Executive Chef

Manor Country Club is seeking an Executive Chef to lead its culinary program and continue enhancing a food and beverage experience centered on warm, approachable hospitality. As a vibrant, multi-generational club with an active social calendar, the Club offers a dynamic environment where members of all ages come together to dine, celebrate, and connect. The ideal candidate is a talented, hands on and well-rounded culinarian with strong experience in both à la carte and banquet operations, who values consistency, team development, and member engagement. Building on the stability and tenure of previous leadership, the Club is seeking a Chef who is excited to make the DMV area home and invest in the long-term success of the culinary program. A collaborative leadership style, a passion for hospitality, and the ability to balance creativity with operational excellence will be essential to success in this role.

MANOR COUNTRY CLUB BY THE NUMBERS:

• Members: 800 | Average age of the membership: 57
• Total Annual Gross Volume $14.5M
• Annual Food Volume Approximately $2.7M
• Annual Beverage Volume Approximately $1.42M
• A la carte 46% Banquets 54%
• 3 Kitchens – Currently 2 with 1 new kitchen coming with renovation
• Total Number of FB Outlets: 5 plus private dining spaces and banquet spaces
• 22 Weddings a year
• Target food cost: 42% | Annual Gross Payroll Approximately $6.1M
• 25 direct/indirect reports (including Banquet Chef, Sous Chefs)
• Club Employees: 120 off season and 180 in season
• Closed on Mondays, Christmas Day & New Years Day

FOOD & BEVERAGE OPERATIONS

The Club offers a variety of dining venues designed to accommodate both casual and social experiences for its Members. The Main Dining Room and Lounge serve as a primary dining space open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner, with extended hours on Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. Complementing this is The Pub, a more relaxed setting with evening-focused service during the week and expanded hours on weekends, offering members a lively and social dining option.

During the season, Members can enjoy outdoor dining at the Manor Patio, creating a seamless indoor-outdoor dining experience. Additional seasonal outlets include the Halfway House, serving golfers from dawn to dusk, as well as the Poolside Café and Tiki Bar, which operate in alignment with pool hours and provide convenience. The Club also features a robust banquet and event program, highlighted by a Ballroom that accommodates up to 280 guests and other various indoor and outdoor spaces. Notable events in the club's calendar include July 4th fireworks celebrations, two Member Guest tournaments, The Holly Ball Member Gala, Easter, Mother’s Day, and Santa Brunch.

EXECUTIVE CHEF JOB OVERVIEW

The Executive Chef (EC) at Manor Country Club is responsible for all food production across multiple dining rooms, a full schedule of member events, and all club banquets. They will develop menus, food purchase specifications, and recipes while supervising production and pastry staff. The Culinary leadership team currently includes a Banquet Chef, Sous Chef, and kitchen supervisors, with plans to hire an Executive Sous Chef once the new Executive Chef understands the club’s culture and needs. The Executive Chef reports directly to the General Manager/COO and works hand in hand with the F&B and Catering leadership team.

Leadership

• Foster a culture of accountability by setting clear expectations, monitoring performance, and addressing both successes and shortcomings in a timely and constructive manner.
• Take full ownership of the culinary team; build trust by engaging, observing, learning, and listening to their wisdom, experience, and needs.
• Earn members' trust by instilling confidence through continued enhanced operations, interaction, and visibility.
• Create a fun, collaborative work environment while being "hands-on" when necessary, but understanding when to step back and lead the team.
• Involve team members in the decision-making process of how "work gets done" and create a work environment of mutual respect in which people want to come to and participate every day.
• Work closely with the front of house leadership and broader club leadership team to continue the cohesive culture of the club and a team that consistently exceeds expectations for Members and guests.
• Be an active and dynamic recruiter of team members and someone who inherently enjoys developing and building his/her team and leading them to significant, positive membership satisfaction outcomes.
• Maintains physical presence during times of high business volume.
• Have a passion and aptitude for teaching and training all food service personnel, working as necessary with the team directly responsible for operations to create a learning culture of development.

