What are the responsibilities and job description for the Executive Chef position at HOMES?
HOMES Brewery is a vibrant hub for food, beverage, and hospitality in Ann Arbor, featuring a nationally acclaimed brewpub, production brewery, coffee roastery, events campus, and catering operation. We pride ourselves on innovation, approachability, and an ever-evolving culinary identity rooted in flavor, creativity, and community.
We’re looking for an Executive Chef with a strategic edge, a hands-on leader who loves running a busy kitchen but also thrives in shaping vision, developing teams, and elevating multi-concept culinary operations. This is your chance to drive creativity, inspire talent, and influence the future of HOMES’ food program across multiple venues and experiences.
Who You Are
- A culinary leader who blends creativity with operational excellence.
- A strategic thinker who sees the big picture and executes with precision.
- A coach and mentor who thrives on developing people, systems, and culture.
- A hospitality-driven operator who believes that great food, great teams, and great experiences are inseparable.
- Someone who finds energy in doing work that matters: building teams, shaping food experiences, and continually growing your craft.
- A leader who thrives when you have room to make thoughtful decisions, express your style, and run an organized, steady kitchen where people can do their best work.
- A focus on impact over hours - meaningful results and tangible outcomes, not just time spent.
- Someone who craves flexibility and a balanced work/home life.
What You’ll Do
Menu Development & Culinary Strategy
- Partner with leadership to shape the culinary vision across HOMES’ multiple concepts, seasonal rollouts, and events.
- Lead creative menu development, recipe testing, and plating standards to ensure consistency, innovation, and alignment with our brand identity.
- Stay ahead of trends, sourcing inspiration from global cuisines and emerging flavors, particularly in Asian and fusion-inspired dishes.
- Collaborate with beverage and hospitality teams to create harmonious food and drink experiences.
Team Leadership & Talent Growth
- Build, coach, and lead a high-performing kitchen team, empowering chefs and cooks to grow in skill and leadership.
- Foster a culture aligned with HOMES’ 4H values: Honest, Helpful, Honed, and Happy.
- Establish training programs, mentorship pathways, and systems that create structure and predictability while supporting creativity and self-expression.
- Model professionalism, empathy, and positivity in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.
Operations & Systems
- Oversee kitchen operations across multiple venues, ensuring safety, quality, consistency, and efficiency.
- Collaborate on inventory management, ordering, and food cost control.
- Implement and maintain systems, workflows, and routines that create stability and accountability without stifling creativity.
- Ensure seamless communication between back-of-house and front-of-house teams to deliver outstanding guest experiences.
Collaboration & Leadership
- Act as a bridge between kitchen operations and company leadership, contributing to strategic decisions, concept development, and brand growth.
- Participate in creative sessions, seasonal menu rollouts, and special events.
- Advocate for your team and provide input on tools, training, and processes to elevate kitchen performance and satisfaction.
- 5 years of professional kitchen experience, including 2 years in a leadership role.
- Proven success managing high-volume operations with multi-concept oversight.
- Strong culinary skills, creativity, and a passion for flavor-driven cuisine, especially Asian or fusion-inspired styles.
- Experience in team development, mentorship, recipe costing, and operational systems.
- Excellent communication, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
- A passion for hospitality, creativity, growth, and continuous improvement.
- Competitive salary with growth opportunities
- Optional health, dental, vision, STD, LTD, life insurance with company contributions
- Flexible schedule
- Employee perks across HOMES sister brands
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
We consider all qualified applicants for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran or military status, disability, or any other factors prohibited by law.