Executive Chef

Job Title: Executive Chef

Location: Detroit, MI

Polished and standards driven hospitality group is seeking an Executive Chef to lead culinary operations at Location Detroit, one of the city’s most recognized upscale dining destinations.

The Executive Chef is responsible for leading all back-of-house culinary operations, including kitchen management, culinary management, menu execution, operational management, staffing, financial performance, and culinary innovation. This role requires a highly organized and hands-on leader who thrives in fast-paced, high-volume upscale dining environments while maintaining elevated standards of food quality, consistency, operational efficiency, and guest experience.

We are a hospitality-focused organization committed to delivering memorable experiences through strong culture, leadership development, team building, and operational excellence.

We’re seeking a confident and experienced culinary leader who can inspire and develop teams, provide mentorship, foster training and development, and maintain composure in a high-pressure service environment. This role is ideal for someone who combines creativity, adaptability, strategic planning, and leadership skills with strong operational discipline and professionalism.

You will play a key role in shaping the culinary identity and continued success of Detroit location, so if you are energized by leadership, innovation, relationship management, and high-level execution, we want to hear from you.

Strong culinary ability is essential—but the ability to lead with professionalism, accountability, conflict resolution skills, emotional intelligence, and a positive attitude is what truly defines success in this role.

Benefits:

• Competitive base salary plus performance-based bonus structure

• Comprehensive health and wellness benefits

• Paid vacation and PTO program

• Growth opportunities within a nationally recognized hospitality group

• Dining discounts across all Group concepts

• Collaborative and creative leadership culture

• Opportunity to contribute to one of Detroit’s leading restaurant groups

• Professional development and advancement opportunities

Day in the Life:

• Lead all culinary and back-of-house operations in a high-volume upscale restaurant

• Oversee menu execution, recipe development, food quality, presentation, quality assurance, and consistency standards

• Recruit, train, mentor, and develop culinary team members and kitchen leadership through team development and training initiatives

• Manage food cost, labor cost, budgeting, costing, inventory management, receiving, vendor management, purchasing, and financial systems management

• Collaborate with ownership and leadership teams on menu development, recipe development, Italian cuisine programming, and special events

• Maintain cleanliness, organization, cleaning/sanitation standards, food safety knowledge, and compliance with all health and safety procedures

• Build strong vendor relationships and oversee product sourcing and ordering/purchasing operations

• Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork, leadership, hospitality, adaptability, and excellence

• Maintain professionalism and composure during high-volume services, expediting, and special events

• Support overall restaurant operations while maintaining awareness of guest satisfaction enhancement and service flow

• Assist with scheduling, operational systems, standard operating procedures, and risk analysis initiatives

• Support opening new venues and expansion projects when needed

Requirements:

• 5+ years of Executive Chef or senior culinary leadership experience in upscale, high-volume dining environments

• Strong background and expertise in traditional Italian cuisine, Italian cooking, pasta production, bread making, grilling, and globally inspired influences

• High-volume upscale dining experience with proven success leading large culinary teams

• Demonstrated leadership, team management, mentorship, and training others in fast-paced kitchens

• Strong financial acumen including food cost control, cost management, labor management, budgeting, and financial management

• Experience with inventory management, vendor management, receiving, ordering/purchasing, and operational efficiency initiatives

• Strong culinary skills including advanced knife skills, quality control, and recipe development

• Knowledge of food safety procedures, sanitation standards, risk analysis, and safety procedures knowledge

• Food Handler Certification preferred

• Italian wine knowledge strongly preferred

• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, guest-focused environment with flexibility and adaptability

• Strong communication, interpersonal, customer service orientation, and conflict resolution skills

• Strong organizational skills, time management, and attention to detail

• Experience developing systems, scheduling practices, and maintaining operational consistency through standard operating procedures

• Ability to give and receive constructive feedback effectively while maintaining professionalism

• High integrity with strong personal and professional standards

• Strong decision-making, problem solving, and problem solving skills under pressure

• Passion for hospitality, creativity, mentorship, guest satisfaction, and culinary innovation

• Culinary degree preferred, but not required with equivalent experience