What are the responsibilities and job description for the Lead Chef position at Trail87?
Lead Chef
Trail 87 | West Dover, VT (Mount Snow corridor) Full-time, year-round. On-site.
About Trail 87
Trail 87 is a modern American restaurant on the Mount Snow ski corridor in West Dover, Vermont, part of the Trail To Table Group. We cook seasonally with Vermont sourcing, run a hybrid kitchen model that blends scratch work with smart prep, and operate in a market with real volume swings: winter peak, slow mud season, busy summer and fall. We want a chef who can hold quality and food and labor cost steady through all of it.
The Role
You run the kitchen day to day. You own the line, the prep, the schedule, the ordering, and the numbers. This is a hands-on leadership job, not a clipboard job. You will work directly with ownership and an operations consultant who is actively engaged on cost discipline and kitchen systems through the 2026 season.
What You Own
- Execution on the line every service. You lead from the pass.
- Menu development with the chef team: seasonal, Vermont-sourced, built to be executed consistently inside our hybrid model.
- Food cost. We target COGS around 33 percent. You manage purchasing, portioning, waste, and vendor relationships to protect it.
- Labor. You build kitchen schedules to match the corridor's seasonality and hit labor targets without burning out the team.
- Prep systems and the hybrid model. You decide what we make from scratch versus build from prepared components, and you document it so quality holds regardless of who is on shift.
- Hiring, training, and running the BOH team. You set the standard and hold it.
- Health, safety, and ServSafe compliance.
- Occasional coordination with our catering operation (A Vermont Table) during cross-over events.
What We're Looking For
- 3 plus years running a kitchen as a head chef, sous chef ready to step up, or kitchen manager with real menu and cost ownership.
- Proven food cost and labor management. You can talk about your numbers, not just your plates.
- Comfort building and documenting systems. You think about repeatability, not just one great night.
- Calm, direct leadership under volume. Ski-town Saturdays are not gentle.
- Seasonal and local sourcing experience is a strong plus.
- ServSafe certified or able to certify quickly.
- Reliable transportation. West Dover is rural.
Job Types: Full-time, Part-time
Pay: $25.00 - $27.50 per hour
Benefits:
- Flexible schedule
- Referral program
Work Location: In person
Salary : $25 - $28