Executive Chef

Elsewhere Wine Bar & Lounge is a new wine-focused hospitality project in St. Helena built around discovery, generosity, and a slightly unreasonable love of great bottles.

Created by Nick Kokonas and Chef Elliot Bell, Elsewhere will bring together exceptional wine, thoughtful food, warm service, and the particular magic of Napa Valley. Elliot is a 10-year veteran of Thomas Keller’s world-renowned The French Laundry, and his cooking is grounded in seasonality, local purveyors, technical discipline, and the bounty of the region. Nick was the founder and owner of the award-winning Alinea Group.

The wine program will be broad, ambitious, and personal, featuring everything from classic producers and rare bottles to small, idiosyncratic wines with stories worth telling.

We are not trying to be another tasting room, another restaurant, or another predictable wine bar. Elsewhere is a place for collectors, winemakers, locals, travelers, chefs, artists, and the wine-curious to gather, connect, and return often.

The food should support that vision. It should be seasonal, generous, precise, and deeply wine-compatible. It should be able to stand on its own, but it should never overwhelm the experience of being in the room, drinking great wine, sharing plates, and discovering something unexpected.

The kitchen should feel disciplined but not rigid, ambitious but not precious, and organized enough that creativity has room to breathe.

The Executive Chef will play a central leadership role in opening, building, and operating Elsewhere Wine Bar & Lounge. This position will lead the culinary program, kitchen team, menu development, food purchasing, prep systems, service execution, kitchen financial performance, health and safety standards, and the overall quality and consistency of the food program.

This is a hands-on leadership position. The Executive Chef will be expected to cook, teach, taste, organize, correct, document, and lead. The right person will be equally comfortable developing seasonal menus, managing a small but serious kitchen team, working with exceptional local ingredients, maintaining disciplined systems, communicating with the front-of-house team, controlling food costs, and executing private events, tastings, winemaker dinners, and daily service at a high level.

Elsewhere is not a large fine-dining restaurant with a sprawling brigade. The Executive Chef must be able to build smart systems, work cleanly, cross-train the team, and create food that is compelling, efficient, and appropriate to the scale and rhythm of the room.

You do not need to be the loudest person in the kitchen. You do need to taste everything.

Lead the culinary identity of Elsewhere in collaboration with Chef Elliot Bell, ownership, the General Manager, and the wine team.

Develop, test, document, and execute a seasonal menu that reflects Napa Valley, local farms and purveyors, wine compatibility, and the style of hospitality Elsewhere intends to provide.

Create food that is thoughtful, elegant, generous, and technically sound without becoming overly formal, fussy, or detached from the guest experience.

Design menus that work for the actual operating model of the restaurant, including à la carte service, bar/lounge dining, snacks, shared plates, composed dishes, private events, winemaker dinners, collector tastings, and special programming.

Build a menu that supports wine rather than competes with it, including dishes that pair naturally with Champagne, Burgundy, Barolo, Napa Cabernet, Rhône wines, German Riesling, mature bottles, obscure mountain wines, and other elements of a broad wine program.

Maintain a balanced menu architecture, including snacks, vegetables, seafood, meat, composed plates, shareable dishes, optional larger-format items, and any appropriate desserts or cheese offerings.

Develop dishes that can be executed consistently in the physical kitchen, with realistic prep demands, service timing, storage requirements, staffing levels, and equipment constraints.

Continuously refine the menu based on seasonality, product quality, guest response, cost performance, kitchen execution, and wine program needs.

Create daily, weekly, and seasonal specials where appropriate, using market availability, excess product, special purveyor opportunities, or event-driven needs.

Collaborate with the wine team on pairings, tasting menus, special pours, winemaker dinners, by-the-glass features, and food designed around specific bottles, producers, regions, or themes.

Develop menus for private events, buyouts, tastings, collector evenings, winery partnerships, offsite opportunities, and special holiday services.

Ensure that every dish has a clear point of view, a documented recipe, an approved plating standard, and a realistic execution plan.

Help build the kitchen from pre-opening through launch, including equipment setup, station layout, storage systems, prep flows, sanitation systems, ordering systems, recipe documentation, menu testing, staff hiring, training, mock services, and opening procedures.

Work with ownership and leadership to evaluate kitchen equipment, smallwares, plateware, storage needs, prep areas, service tools, cleaning systems, and any operational gaps before opening.

