Executive Chef | Kali Hotel & Rooftop

Job Description

Job Description

Ready to build a brand from the ground up? Join the opening team at The Kali Hotel & Rooftop, Autograph Collection, and help launch one of Southern California's most anticipated lifestyle destinations.

Located within the dynamic Hollywood Park Campus, adjacent to SoFi Stadium, Intuit Dome, YouTube Theater and Kia Forum, The Kali is positioned to become a vibrant destination where hospitality, entertainment, culture and community come together.

As a foundational member of the pre-opening team, we are looking for an Executive Chef with a clear culinary point of view and the operating discipline to deliver it repeatedly at scale. The right leader is as comfortable with food cost, labor, forecasting and productivity as with flavor, presentation, culture and hospitality.

At Crescent Hotels & Resorts, we are a team of hospitality professionals that are deeply connected to & proud of the exceptional experiences we provide for our guests. More than that, we know our Associates are the shining stars of what we do! 

We understand what it takes to be a part of something great. We will encourage you to bring your true self to work every day, we will celebrate you and we will cheer you on as you shine bright in your career journey. Whether it be our health & wellness programs, best in class learning and development or our travel discounts that ‘feed your inner explorer’, we work hard to create and deliver on what YOU need.  We are ready for you to start your journey with us where You Belong. We Care. Shine Bright. 

We are committed to providing you with:  

• Highly competitive annual salary of $160,000 - $170,000
• Operational incentive plan eligibility
• Comprehensive benefits for eligible associates and family members
• 401(k) program with company match
• Travel discounts at Crescent-managed properties throughout North America
• Career growth opportunities with a leading hospitality management company

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are looking for an accomplished, commercially minded Executive Chef to lead the culinary vision and execution of a complex, high-volume hotel operation within Hollywood Park. The Executive Chef is responsible for culinary performance across Grab & Go, Lobby Bar Bites, the Three-Meal Restaurant, Rooftop and meetings, banquet and event operations.

The role requires a chef who has already operated at scale. The culinary organization must support multiple concepts and dayparts simultaneously, including meetings and social events of 200+ guests, high-volume restaurant service, VIP experiences and major event-driven demand.

Hollywood Park creates significant fluctuations in volume around concerts, sporting events, group business and destination activity. The Executive Chef must be able to translate those demand patterns into accurate production, labor, purchasing and execution plans while maintaining quality, consistency, food cost and team leadership.

We are looking for a chef with a clear culinary point of view and the operating discipline to deliver it repeatedly at scale. The right leader is as comfortable with food cost, labor, forecasting and productivity as with flavor, presentation, culture and hospitality.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Culinary Vision & Concept Leadership

• Develop and lead the overall culinary vision and identity of the hotel across every F&B concept and event experience.
• Create distinctive, approachable and relevant culinary experiences that support the positioning, guest profile, daypart and business objectives of each outlet.
• Oversee the culinary programs for Grab & Go, Lobby Bar Bites, the Three-Meal Restaurant, Rooftop and meetings, banquet and event operations.
• Develop menus that balance creativity, guest appeal, operational feasibility, throughput, food cost and profitability.
• Monitor culinary trends, local dining culture and emerging concepts and translate relevant ideas into commercially viable hotel experiences.
• Partner with the Director of Food & Beverage and hotel leadership on the evolution of F&B strategy, programming and major events.

High-Volume Multi-Outlet Operations & Execution

• Provide hands-on leadership and direction to all culinary operations and establish clear standards for execution, quality, consistency, cleanliness and organization.
• Build production, preparation, staffing and communication systems capable of supporting multiple active outlets and event functions at the same time.
• Ensure culinary teams are prepared for high-volume restaurant service, 200+ guest events, VIP experiences, major Hollywood Park event days and unexpected demand spikes.
• Create effective station, prep, production and expediting systems that protect speed, presentation and consistency during compressed periods.
• Maintain a strong presence in kitchens and outlets and step into line, expo or production leadership when the operation requires it.
• Partner closely with Front of House leadership to anticipate demand, address guest feedback and continuously improve execution.

Restaurants, Rooftop & F&B Experiences

• Ensure each culinary concept has a distinct identity while maintaining consistent hotel-wide standards and operating discipline.
• Develop menus and culinary experiences appropriate to each outlet guest, daypart, throughput requirement and financial objective.
• Plan culinary execution around concerts, sports, entertainment and other Hollywood Park demand drivers.
• Partner with the Director of Food & Beverage on activations, collaborations, special events and high-profile guest experiences that drive revenue and local relevance.
• Maintain culinary standards across periods of normal demand and extreme volume without allowing menu complexity to compromise execution.

