Executive Chef

Job Description

Position: Executive Chef – NOVA Kitchen & Bar – New York, NY ( Full -Time )

Salary: $115,000–$150,000 per year (based on experience)

About NOVA: NOVA Kitchen & Bar is a new upscale Asian fusion restaurant opening in New York City. Our culinary direction combines Asian flavors and techniques, modern presentation, and a contemporary New York dining experience. We are looking for an experienced Executive Chef with a strong Asian culinary background to lead menu development, build the opening kitchen team, establish culinary systems, and define NOVA New York’s food identity.

Position Summary

The Executive Chef will lead the culinary identity and day-to-day kitchen execution of NOVA. This position is responsible for menu development, recipe standardization, kitchen operations, team leadership, food safety, food cost, labor productivity, purchasing, vendor relationships, and maintaining consistent food quality during high-volume service.

Responsibilities

• Lead all culinary pre-opening work, including menu development, recipe testing, equipment setup, vendor selection, kitchen systems, prep systems, opening pars, and line trials.
• Develop and define NOVA New York’s Fire Element Asian cuisine using wok hei, roasting, grilling, smoking, blistering, ember techniques, and aromatic presentation.
• Create a modern and commercially viable Asian fusion menu that balances creativity, authenticity, speed, consistency, food cost, and guest appeal.
• Develop standardized recipes, yields, portion controls, plating guides, prep lists, production schedules, allergen information, and station diagrams.
• Recruit, train, schedule, coach, and evaluate the kitchen team, including Sous Chefs, line cooks, prep cooks, dishwashers, and stewarding staff.
• Lead daily kitchen service and maintain strong communication between the kitchen and front-of-house teams.
• Manage ticket times, food quality, plating consistency, service pacing, food safety, fire safety, and allergy procedures.
• Control food cost, kitchen labor, waste, receiving, storage, labeling, inventory, purchasing, and vendor relationships.
• Partner with the General Manager on menu pricing, contribution margins, promotions, tastings, private dining, special events, and guest-fac ing culinary experiences.
• Maintain compliance with NYC Department of Health requirements, HACCP principles, sanitation standards, workplace safety, and fire-safety procedures.
• Maintain equipment and kitchen work areas in safe operating condition and address maintenance issues before they impact service.
• Build a respectful, disciplined, accountable, and learning-focused kitchen culture.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional culinary experience.
• Minimum 3 years of experience as Executive Chef, Chef de Cuisine, or a comparable senior culinary leadership position.
• Demonstrated experience opening and operating an upscale, high-volume, chef-driven restaurant in New York City or a comparable market.
• Strong professional background in Asian cuisine is required.
• Experience with Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Southeast Asian, Pan-Asian, or modern Asian cuisine is highly valued.
• Live-fire, wok, robata, charcoal, grilling, smoking, or wood-fired cooking experience strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of Asian flavor systems, sauces, marinades, proteins, seafood, produce, fermentation, spice, smoke, and heat control.
• Proven ability to write and cost recipes and manage food and labor costs.
• Strong knowledge of kitchen systems, purchasing, inventory management, sanitation, and food safety.
• Strong leadership, coaching, communication, and organizational skills.
• English required; Mandarin Chinese proficiency preferred.
• NYC Food Protection Certificate preferred, or ability to obtain within the required timeframe.
• ServSafe Manager or HACCP training is a plus.
• Culinary degree or formal apprenticeship preferred but not required with equivalent professional experience.
• Must be able to work in a fast- paced, hot, loud, and physically demanding kitchen environment, including nights, weekends, and holidays.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Paid time off
• Employee dining benefits
• Performance-based incentives

Schedule & Working Hours

This is a hands-on culinary leadership position. The Executive Chef is expected to be highly involved during menu testing, training, soft opening, peak service periods, and ongoing restaurant operations.

Equal Opportunity Employer.