Executive Chef

Join Our Team

Solera & Co. is the premium, food-focused catering company rooted in Santa Barbara and built on a culinary-first philosophy. Born from the merger of two of the region’s most respected catering names—Pure Joy Catering and Catering Connection—and backed by the operational depth of our sister company Schaffer LA, we bring together legacy craft and modern execution for the area’s finest social, corporate, and wedding events. We are serious about food, serious about hospitality, and serious about the people who make it happen. If that resonates with you, we’d love to meet you.

Summary

The Executive Chef leads all culinary operations for Solera & Co., with full ownership of food production, kitchen culture, and culinary team performance. This role is responsible for delivering exceptional food quality at every event while managing labor, food, logistics and operating costs to target. The Executive Chef partners closely with sales, staffing, and event coordination to ensure every event is executed to Solera & Co.’s standard from planning through breakdown.

Essential Functions

Culinary Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, schedule, and develop the culinary team, including on-site event chefs and kitchen assistants, to deliver consistent excellence across all events.
• Establish and maintain a positive, professional kitchen culture that reflects Solera & Co.’s values.
• Develop and implement training programs and documented SOPs for kitchen roles, covering setup, food production, sanitation, breakdown, and safety protocols.
• Conduct on-site training for event chefs and kitchen assistants, ensuring each team member understands and can execute the event menu to standard.

Menu Development & Culinary Standards

• Collaborate to create and regularly refresh menus that reflect culinary trends, seasonal availability, client preferences, and Solera & Co.’s premium positioning.
• Partner with the sales team on culinary-related proposals, tastings, and client presentations.
• Maintain rigorous standards for food quality, consistency, and presentation across all events and production environments.
• Develop and enforce SOPs for specialized production techniques, setup, and safety.

Event Execution

• Work directly at events in a production and leadership capacity, determining the role of each culinary team member based on the event’s scope and format.
• Coordinate with event captains and front-of-house staff to ensure timing, production flow, and service execution are aligned.
• Adapt plans fluidly when unexpected circumstances arise on-site, making sound, experience-based decisions under pressure.
• Oversee event strike and breakdown, including proper wrapping, packing, and loading of equipment and beverage inventory to prevent breakage in transport.

Kitchen Operations & Compliance

• Manage all aspects of kitchen operations including prep, production, equipment management, maintenance, and cleanliness standards.
• Ensure full compliance with health codes, food safety regulations, and all applicable licensing requirements.
• Enforce and maintain all sanitation standards across all production environments.
• Utilize, create and maintain company-developed systems, inventories, and operational programs.

Vendor, Ordering & Inventory

• Manage vendor relationships and ordering processes to ensure quality, consistency, and cost targets are met.
• Coordinate the warehouse team on packing and unloading, and verify that all equipment is clean and in proper working order before and after each event.
• Monitor food costs and flag variances; proactively identify opportunities to improve margin without compromising quality.

Cross-Departmental Collaboration

• Attend BEO meetings and review and update event production notes.
• Work with the Event Coordinators on service plans, kitchen builds, equipment needs, expo sheets, timelines, and event production documents.
• Collaborate with the Staffing Manager on culinary staffing requirements for events.
• Enforce rental company and kitchen build protocols to ensure consistency across event setups.

Required Competencies

• Culinary Expertise — comprehensive knowledge of cooking methods, techniques, and food science applied at a professional event production level.
• Leadership — commands the respect of a kitchen team through expertise, composure, and consistency.
• Strategic Thinking — balances creativity and craft with cost discipline and operational practicality.
• Attention to Detail — maintains precision across food quality, presentation, safety, and documentation.
• Communication — communicates clearly and professionally with kitchen staff, front-of-house teams, clients, and ownership.
• Creativity — brings original thinking to menu development while staying grounded in what executes well at scale.
• Business Acumen — understands the relationship between food cost, labor, and profitability.

Supervisory Responsibility

This position directly supervises the culinary and warehouse departments, including event chefs, kitchen assistants, and culinary support staff, and is responsible for their training, scheduling, and performance.

Work Environment

This role operates across a professional production kitchen and off-site event environments. The work environment is often fast-paced and physically demanding, with exposure to standard kitchen hazards including hot surfaces and liquids, sharp equipment, and slippery floors.

Physical Demands

This position requires the ability to stand for extended periods and to regularly walk, bend, and stoop. It requires working sensory capabilities including taste, smell, and close and distance visual inspection. The role demands full use of arms and hands for culinary production tasks including reaching, stirring, measuring, cutting, and plating, and the ability to lift up to 50 lbs.

Position Type / Expected Hours

This is a full-time, exempt position. The role regularly requires evening and weekend availability in alignment with event scheduling.

Travel

Occasional travel for destination events or special engagements may arise, primarily within California with potential for broader North American travel. Willingness to travel is a plus; frequency and scope will be discussed during the interview process.

A valid California Class C driver’s license with a clean DMV record is required.

Required Education & Experience

• Culinary Arts degree or equivalent professional training; a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts or Sciences is a plus.
• Minimum of 5 years of culinary management experience, with demonstrated success leading a team in a catering, restaurant group, or event production environment.
• Fluency in English and conversational Spanish is required.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present to groups, managers, and clients.
• Demonstrated ability to assess talent, develop kitchen staff, and build operational systems.
• Proficiency in Mac, Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, ChefTec and email.
• Ability to work independently, efficiently, and with a high degree of personal accountability.

Other Duties

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of all activities, duties, or responsibilities required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.