerings.

Must have computer skills including but not limited to Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel.

Is a well-respected member of the leadership team and community team

Verbal Spanish communication would be a plus

EDUCATIONAL & CERTIFICATION QUALIFICATIONS

A culinary arts degree from an accredited school is preferred.

Certified Executive Chef (ACF) or Pro Chef (CIA) certification is preferred.

Certification in food safety is mandatory.

EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

SALARY AND BENEFITS

The salary is open and commensurate with qualifications and experience Exmoor Country Club offers an excellent benefits package including professional development. Salary Range : $170,000 - $200,000 Bonus

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO APPLY

Please upload your resume and cover letter in that order using the link below. You should have your documents fully prepared to be attached when prompted for them during the online application process. Please be sure your image is not present on your resume or cover letter; that should be used on your LinkedIn Profile.

Prepare a thoughtful cover letter addressed to the Eric Hogan, CCM, General Manager / COO of Exmoor Country Club and clearly articulate your alignment with this role, why you want to be considered for this position at this stage of your career, and why ECC and the Highland Park area will benefit you, your family, your career, and the Club if selected.

You must apply for this role as soon as possible but no later than February 24th . Candidate selections will occur early March, with the first Interviews expected in mid-March and the second interviews a short time later. The new candidate should assume his / her role in mid to late April.

IMPORTANT : Save your resume and letter in the following manner :

Last Name, First Name - Resume" &

Last Name, First Name - Cover Letter - Exmoor"

These documents should be in Word or PDF format)

Note : Once you complete the application process for this search, you are not able to go back in and add additional documents.

If you have any questions, please email Bethany Taylor : bethany@kkandw.com

LEAD SEARCH EXECUTIVES

Annette Whittley, Search Executive

561-827-1945 (M)

annette@kkandw.com

Lawrence McFadden, CMC, Search Executive

239-963-6888 (M)

lawrence@kkandw.com

Salary : $170,000 - $200,000

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