Create opening par levels for food, dry goods, disposables, cleaning supplies, smallwares, and kitchen operating materials.

Develop core kitchen systems before opening, including prep lists, order guides, receiving logs, recipe books, station guides, line check forms, opening and closing checklists, cleaning schedules, waste logs, inventory systems, and service communication protocols.

Participate in vendor selection and account setup for produce, meat, seafood, dairy, bread, dry goods, specialty foods, cheese, coffee or tea if relevant, cleaning supplies, uniforms, linen, equipment service, and other operating needs.

Help recruit, interview, hire, train, and organize the opening kitchen team.

Lead menu testing, costing, tasting panels, plating reviews, mock services, staff meals, and pre-opening training.

Build the culinary training curriculum for cooks, prep cooks, dishwashers, and service staff.

Establish kitchen culture from day one: organized, calm, clean, respectful, curious, and serious about standards without becoming joyless.

Oversee all daily kitchen operations, including prep, production, ordering, receiving, storage, staff deployment, service execution, cleaning, closing, and next-day readiness.

Run the kitchen during service with calm authority, clear communication, and constant attention to quality.

Ensure that all food leaving the kitchen meets Elsewhere’s standards for taste, seasoning, temperature, texture, portioning, presentation, timing, and consistency.

Conduct daily line checks before service, including tasting, station readiness, mise en place levels, cleanliness, labels, backups, tools, equipment function, and staff preparedness.

Maintain organized prep systems that allow the kitchen to move efficiently without overproduction, waste, or unnecessary stress.

Ensure that prep lists are accurate, current, and adjusted for reservations, events, expected covers, weather, seasonal demand, and special programming.

Monitor ticket times, pacing, coursing, communication with front-of-house, and guest experience during service.

Work with the General Manager and service team to manage dietary restrictions, allergies, VIP tables, special requests, celebrations, private tastings, and guest recovery situations.

Maintain clear and professional communication between the kitchen, dining room, bar, wine team, dish team, and management.

Anticipate operational problems before they become visible to guests.

Ensure the kitchen is reset properly at the end of every shift and fully prepared for the next service.

Hire, train, schedule, supervise, mentor, and develop the culinary team.

Create a kitchen environment that is disciplined, respectful, efficient, and professionally serious without being abusive, chaotic, or performative.

Set clear expectations for cooks, prep cooks, dishwashers, porters, sous chefs, and any culinary leadership positions.

Train the team on knife skills, station setup, prep techniques, cooking methods, plating, sanitation, labeling, storage, tasting, service communication, and professional conduct.

Provide daily coaching and correction in real time, with a focus on improvement rather than ego.

Build a team that understands not only how to execute dishes, but why each dish exists and what standard it must meet.

Develop sous chefs and lead cooks into stronger managers, teachers, and operators.

Conduct regular performance conversations, disciplinary conversations when needed, and formal reviews in partnership with ownership or the General Manager.

Create schedules that balance business needs, employee quality of life, labor budgets, skill development, and service coverage.

Cross-train staff to reduce fragility in the operation and ensure the kitchen can function effectively during vacations, illness, events, or staffing changes.

Maintain high standards for punctuality, cleanliness, uniform standards, communication, preparation, and accountability.

Lead by example in work ethic, organization, composure, curiosity, humility, and attention to detail.

Create and maintain a complete recipe book with ingredient lists, yields, methods, portion sizes, plating instructions, allergen information, shelf life, storage notes, and cost information.

Ensure that all recipes are tested, costed, photographed or otherwise visually documented, and updated as dishes evolve.

Maintain written standards for every station, including mise en place, station setup, pickup methods, garnish placement, sauce handling, backups, tools, and end-of-night breakdown.

Taste constantly and train the team to taste constantly.

Maintain consistent seasoning and product quality across every service.

Ensure that sauces, stocks, dressings, breads, pickles, ferments, garnishes, proteins, vegetables, and other recurring preparations are made consistently and correctly.

Create systems for evaluating new dishes before they go on the menu, including taste, cost, prep burden, service execution, wine compatibility, and guest experience.

Remove or revise dishes that do not perform operationally, financially, or creatively.

Ensure that the menu remains fresh and seasonal without changing so frequently that the kitchen loses control of execution.

