Executive Chef

About Owen Brennan's

For 35 years, Owen Brennan’s has been the place Memphis comes to celebrate—known for our New Orleans roots, legendary Sunday Brunch (voted best since the '90s), and unforgettable events from weddings to galas. With 400 seats and a reputation built on creating memorable experiences for guest, we’re now raising the bar—and we’re looking for a chef bold enough to lead the change we seek.

If you’re hungry to create headline-worthy dishes, thrive under pressure, and want your food to make noise far beyond Memphis, this is your stage, Chef.

Job Summary

We are seeking an ambitious, growth minded Executive Chef to lead our culinary team, oversee all kitchen operations, and lead us to the food frontier. This person will be part of a team of high performing, award winning team.

As Executive Chef, you are responsible for hiring their Sous Chef and building our current team into future leaders. Additionally, this role will lead a complete menu redesign and refresh of our general dining, private dining, and catering businesses. The ideal candidate will possess a strong background in food service, demonstrating exceptional leadership skills and a passion for creating outstanding dining experiences. As the Executive Chef, you will be responsible for menu development, inventory management, and ensuring the highest standards of food quality and presentation.

Duties

The essential functions include, but are not limited to the following:

• Menu Development: Collaborate with the General Manager, Private Dining, and Catering to create customized menus for regular guests, private dining events, catering services, and special occasions, taking into account client preferences, dietary restrictions, and event themes.
• Guest Relations: Build strong relationships with clients and guests, ensuring their satisfaction through attentive service, personalized menu recommendations, and prompt resolution of any concerns or issues.
• Social Media & Marketing: Develop a presence on social media as an expert and creative lead and work with marketing to promote your program and restaurant.
• Event Execution: Oversee the preparation and execution of private dining and catering events, ensuring that dishes are cooked to perfection, presentations are visually appealing, and service is impeccable.
• Kitchen Management: Manage the private dining and catering kitchen, supervising and coordinating the work of cooks, sous chefs, and other kitchen staff to ensure timely and accurate food preparation and presentation.
• Inventory Management: Maintain accurate inventory of ingredients, supplies, and equipment, ordering and receiving deliveries as needed to support private dining and catering events.
• Budget Management: Monitor and manage budgets for the kitchen, private dining, and catering events, ensuring that expenses are controlled and profit margins are met.
• Staff Training: Train and mentor kitchen staff on private dining and catering protocols, food preparation techniques, and presentation standards.
• Recipe Development: Develop and refine recipes for private dining and catering events, ensuring that dishes are innovative, flavorful, and visually appealing.
• Vendor Relations: Establish and maintain relationships with local vendors, suppliers, and purveyors to source high-quality ingredients and materials for private dining and catering events.
• Quality Control: Ensure adherence to food safety and sanitation standards, maintaining a clean and organized kitchen environment at all times.
• Reporting and Analysis: Generate reports on private dining and catering event revenue, food costs, and guest feedback, analyzing trends and identifying areas for improvement to present to management.
• Special Projects: Participate in special projects and initiatives, such as menu development for new events or promotions, and contribute to the overall growth and success of the restaurant.
• OSHA and Other Policies. Ensures compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act, local health and safety codes, ABC rules and regulations, and company safety and security policies.
• Other. Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Strong supervisory and leadership skills to manage and motivate staff.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with a focus on customer service.
• Knowledge of local and seasonal ingredients, with the ability to create innovative and visually appealing dishes.
• Experience with inventory management, budgeting, and cost control, with the ability to manage expenses and maintain profit margins.
• Excellent time management skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong problem-solving skills for unexpected circumstances such as staffing shortages
• Familiarity with food handling, safety, and other restaurant guidelines.
• Experience using restaurant management software.
• Understanding/knowledge of the food industry.
• Budget preparation, fiscal management, and analysis, to manage the budget effectively.
• Belief in diversity and experience in working with diverse people.
• Professional appearance and demeanor, with a friendly and approachable demeanor.

Experience & Education

• 3 Years as Executive Chef or in a similar leadership role within the fine dining restaurant industry.
• Culinary degree or equivalent experience, with a strong foundation in classical cuisine and modern culinary techniques.
• Demonstrated ability in shift management, supervising kitchen staff effectively to ensure smooth operations.
• Experience in inventory management practices to control costs while maintaining quality.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to lead a diverse team effectively.
• A passion for culinary arts with creativity in menu development and presentation.

Physical Demands & Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk or listen. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is required to stand, walk, sit, and reach with hands and arms. The employee must lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is loud. Prolonged periods of standing and must have the ability to traverse all parts of the restaurant quickly.

Note

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments. All duties and responsibilities are essential functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. To perform this job successfully, the incumbents will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities.

Join us

Join us in creating memorable dining experiences through exceptional culinary leadership. We are excited to talk, Chef