Esquire Chef de Cuisine

Job Description

Job Description

Location: 58 East Oak Street, Gold Coast, Chicago, IL Employment type: Full-time Classification: Salaried, exempt Reports to: Executive Chef

Esquire is a 265-seat luxury steakhouse in Chicago’s Gold Coast where Japanese precision meets French technique — anchored by an elite Wagyu and seafood program, a four-level Wine Tower, the OakShō omakase counter, and the invitation-only 58 Club. We hold an uncompromising standard and hire people who want to set it, not just meet it. Esquire is operated by M Street Collective, the group behind Nashville’s Virago, Moto, Kayne Prime, and Saint Añejo.

The Executive Chef's second and the day-to-day leader of the line. The CDC translates the menu into flawless nightly execution, holding consistency and quality plate by plate and developing the cooks who deliver it.

• Run daily kitchen operations and the line; own nightly execution to the EC's standard.
• Manage prep, mise en place, par levels, and station readiness across the brigade.
• Lead and develop sous chefs and line cooks; run line checks and pre-service tastings.
• Own ordering, receiving, and waste in partnership with the Executive Chef.
• Step into the EC role and represent the kitchen when the EC is off.

• 5+ years in senior kitchen roles in fine dining; CDC or strong Sous experience.
• Fluent in French technique and comfortable with premium proteins and seafood.
• Strong systems for prep, par, and cost control.

• Chicago Food Service Sanitation Manager Certificate (FSSMC) - REQUIRED. Local certificate issued by the City of Chicago Department of Public Health using National CFPM certification
• Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) — REQUIRED. Current ANSI-CFP–accredited CFPM (valid 5 years); this role serves as an on-duty CFPM. At least one CFPM must be present during all hours of food preparation and service.
• Allergen Awareness (manager) — REQUIRED with CFPM. Illinois-approved, ANAB-accredited allergen training within 30 days; renew every 3 years; kept on site.

$90,000–$125,000 per year, paid as an annual salary (market-aligned). The final offer is confirmed in writing. This position is eligible for a performance bonus as a component of total compensation.

Eligible team members receive group medical, dental, and vision insurance (the Company pays part of the premium), a 401(k) plan, Company-paid life insurance, and a confidential Employee Assistance Program. Time off includes Paid Time Off for eligible salaried positions, Chicago Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave, and paid bereavement leave, plus the protected leaves required by federal and Illinois law (FMLA, VESSA, military, jury, and voting). Final plan details and eligibility are confirmed in the written offer.

Interested? Send your résumé — and references where applicable — to View email address on ziprecruiter.com or apply through the platform where you found this role.

Held to Esquire’s four pillars — quality, consistency, hospitality, and innovation — and the five universal competencies: professionalism, teamwork, growth mindset, excellence, and hospitality.

Esquire is a modern luxury steakhouse on Oak Street in Chicago’s Gold Coast — Japanese precision built on a French foundation, anchored by an elite Wagyu program and a seafood-and-sushi program that earns equal billing. Across a 265-seat dining room, a four-level ~5,000-bottle Wine Tower, the Trophy Room, the invitation-only 58 Club, and the OakShō omakase counter, it delivers omotenashi-inspired hospitality and culinary theater in a vintage-Hollywood setting.

M Street Collective is the hospitality group behind Esquire, with operations in Nashville and Chicago. Built on four pillars — quality, consistency, hospitality, and innovation — and a commitment to innovation, leadership development and world-class training, the Collective creates restaurants and experiences defined by an uncompromising standard and genuine, anticipatory care.