Executive Chef - New Upscale Middle Eastern Restaurant

Executive Chef – New Upscale Middle Eastern Restaurant

Houston, TX | $75,000 Annual Salary | New Restaurant Opening – February 2027

An exciting opportunity to bring a distinctive culinary vision to life!

We are conducting a confidential search for an experienced and passionate Executive Chef to help launch an exciting new upscale, family-friendly restaurant in Houston, Texas.

This independently owned concept will celebrate the rich culinary traditions and hospitality of the Middle East, with an emphasis on authentic Syrian and Yemeni influences, fresh ingredients, scratch-made dishes, bold flavors, and beautiful presentation.

We are seeking a talented culinary leader who appreciates the importance of honoring traditional recipes while helping create an exceptional and memorable dining experience.

This is a unique opportunity to join a restaurant from the ground up, collaborate directly with ownership, contribute to menu development, build a culinary team, and establish the kitchen standards that will define the restaurant's future.

What You'll Do

• Collaborate with ownership on menu development, recipe creation, and the execution of authentic Middle Eastern cuisine.
• Lead all back-of-house operations, including food preparation, kitchen organization, staffing, and daily execution.
• Recruit, train, mentor, and develop a talented culinary team.
• Establish recipes, portion standards, preparation procedures, and quality controls to ensure consistency.
• Maintain exceptional standards for food quality, flavor, freshness, and presentation.
• Manage food costs, inventory, purchasing, waste, and kitchen labor.
• Build strong relationships with vendors and suppliers while sourcing quality ingredients.
• Establish and maintain food safety, sanitation, and operational standards.
• Play an important leadership role in pre-opening preparations, training, menu testing, and restaurant launch.

What We're Looking For

• Strong culinary leadership experience as an Executive Chef, Chef de Cuisine, or accomplished Sous Chef ready for the next step.
• A passion for scratch cooking, quality ingredients, culinary craftsmanship, and authentic flavors.
• Experience with Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Syrian, Yemeni, or related regional cuisine is highly desirable.
• Candidates with strong culinary skills who are enthusiastic about learning and honoring traditional Middle Eastern cooking techniques are also encouraged to apply.
• Experience with menu development and recipe creation is preferred, but not required for candidates with exceptional knowledge of the cuisine.
• Proven ability to manage kitchen operations, food costs, staffing, and quality standards.
• A collaborative leadership style with strong communication, organizational, and team-building skills.
• Creativity, attention to detail, cultural appreciation, and a genuine passion for hospitality.

What Makes This Opportunity Special

• Be part of something new: Help launch an exciting independent restaurant concept in Houston.
• Influence the culinary direction: Work closely with ownership to bring an authentic culinary vision to life.
• Build your own team: Help recruit, train, and develop the kitchen team from the beginning.
• Celebrate culinary traditions: Showcase the distinctive ingredients, flavors, and cooking techniques of Middle Eastern cuisine.
• Make a lasting impact: Help establish a restaurant known for exceptional food, warm hospitality, and memorable experiences.

Compensation & Opportunity

Annual Base Salary: $75,000

Full-time leadership opportunity with an anticipated restaurant opening in February 2027. Hiring is underway, with the selected candidate participating in pre-opening preparations.

Interested?

If you're an experienced culinary professional who loves great food, values authenticity, and wants to help build something special, we'd love to learn more about you.

Apply today for confidential consideration.

This search is being conducted by a professional hospitality recruiting partner on behalf of an independent restaurant group in Houston, Texas.