Executive Chef | Up to $120K | Walnut Street Caf

Executive Chef Opportunity

Walnut Street Caf is seeking an Executive Chef or strong Executive Sous Chef ready to step into a high-visibility leadership role inside an established Philadelphia restaurant with an active event business and an existing kitchen team.

This role is focused on stabilizing kitchen leadership, maintaining consistency during service, supporting the current team, and strengthening kitchen structure while helping move the food program forward.

We are looking for a hands-on chef who can lead from the floor during active service, communicate professionally with ownership and staff, and maintain strong operational standards across both la carte and event production.

This is not a purely creative chef role. Success in this position requires balancing disciplined execution, leadership, organization, and operational consistency while continuing to improve the food program over time.

Walnut Street Caf is a polished, high-volume University City restaurant with a strong mix of daily dining and private event business.

The operation combines restaurant service with consistent event execution, requiring a kitchen leader who can move between structured daily service and higher-volume event production without losing organization or consistency.

The restaurant offers the stability and infrastructure of an established operation while still giving leadership the ability to make a meaningful impact on the kitchen, systems, and overall guest experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily BOH operations during service and production
• Maintain food quality, consistency, and execution standards
• Support and stabilize the existing kitchen team
• Manage ordering, receiving, inventory, and vendor relationships
• Oversee scheduling, labor management, and payroll coordination
• Support event and catering execution alongside regular service
• Train, motivate, and develop hourly kitchen staff
• Maintain food safety, sanitation, and kitchen organization
• Control food cost, waste, and prep systems
• Communicate professionally with ownership, management, FOH, and staff
• Support menu development and operational improvements

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive kitchen leadership experience preferred
• Executive Chef, Executive Sous Chef, Chef de Cuisine, or senior sous chef experience strongly preferred
• Experience in polished casual, upscale casual, hotel, event-driven, or high-volume restaurant environments preferred
• Strong leadership and communication skills
• Experience managing both restaurant and event production
• Ability to lead hands-on during active service
• Strong organizational and cost-control skills
• Comfortable maintaining structure while improving systems and standards
• Ability to lift 50 lbs., stand for extended periods, and work active kitchen shifts
• English required
• Spanish proficiency is a plus

Ideal Candidate Traits

• Strong balance of repetitive task-oriented structure and challenging task-oriented leadership
• Hands-on leadership style
• Reliable and accountable
• Organized under pressure
• Consistent communicator
• Operationally disciplined while adaptable during service