Executive Chef

Job Summary Brookdale, a national leader in senior living communities, is seeking a Chef to lead our kitchen operations while improving quality and resident satisfaction. Recognized by Newsweek in 2024 and 2025 as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity, Brookdale offers a collaborative environment where creativity and innovation in culinary services are valued. Responsibilities Oversee daily kitchen operations and ensure the highest quality food products. Supervise, train, and mentor kitchen personnel on culinary activities. Plan and coordinate breakfast, lunch, and dinner, ensuring quality presentation and portion control. Select recipes, prepare and coordinate meals, and coordinate prep for the following day’s menu. Create new dishes, develop recipes, and standardize them for consistent quality. Conduct pre‑meal meetings with food servers to review the daily menu. Manage staffing levels, cover absences, and ensure adequate personnel for each shift. Estimate food consumption, requisition purchases, and monitor inventory. Assist with budget compliance for daily food costs and apply loss prevention procedures. Aid in hiring, training, scheduling, disciplining, and terminating associates. Coordinate special events and ensure kitchen cleanliness per state and local health codes. Maintain kitchen equipment in working order and oversee proper inventory of cleaning chemicals. Implement food storage and recycling techniques to minimize waste. Qualifications Associate’s degree (A.A.) or equivalent from a two‑year college or technical school, plus 2‑4 years related experience or equivalent combination of education and training. Certifications: ServSafe Certified and any required local, state, or county food handling/sanitation licenses. Management experience: Ability to apply guidelines, exercise sound judgment, and solve moderately complex problems. Skills: Extensive knowledge of culinary operations, strong customer service, leadership of diverse teams, menu production, multi‑tasking, excellent cooking techniques, recipe development, sanitary principles, and use of industry terminology. Physical Demands Standing, walking, sitting, using hands and fingers, reaching, climbing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, talking, hearing, tasting, smelling, and exposure to latex. Ability to lift up to 50 pounds. Possible exposure to communicable diseases, blood‑borne pathogens, and chemical or biological hazards. Occasional weekend, evening, or night work may be required for shift coverage. Benefits Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance. 401(k) with retirement plans. Associate assistance program and employee discounts. Referrals and early wage access (outside California). Optional voluntary benefits including ID theft protection, pet insurance, accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity insurance, legal plan, and life insurance options. Paid time off, paid holidays, and company‑provided life insurance for full‑time staff. Adoption, disability (short- and long-term), flexible spending accounts, health savings account, and tuition reimbursement. Veterans, transitioning active duty military personnel, and military spouses are encouraged to apply. Brookdale supports naturalization by advancing fees for eligible associates who have been with us for at least a year. Brookdale is an equal‑opportunity employer and a drug‑free workplace. #J-18808-Ljbffr Brookdale