Meetings, Banquets & Events

• Lead culinary execution for meetings, banquet and social-event operations, including functions of 200+ guests and multiple concurrent events.
• Develop event menus that are creative, executable at scale and financially responsible.
• Review BEOs and event forecasts and ensure culinary production, purchasing, staffing and equipment plans are aligned with changing business needs.
• Ensure large events can be executed at a high level while active restaurants, bars and other hotel outlets remain fully supported.
• Collaborate with Sales and Conference Services on tastings, special menus, VIP programs and client requests.
• Establish rigorous event production and plating systems that protect timing, temperature, presentation, consistency and food safety.

Financial & Business Management

• Take ownership of culinary financial performance in partnership with the Director of Food & Beverage.
• Manage food cost, culinary labor, purchasing, inventory, waste, productivity and overall kitchen profitability.
• Develop accurate production and labor forecasts based on occupancy, outlet demand, event activity, Hollywood Park calendars and business levels.
• Review daily and weekly food cost, labor and sales performance and take proactive corrective action when results are off target.
• Establish disciplined systems for purchasing, receiving, storage, yields, recipes, portion control, inventory and waste management.
• Balance menu creativity and product quality with throughput, labor efficiency, purchasing leverage and profitability.

People, Labor & Culinary Leadership

• Recruit, develop, coach and retain a high-performing culinary and stewarding organization.
• Lead through Sous Chefs and culinary managers, creating clear ownership by outlet, shift and event function.
• Build a strong leadership pipeline and training culture capable of supporting a complex multi-outlet operation.
• Lead effectively within a unionized hotel environment and operate within applicable collective bargaining agreements and work rules.
• Partner with Human Resources and F&B leadership on staffing, scheduling, productivity, performance management and associate relations.
• Maintain composure, standards and leadership visibility during high-volume and high-profile periods.

Food Safety, Controls & Operational Readiness

• Maintain rigorous standards for food safety, sanitation, HACCP practices where applicable and regulatory compliance.
• Ensure kitchens, equipment, stewarding, storage and production systems are prepared for expected volume and event demands.
• Establish recipes, yields, plating standards, production specifications, pars and opening/closing routines that create repeatable execution.
• Support pre-opening and ongoing operational evolution through kitchen setup, staffing plans, SOPs, training, menu testing and launch readiness.

Brand, Media & Community Presence

• Serve as a visible culinary ambassador for the hotel and its food and beverage program.
• Be comfortable participating in media interviews, culinary demonstrations, social content, photo and video shoots and partner events.
• Partner with Marketing and PR to tell the culinary story in an authentic, credible and commercially relevant way.
• Build relationships with local chefs, culinary talent, producers, purveyors and the broader Los Angeles hospitality community.

REQUIRED SKILLS/ABILITIES:

• Significant Executive Chef or senior culinary leadership experience in a high-volume luxury, lifestyle or upper-upscale hotel, resort, entertainment district or comparable hospitality environment.
• Demonstrated responsibility for multiple distinct restaurants, bars or culinary concepts within one complex operation.
• Proven experience leading high-volume culinary operations while supporting multiple active outlets and dayparts simultaneously.
• Demonstrated experience executing meetings, catered events and social functions of 200+ guests while maintaining restaurant and bar culinary operations.
• Experience operating through major demand compression such as concerts, sports, conventions, destination events or other high-volume periods.
• Strong financial acumen with proven management of food cost, culinary labor, forecasting, purchasing, inventory, waste, productivity and profitability.
• Experience leading large culinary and stewarding teams through Sous Chefs and other culinary leaders.
• Strong union hotel experience is required, including practical knowledge of scheduling, work rules, labor relations and collective bargaining agreements.
• Pre-opening, major hotel opening, restaurant opening or large-scale culinary launch experience is strongly preferred.
• Proven ability to develop menus and concepts that are creative, commercially viable and executable at volume.
• Comfort representing a culinary brand with media, partners and the local community.
• A hands-on leadership style and the ability to remain composed, visible and decisive during high-volume operations.

The Person We're Looking For

You are a chef, operator and leader with a track record of running complex culinary businesses at scale. You understand that a strong culinary program depends on food, systems, people and financial discipline working together.

You can move from menu development to a production forecast, from a 200+ guest event to a rooftop rush, and from a media conversation back to the line without losing standards. You develop strong Sous Chefs, create accountability and build kitchens that can absorb volume without losing their identity.

When Hollywood Park gets busy, you are in the operation, leading the team and protecting execution.