Key Responsibilities:
Menu Development & Culinary Creativity
- Develop and update seasonal menus featuring fresh, locally sourced ingredients.
- Craft dishes specifically designed to pair with the company’s wine portfolio and tasting experiences.
Create specialty menus for:
- Summer/seasonal menus
- Date Night Experiences (4‑course shared menu)
- Sunset Rouge limited menus
- Canapé & wine pairing experiences
- Holiday or event offerings
Kitchen Operations & Quality Control:
- Oversee all daily kitchen activities, ensuring quality, consistency, and presentation standards.
- Maintain exceptional standards for plating—reflecting the company’s reputation for well‑presented, thoughtfully composed dishes.
- Ensure smooth service during lunch and dinner services
Wine Estate Collaboration:
Coordinate closely with:
- Company winemaker
- Tasting room team
- Sales and Marketing team
- Ensure coherence between food menus, wine tastings, pairings, and special events
Team Leadership:
- Recruit, train, schedule, and lead all kitchen staff.
Implement consistent training on:
- Latest techniques
- Wine pairing fundamentals‑pairing fundamentals
- Seasonal ingredient handling
- Plating discipline‑dining plating discipline
- Build a positive and high-performance kitchen culture
Costing, Inventory & Supplier Management:
- Manage food costs while maintaining high-quality ingredients.
- Develop strong relationships with local farmers, producers, suppliers, and estate resources.
- Conduct stock control, ordering, waste management, and compliance documentation.
Health, Safety & Compliance:
- Ensure full compliance with HACCP and food safety protocols.
- Maintain cleanliness and organization of all kitchen areas.
- Conduct regular audits and adhere to all health regulations
Guest Experience Support:
- Collaborate with FOH team to ensure seamless service delivery.
- Adapt menus to customer feedback (noting trends from Dine Plan and Tripadvisor).
- Contribute to storytelling around food, wine pairing, and company heritage.
Required Skills & Experience:
Formal Culinary Education (Preferred but Not Always Mandatory)
- A strong educational foundation supports consistency and expertise. Most fine dining or winery establishments prefer:
- A professional culinary diploma or certification from a recognized culinary school.
Advanced qualifications in:
- Classical French cooking
- Mediterranean/Italian cuisine‑influenced menu
- Pastry or baking fundamentals
Additional training in:
- Menu engineering
- Nutrition
- Hospitality management
- While formal training is beneficial, extensive real world dining experience can compensate.
Experience:
5 –10 Years of progressive kitchen experience, including:
- Fine dining, luxury, winery or boutique hospitality restaurants.
- Demonstrated progression from:
- Commis → Chef de Partie → Sous Chef → Head Chef (or Executive Sous).
- Experience designing, costing, and executing seasonal menus.
- Strong track record managing full services during high-pressure services.
Winery or Estate Experience (Highly Advantageous):
- Working in restaurants attached to wine estates, vineyards, or tasting rooms.
- Designing dishes specifically for wine pairing.
Experience coordinating with:
- Winemakers
- Tasting room managers
- Event coordinators
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