Executive Chef

The Executive Chef is responsible for providing culinary leadership, driving financial performance, and ensuring operational excellence across all kitchen operations within Edgar’s Hospitality Group. This role oversees menu innovation, pricing strategy, food cost management, and consistent culinary execution across multiple venues while advancing Edgar’s Hospitality Group’s mission as an applied learning enterprise for Helms College students and a platform for community engagement and philanthropy. The Executive Chef will lead, coach, and develop all back‑of‑house (BOH) team members using Goodwill's leadership and workforce development framework, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and professional growth. The role is also responsible for ensuring compliance with food safety, sanitation, facility standards, and preventative maintenance programs across all culinary operations. This position is based at Edgar’s Grille, where the Executive Chef will serve as the Chef de Cuisine (CDC) for the flagship venue. The Executive Chef is expected to maintain a visible, hands‑on leadership presence in both the kitchen and dining room, engaging with guests, supporting the culinary team, and ensuring an exceptional dining experience during most dinner services and Sunday brunch. The position requires monthly travel to Macon, Georgia, and periodic travel throughout Middle Georgia to provide culinary leadership and operational support for Edgar’s Hospitality Group events, special functions, and other high‑volume or high‑profile initiatives. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES & CORE COMPETENCIES Culinary Leadership & Menu Development Lead menu development across all EHG venues, delivering at least two seasonal menu updates annually per venue that align with Helms College School of Hospitality curriculum, brand standards, guest experience expectations, and profitability targets. Develop menu pricing strategies that balance food cost, labor, and market competitiveness, and update pricing as needed based on quarterly performance reviews. Conduct quarterly menu engineering reviews to maximize contribution margin, reduce waste, and retire or rework underperforming items. Collaborate with operations and marketing teams on seasonal features, special events, and promotional menus, ensuring clear execution plans and timelines. Ensure consistent execution, portion control, and plating standards across all kitchens, validated through routine quality audits and corrective action follow‑up. Financial Performance & Cost Control Own food cost performance and margin management across all culinary operations, meeting or exceeding established annual food cost and margin targets. Establish and maintain food cost targets, inventory controls, and purchasing standards, including routine inventory practices and variance review. Analyze monthly P&L performance in partnership with operations leadership and implement corrective actions to address variances and improve margins. Standardize recipes, yields, and production processes to drive consistency, forecasting accuracy, and profitability across venues. Lead annual culinary budgeting inputs and support rolling forecasts for all culinary departments, aligning staffing and production plans to business volume. Integrate Goodwill mission messaging into culinary experiences, events, and private dinners, contributing to year‑over‑year growth in charitable engagement and contributions to GIMG. Training, Coaching & Talent Development Lead the recruitment, training, and development of BOH leaders and culinary teams; maintain staffing readiness and prioritize recruitment of high‑potential Helms College graduates into EHG roles. Implement Goodwill’s HR coaching and performance management practices within the kitchen environment, including timely documentation, feedback, and corrective action when needed. Develop and maintain standardized training materials, SOPs, and culinary playbooks, with an annual review cycle and updates as operations evolve. Mentor emerging culinary talent and support defined career pathways consistent with Goodwill’s workforce mission, including succession planning for key BOH roles. Foster a culture of accountability, professionalism, and continuous improvement, measured through performance outcomes, adherence to standards, and team engagement. Facilities, Sanitation & Preventative Maintenance Ensure all kitchens meet or exceed health department, food safety, and sanitation standards, maintaining inspection readiness and documented corrective actions. Establish and oversee preventative maintenance schedules for kitchen equipment and facilities, partnering with Facilities to track completion and reduce downtime. Conduct routine kitchen audits for cleanliness, organization, and operational readiness, documenting findings and follow‑up actions. Partner with facilities and operations teams to address equipment repairs and capital needs proactively, providing timely input on priorities and operational impact. Ensure compliance with all safety, sanitation, and regulatory requirements, including staff training and documented adherence to required practices. Multi‑Unit & Event Support Provide culinary leadership and operational oversight across multiple EHG locations, ensuring consistent standards, systems, and results across venues. Travel to Macon for regular monthly visits to the Anderson Conference Center and as needed to support high‑volume or high‑profile events; document visit outcomes and action items. Collaborate with event and catering teams to execute exceptional culinary experiences for conferences, banquets, and special events, including pre‑event planning and post‑event debriefs. Support off‑site catering and large‑scale hospitality initiatives as required, ensuring food safety, quality, staffing readiness, and cost discipline. Conduct monthly collaboration meetings with Helms College School of Hospitality leadership in both regions, ensuring quarterly applied learning opportunities are delivered and aligned with program outcome expectations. #J-18808-Ljbffr