Build and maintain strong relationships with local farms, ranches, fisheries, cheesemakers, bakers, foragers, specialty purveyors, and regional producers.

Source high-quality ingredients appropriate to the concept, season, price point, and desired guest experience.

Prioritize local, seasonal, and distinctive products when they materially improve the menu.

Manage ordering for all food and kitchen-related supplies.

Create and maintain order guides, vendor contact lists, delivery schedules, product specifications, receiving standards, and substitute product protocols.

Inspect deliveries for quality, accuracy, temperature, condition, and invoice accuracy.

Reject poor-quality product when necessary and follow up with vendors professionally.

Monitor pricing changes, availability, minimums, delivery schedules, and product substitutions.

Balance the use of exceptional ingredients with responsible cost management.

Identify opportunities for special products, limited seasonal items, whole-animal or large-format purchasing, winery collaborations, and menu features tied to local producers.

Manage food cost, kitchen labor cost, purchasing, waste, inventory, and profitability in partnership with ownership and the General Manager.

Cost every menu item accurately, including trim, yield, garnish, sauces, staff meal impact, waste, and realistic portioning.

Set target food costs for individual dishes and the overall menu.

Review food cost performance regularly and adjust menu pricing, portioning, sourcing, prep methods, or purchasing practices as needed.

Maintain inventory systems for food, dry goods, disposables, cleaning supplies, and other kitchen materials.

Conduct regular inventory counts and reconcile usage against purchasing and sales.

Track waste, spoilage, overproduction, incorrect ordering, returned product, and service mistakes.

Use leftovers and trim intelligently where appropriate without compromising quality.

Manage labor scheduling to align with revenue, prep demands, events, training needs, and service coverage.

Work with leadership on budgets, forecasts, menu engineering, event pricing, staffing models, and profitability goals.

Understand that financial discipline is not separate from creativity; it is what allows the restaurant to endure.

Ensure full compliance with all applicable health department regulations, food safety laws, labor rules, company policies, and California requirements.

Maintain a clean, organized, inspection-ready kitchen at all times.

Oversee proper food handling, temperature control, cooling, reheating, labeling, dating, storage, rotation, allergen management, and cross-contamination prevention.

Create and enforce cleaning schedules for all kitchen areas, including refrigeration, storage, cooking equipment, prep areas, floors, walls, drains, hoods, shelving, dish areas, and service stations.

Ensure that all staff understand and follow food safety procedures.

Maintain logs where required or useful, including temperature logs, cooling logs, cleaning logs, receiving logs, waste logs, and equipment maintenance notes.

Ensure knives, equipment, chemicals, ladders, hot surfaces, floors, and other workplace hazards are managed safely.

Coordinate repairs and maintenance for kitchen equipment, refrigeration, plumbing, dish machines, hoods, smallwares, and related systems.

Respond immediately and appropriately to any health, safety, sanitation, injury, or equipment issue.

Hold and maintain required certifications, including California Food Handler or Food Protection Manager certification as applicable.

Work closely with the General Manager and wine team to create a seamless guest experience.

Participate in pre-shift meetings, menu education, tasting notes, dish descriptions, allergy notes, and service updates.

Train the front-of-house team on ingredients, preparations, flavor profiles, sourcing, dietary considerations, and intended guest experience.

Provide clear and accurate menu language so the service team can describe dishes naturally and confidently.

Collaborate with the wine team on pairing logic, event menus, tasting portions, bottle dinners, collector evenings, producer visits, and special wine-focused experiences.

Respond constructively to guest feedback delivered through the service team.

Support the service team during high-pressure moments by communicating clearly, adjusting pacing, and helping solve guest issues.

Ensure that the food program and wine program feel connected rather than adjacent.

Develop and execute menus for private events, winemaker dinners, collector tastings, winery events, local partnerships, holiday services, buyouts, and offsite opportunities.

Create event menus that are operationally realistic, financially sound, wine-compatible, and appropriate to the guest profile.

Work with the General Manager to price events, plan staffing, create prep timelines, organize rentals or special equipment, and communicate with clients or partners when needed.

Prepare detailed event BEO-style kitchen notes, including menu, guest count, timing, dietary restrictions, plating instructions, prep list, ordering needs, staffing plan, and day-of timeline.

