Executive Chef/Food Service Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

Cumberland Village is Aiken’s premier independent living community, known for restaurant-style, made-to-order dining and genuine hospitality. 

We are seeking an Executive Chef / Food Service Manager to lead our dining program: a hands-on culinary leader who can run a professional kitchen, develop a strong team, manage a budget with discipline, and treat every plate as a reflection of the community’s reputation. This is a highly visible leadership role with full ownership of both the culinary and dining-service sides of the department.

  Culinary Leadership 

• Direct all daily food production and dining-room service, from breakfast through dinner, ensuring consistency in taste, temperature, presentation, and timing.

• Design seasonal, resident-driven menus that balance variety, nutrition, cost, and the made-to-order standard our residents expect.

• Accommodate therapeutic, allergen-related, and personal-preference requests without compromising quality or service flow.

Team Development 

• Lead, schedule, and develop a department of up to 20 team members, including a sous chef, dining room manager, cooks, servers, and dishwashers.

• Own the full people cycle: recruiting, onboarding, training, coaching, performance evaluations, corrective action, and retention.

• Build a culture of accountability, professionalism, and pride in the work — and a bench of talent ready for the next step.

  Financial Leadership 

• Manage purchasing, vendor relationships, receiving, daily and weekly invoicing, and monthly inventory.

• Partner with the Executive Director on daily PPD tracking, monthly cost analysis, labor management, and annual departmental budgeting.

• Maintain equipment, sanitation, and overall department condition; identify and justify capital needs.

Compliance and Safety

• Ensure full compliance with federal, state, and local health, safety, and food-handling regulations, and maintain readiness for inspection at all times.

• Enforce HACCP-aligned practices, documentation, and staff food-safety training.

Resident and Community Engagement

• Host quarterly resident food-and-service forums, and act on the feedback you receive.

• Coordinate catering and private-event requests for residents and their families.

• Collaborate with Marketing, Life Enrichment, and other departments on signature events, tours, and community programming.

Requirements:

Qualifications  

 

Five or more years of progressive culinary leadership experience, including at least two years as an executive chef, chef manager, or dining services director.

• Proven ownership of a food and labor budget, with a track record of hitting cost targets without sacrificing quality.

• Demonstrated success hiring, training, and retaining kitchen and service staff.

• Working knowledge of food-safety regulation and sanitation standards; ServSafe Manager certification (or ability to obtain within 60 days of hire).

• Comfort in a resident-facing role — you are visible in the dining room, not only in the kitchen.

• Availability to support a seven-day operation, including periodic weekends, holidays, and special events.

Preferred

• Senior living, hospitality, restaurant, club, resort, or hotel food-and-beverage background.

• Culinary degree or equivalent formal training.

• Experience with therapeutic or modified diets and dietary-manager certification (CDM).

• Familiarity with catering, banquet, and event execution.

Why Cumberland Village

• Real creative control — your menus, your standards, your kitchen, with leadership support rather than a corporate script.

• An engaged, appreciative resident base that gives you direct feedback every single day.

• A predictable, community-based schedule instead of the late-night grind of a restaurant.

• A leadership seat at the table: dining is central to how residents choose and stay in our community.

Compensation and Benefits

• Salary range: [$85,000 – $90,000] annually, commensurate with experience.

• Performance incentive: A nnual bonus opportunity tied to resident satisfaction and departmental cost performance.

• Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision; life insurance; 401(k); paid time off and paid holidays; meals provided on shift.

Education and Experience:

· Degree in Culinary Arts Preferred 

· Prior related 5 years experience preferred. 

Physical Requirements: 

· Ability to move throughout the kitchen and serving areas independently. 

· Ability to perform all food preparation, service and sanitation functions for demonstration purposes and assistance to staff as necessary. 

· Ability to smell and taste food to determine quality and palatability. 

· Reasonable accommodation in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) will be considered for any individual deemed disabled by the Act.