Esquire Sushi Chef

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 Maison 58. 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.

Leads the dining-room sushi and raw program — globally sourced fish arriving daily, an in-house fish-aging program, and caviar and shellfish presentations that share top billing with the steak. Distinct from the OakShō omakase brigade, this role carries quality and consistency across high-volume sushi service.

• Run the dining-room sushi station; execute nigiri, sashimi, and raw presentations to standard.
• Manage daily fish receiving, the fish-aging program, and impeccable cold-line food safety.
• Develop and hold knife and plating standards across the sushi team.
• Partner with the EC and OakShō brigade on sourcing and quality.

• 5+ years sushi experience in quality-driven Japanese or fine-dining kitchens.
• Expert fish fabrication, aging, and cold-line food-safety discipline.
• Calm precision at high volume.

• 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, ANSI-accredited allergen training within 30 days; renew every 3 years; kept on site.
• Raw-fish program — REQUIRED to own cold-line HACCP controls, including parasite-destruction (freezing) records, under the Illinois Food Code.

$74,000 to $90,000 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.