Collaborate with wineries, visiting chefs, producers, and special guests where appropriate.

Maintain the same standards for events as for daily service, while recognizing that events often require different pacing, portioning, and logistics.

Use special events as a way to deepen Elsewhere’s identity, build community, strengthen relationships, and create reasons for guests to return.

Act as a steward of the Elsewhere brand: serious about food, serious about wine, serious about hospitality, and not overly serious about itself.

Understand that the kitchen is part of the guest experience even when guests never see it.

Create food that makes guests want another glass of wine, another dish, another visit.

Support a room that feels personal, intelligent, generous, and alive.

Participate in building relationships with local wineries, farmers, makers, collectors, chefs, neighbors, hotel concierges, and community partners.

Be available to speak with guests when appropriate, especially during special events, VIP visits, culinary questions, or guest recovery moments.

Help create a culture where regulars feel remembered, travelers feel welcomed, and wine-curious guests feel included rather than intimidated.

Represent Elsewhere professionally in the community.

5+ years of progressive culinary leadership experience in fine dining, high-end casual dining, wine-focused restaurants, luxury hospitality, private clubs, hotels, or comparable environments.

Experience as an Executive Chef, Chef de Cuisine, Sous Chef, or senior culinary leader in a high-quality restaurant or hospitality setting.

Strong technical cooking skills and a disciplined understanding of prep, mise en place, service execution, seasoning, sourcing, and kitchen systems.

Demonstrated ability to develop seasonal menus and execute them consistently.

Strong understanding of wine-compatible food and the relationship between food, beverage, pacing, and guest experience.

Experience opening a restaurant or building kitchen systems from the ground up strongly preferred.

Strong leadership, teaching, mentoring, and team-management skills.

Ability to lead a kitchen calmly and professionally during busy service.

Strong organizational skills and the ability to create systems, lists, documents, recipes, schedules, and operating procedures.

Strong financial management skills, including food costing, purchasing, inventory, waste control, labor management, menu pricing, and vendor management.

Experience with private events, tasting menus, wine dinners, or special programming preferred.

Familiarity with restaurant technology, including POS systems, inventory systems, scheduling platforms, spreadsheets, recipe costing tools, and basic reporting.

Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with ownership, management, front-of-house, wine team, vendors, and kitchen staff.

Excellent time-management skills and the ability to prioritize in a fast-moving environment.

Critical thinking and problem-solving ability.

High standards, low ego, and a team-first approach.

Ability to lift, carry, stand for long periods, work in a hot kitchen, and perform the physical duties required of a working chef.

California Food Handler Card required.

Food Protection Manager certification strongly preferred.

Culinary school diploma preferred but not required.

You are part chef, part teacher, part operator, part systems builder.

You know that a great dish is not just an idea. It is product quality, prep discipline, clean storage, sharp knives, correct seasoning, thoughtful plating, calm pickup, and consistent execution on the fiftieth order as much as the first.

You care about farmers, purveyors, technique, seasonality, and the details that make food memorable. You also understand that the restaurant must work as a business.

You like wine, or at least respect it enough to understand that the food at Elsewhere should make the wine program better. You are interested in how a dish changes next to Champagne, aged Burgundy, mountain Cabernet, old Barolo, or a strange white wine from a place most guests have never heard of.

You can lead without screaming. You can correct without humiliating. You can teach without condescending. You can maintain standards without making the kitchen miserable.

You are comfortable with ambition, but allergic to chaos.

You understand that Elsewhere is not trying to be a temple of gastronomy. It is trying to be a room people love returning to, with food good enough and personal enough that the memory of the meal becomes part of the reason.

This is a full-time leadership position. The Executive Chef is expected to work approximately 45–55 hours per week and must be available during core operating hours, including days, evenings, weekends, holidays, private events, and special programming.

Opening periods, menu changes, events, and seasonal transitions may require additional flexibility.

While we strive for consistency, work hours and days off are subject to change based on the needs of the restaurant.

Performance-based bonus potential.

Health and supplemental insurance benefits.

Retirement savings plan with employer match.

Paid time off and holidays.

Employee dining discount.

Wine education and professional development opportunities.

Relocation stipend may be available for the right candidate.

Elsewhere Wine Bar & Lounge provides equal employment opportunity to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.