Chef Tournant - theWit Chicago

Chef Tournant

theWit Chicago is a luxury lifestyle hotel located in the heart of downtown, known for its vibrant energy, contemporary design, and elevated guest experiences. Featuring multiple dynamic dining venues, including a rooftop lounge, upscale restaurant, and extensive banquet spaces, the hotel blends modern hospitality with a strong culinary focus. As part of a globally recognized brand, theWit Chicago offers a fast-paced, high-performance environment where creativity, service excellence, and innovation are at the forefront.

Position Overview Chef Tournant At theWit Chicago, the Chef Tournant is a versatile culinary leader who supports all food and beverage outlets, stepping into key roles as needed to ensure consistent execution, quality, and presentation. This role requires strong technical skill, adaptability, and a deep understanding of luxury dining standards.

Working closely with senior culinary leadership, the Chef Tournant helps lead kitchen operations, mentor team members, and uphold food safety and organizational excellence. Ideal for a well-rounded chef, this position offers the opportunity to contribute across multiple concepts while delivering a seamless, high-end guest experience.

This is a tremendous opportunity for a talented, career-focused chef who is ready to bring fresh ideas. We are looking for a driven culinary professional who wants the freedom to develop new dishes, train a strong team, and help lead a professional, fast-paced operation.

The right candidate must be willing to put in the work required to build a true scratch kitchen, with a strong desire to seek out the best ingredients available, preferably from local purveyors.

Strong collaboration skills are required. We are not looking for ego-driven chefs; we are looking for culinary-focused individuals who are hungry to learn, lead, create, and make their mark in an inclusive environment that offers PTO, health, and retirement benefits.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide operational leadership and culinary support across all food and beverage outlets, including fine?dining restaurants, banquets, in?room dining, lounges, and private events
• Step in for absent chefs or chef de parties with minimal transition time, maintaining consistency with each outlet's concept, standards, and service style
• Execute dishes to exact standards with exceptional attention to detail, flavor balance, and presentation
• Supervise, coach, and inspire culinary team members during assigned shifts
• Actively support training initiatives, mentoring junior chefs and reinforcing best practices
• Ensure strict compliance with all food safety, sanitation, and hygiene standards (HACCP and local regulations)
• Collaborate with senior culinary leadership on menu execution, seasonal changes, tastings, and special promotions
• Maintain exceptional organization of workstations, storage areas, and production processes
• Monitor product quality, portion control, and waste reduction
• Communicate effectively with front?of?house and banquet teams to support a seamless guest experience
• Represent the culinary department with professionalism, discretion, and pride
• Support executive chef and sous chefs with day-to-day ordering/admin responsibilities

Qualifications & Experience

• Formal culinary education or apprenticeship from a recognized institution preferred
• Minimum of 35 years of experience in luxury hotels, fine?dining restaurants, or comparable high?end environments
• Proven ability to work confidently across multiple kitchen disciplines (hot line, garde manger, banquets, pastry exposure a plus)
• Experience executing refined cuisine with premium ingredients
• Strong understanding of luxury service expectations and guest?centric dining
• Demonstrated flexibility to work various shifts, including evenings, weekends, and holidays

Skills & Competencies

• Exceptional culinary technique and product knowledge
• High adaptability and ability to integrate into different brigade styles
• Strong leadership presence with a calm, solutions?oriented approach
• Refined palate and elevated aesthetic sensibility
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to perform under pressure while maintaining composure and precision
• Strong commitment to excellence, consistency, and continuous improvement

Work Environment

• Fast?paced, high?standards luxury culinary environment
• Frequent interaction with VIP guests, senior leaders, and cross?departmental partners
• Physically demanding role requiring extended standing and lifting

Compensation:

$65,000.00 - $70,000 per year

Benefits:

We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the health, well-being, and financial security of our employees. Our offerings include:

• Medical Plans: Choice of three plans to meet your healthcare needs.
• Dental Plans: Two options for dental coverage.
• Vision Insurance: Coverage for routine eye care and eyewear.
• Paid Time Off (PTO): To support work-life balance.
• Accident/Hospital Indemnity/Critical Illness plans (new for 2026).
• 401(k) Retirement Plan: Plan for your future with employer contributions.
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA): Pre-tax savings for healthcare and dependent care expenses.
• Life and AD&D Insurance: Employer-provided coverage with additional voluntary options.
• Short-Term Disability (STD): Employer-provided coverage to support you during temporary disability.
• Voluntary Long-Term Disability (LTD): Additional protection for extended disability.
• Commuter Benefits: Save on transit and parking expenses.
• Pet Insurance: Options to support your furry family members.
• Hilton travel discounts and employee room rates worldwide
• Career growth and training opportunities
• Access to wellness programs and employee appreciation events

Please note that eligibility for certain benefits may vary depending on your employment status. Detailed information, including plan summaries and enrollment instructions, will be provided during onboarding or upon request. This summary complies with applicable state laws and is subject to change based on legislative updates or company policies.

E-Verify Participation:

theWit Hotel participates in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security E-Verify program to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

theWit Hotel and ROOF on theWit are proud to be Equal Opportunity Employers. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

This job posting is for a position at a hotel that is owned and operated by an independent franchisee. The franchisee controls all aspects of the hotel's employment practices, including recruiting, hiring, salary, benefits and compensation decisions, and the collection and processing of the personal data that you provide on this website. If you accept this position, you will be employed by a franchisee and not by Hilton. You will not be eligible for compensation or benefits from Hilton. You will be eligible for compensation or benefits only as may be provided to you by the independent franchisee.