Operations

• Implement and enforce performance standards, ensuring all team members consistently meet quality, safety, and service expectations.
• Protect the health and safety of members, guests, and staff by maintaining uncompromising sanitation and food safety standards at all times
• Be a collaborative team player who is willing to be “hands-on” within the operations daily, while training the team to take ownership and step back when appropriate.
• Develop and maintain standard recipes and techniques for food preparation and presentation that help to ensure consistency, high-quality, and minimize food costs.
• Attend Food and Beverage, Leadership, Financial, and other Meetings and represent the culinary team as a senior leader at the club.
• Establish controls to minimize food and supply waste and theft. Safeguard all food-preparation employees by implementing training to increase their knowledge about safety, sanitation, and accident prevention principles.
• Cooks or directly supervises the cooking of items that require skillful preparation.
• Evaluates food products to assure that quality standards are consistently attained. Maintain safety training programs.

Membership

• Have a heart of hospitality, embrace, appreciate, promote, and elevate the warmth and culture of the Club.
• Be highly visible and engaged with Membership throughout the F&B outlets and events, have an intuitive feel for where to be and when.
• Welcome, encourage, and engage in regular feedback from Members.
• Be responsive to Members’ requests for menu selections, event planning, etc., and strive to find creative ways to accommodate reasonable requests with a “can-do” approach
• Consistently innovate, elevate events, and build on a core selection of club favorites and signature dishes.
• Create seasonally appropriate menus that the Membership has a hard time choosing from, with regular features and specials.

Financial

• Clearly understand the metrics for successful attainment of financial goals and objectives in F&B operations and consistently reviews these expectations with his or her direct reports to ensure understanding and ‘buy-in’ from those contributing to their attainment.
• Oversee the pricing of menus for all outlets in the club and for special occasions and events. Schedule and coordinate the work of chefs, cooks, and other kitchen employees to ensure that food preparation is economical and technically correct, and within budgeted labor cost goals.
• 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.
• Monitor payroll and labor resource allocations to ensure they are in line with financial forecasting and goals.
• Approves the requisition of products and other necessary food supplies and maintains strong relationships with local vendors.

INITIAL PRIORITIES OF THE EXECUTIVE CHEF

• Set a Culture of Quality and Pride: Establish clear expectations around food quality, cleanliness, and execution, and ensure that member favorites and special offerings are prepared with care.
• Focus on Consistency and the Fundamentals: Prioritize doing the basics well every day, strong organization, sound systems, and reliable execution.
• Get to Know the Members: Take time to understand member preferences, dining habits, and traditions, maintaining popular staples while building trust through responsiveness and familiarity.
• Introduce Thoughtful Creativity: Refresh menus and features in a way that feels approachable and appropriate for the Club, balancing creativity with comfort and familiarity.
• Lead and Develop the Team: Serve as a hands-on leader and mentor, supporting staff development through coaching, training, and clear expectations while fostering a positive, collaborative kitchen culture.
• Be Present and Approachable: Maintain a visible, welcoming presence in the kitchen and dining areas, building strong relationships with members, staff, and leadership.

CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS

• Five years’ experience in a similar role with exposure to luxury hospitality, or large multi-outlet operations with both busy a la carte and banquets.
• Fifteen years of food production and management.
• Experienced with and embraces new technology, including POS and Microsoft Suite.

EDUCATIONAL AND CERTIFICATION QUALIFICATIONS

• A bachelor’s degree is preferred with a focus on Hospitality Management or Culinary.
• In lieu of the degree, substantial culinary or hospitality experience will be considered.
• Has achieved or is working towards Certified Executive Chef (CEC) certification through the American Culinary Federation (ACF) or Pro Chef II certification through the Culinary Institute of America. & Food Safety Certified