Restaurant Executive Chef

Job Description

Job Description

Well-experienced Executive chef needed in Mexican cuisine.

The Executive Chef is the culinary leader of a professional kitchen operation — setting culinary direction, managing kitchen teams, controlling food costs, developing menus, and ensuring that every plate leaving the kitchen meets the quality standards that define the restaurant's reputation. The role is as much business management as cooking.

Role at a glance

Typical education

Culinary degree from an accredited program or equivalent kitchen progression

Typical experience

5-10 years in Upscale Mexican cuisine

Key certifications

ServSafe Manager, food safety manager credentials

Top employer types

full-service restaurants, resorts, restaurant groups

Duties and responsibilities

• Set culinary vision and menu direction for all food outlets, from daily specials to seasonal menu overhaul
• Manage and develop the kitchen team including sous chefs, line cooks, and pastry staff through hiring, training, and performance evaluation
• Own food cost targets, monitoring purchasing, yield, and waste to maintain cost of goods within approved budget
• Collaborate with F&B Director on pricing strategy, menu engineering, and outlet performance
• Develop and maintain recipe standards, portion specifications, and plating standards for all menu items
• Oversee kitchen sanitation, food safety compliance, and health department inspection readiness
• Manage vendor relationships for proteins, produce, dairy, and specialty ingredients, including price negotiation and quality standards
• Plan and execute special menus for private dining, events, and holiday programs
• Represent the culinary program to guests, media, and community — including media appearances, guest chef events, and culinary partnerships
• Partner with catering and banquet teams on event menus, production planning, and culinary standards alignment across all food service

Business skills:

Food cost management: P&L fluency at the department level, variance analysis, yield calculations

• Purchasing: vendor negotiation, quality specification, order management, receiving standards
• Kitchen labor: scheduling, overtime management, cross-training across station competencies
• Menu engineering: pricing strategy, item mix analysis, recipe costing
• Understands the Mexican culture by food region and knows how to make all salsas and stews.

Leadership characteristics:

• Teaches technique directly rather than only demanding results
• Holds quality standards consistently rather than excusing output under pressure
• Develops sous chefs toward independence rather than keeping the best work for themselves

Zarape cocina and cantina is a 100% scratch kitchen, with all natural, raw and fresh ingredients, no additives & no fillers.....just labor with love!\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Company Description

Zarape cocina and cantina is a 100% scratch kitchen, with all natural, raw and fresh ingredients, no additives & no fillers.....just labor with love!\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\nEvery menu item is made to order and freshly crafted upon request to ensure freshness.\nWe're 100% traditional Mexican cuisine with a Mediterranean-infused dish.