Sous Chefs (2) opportunities with Oakland Hills Country Club – Bloomfield Hills Township, MI

Date03 Dec 2024

History: Oakland Hills Country Club is a Platinum, private Country Club located in Bloomfield Hills, MI. Founded in 1916, Oakland Hills Country Club has, and will continue to play a significant role in the history of golf in the United States. The South Course has played host to 18 Major Championships including: six U.S. Opens; two U.S. Senior Opens; U.S. Women’s Amateur; two U.S. Men’s Amateurs; Western Open; the Carling World Open; the 35th Ryder Cup in 2004; three PGA Championships–including the 90th PGA Championship in 2008 and the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur. Some of the greatest players ever to play the game, including Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Ben Hogan have competed and won on the famed South Course, also known as “The Monster”. The challenging yet enjoyable North Course brings total golf holes to thirty-six overall. The membership is proud of the heritage of their club and consider themselves stewards of a national golf treasure.

Pos ition Specific: Oakland Hills Country Club is looking for two Sous Chefs to assist in creating unforgettable dining experiences for members and guests. The Sous Chefs will need to have a solid culinary foundation, be dynamic, passionate and an innovative professional who can lead the culinary team to new heights of excellence. Off-site catering experiences a plus. As a Sous Chef, you will play a crucial role in the mission to help open a new state-of-the-art kitchen and provide exceptional dining experiences across the multiple food venues. The first six months you will work closely with the Executive Chef Brian Bernstein and the culinary staff in the temporary on-site kitchens while planning the move into the new club house. The ideal candidate works with a sense of urgency, is a genuine craftsperson who sincerely understands the need for everything to be the best possible. He/she is honest, trustworthy, hard working, self disciplined and organized.

Initial Focus:

Help Build a Team-Oriented Culinary Environment – Inspire the team and help build a strong culinary culture driven to excellence. Serve as Coach and Mentor. Assist with final stages of recruiting, onboarding, training, etc. Learn what motivates the team and follow the principal, “The Team is Bigger than the Individual”.
Assist the Executive Chef in Creating Menus – Help to develop menus that utilize strong culinary fundamentals in all cooking methods. Lead the team to do the same.
New Kitchen Flow Organization – Assist the Executive Chef in developing Kitchen SOPs and Policies. Lead by example, train and mentor the culinary team to ensure all teams learn and practice new policies and procedures. Be a constant source of education and support.

In Management’s Own Words: Employees contribute to a team-driven atmosphere across departments to service the Membership to its platinum club status. The membership of Oakland Hills has long prioritized the value of its employees with numerous team members holding decades of tenure at the Club. The Oakland Hills Scholarship Trust provides financial assistance to employees and dependents in their pursuit of higher education and career development. At the conclusion of each year, members show appreciation for staff with the annual Holiday Fund, which rewards employees based on years of service.

Members and employees collaborate to execute unforgettable events, ranging from holidays to weddings and anything in between. Employees dedicate their time and energy to ensure members have an experience that reflects the importance of their celebration, including an annual Holiday Fund contribution and Scholarship Fund. The members and employees alike work to uphold Club standards.

Primary Functions, Duties and Characteristics Needed:

Has excellent culinary skills and team leadership qualities to meet members’ expectations. Works with the Chef on developing menus with a focus on healthier options and ethnic selections. Is hands-on directly supervising cooking proficiency.
Provide quality control in all areas to meet and satisfy the standards of OHCC membership
Leads with presence – monitors performance of assigned staff and ensures that all procedures are completed to standards.
Is an approachable leader – helping to build an effective and efficient culinary team that bond together.
Responsible for keeping the Executive Chef informed of all staff or member related issues so that the issues may be dealt with immediately and efficiently.
Helps to manage personnel and maintaining food inventories and cost control. Proficient in computer skills (Microsoft Suite).
Attends meetings as requested by the Chef.
Engages with and is visible to membership when on buffets or checking with FOH on service of food.
Helps to prepare the Budget, i.e, Assisting the Executive Chef,particularly in the labor aspect.
Helps to take inventory.
Ensures shift opening & closing procedures are followed, that requisitions are complete, accounted for and processed.
Sanitation – Ensure all storage areas are clean, organized and utilize proper food storage techniques and item and reinforcing proper storage and labeling procedures with Culinary Team.

Additional Information:

Annual food sales $3MM; Total F&B Sales $4.5MM.
Actual food cost 54% with a sales mix Sales of 70% a la carte and 30%banquet. (Food Cost Goal 48%) The Club profited by $200,000 in recent FY.
There is an average of 34 Culinary employees and 14 Stewards supported by an $ 1.5 MM labor budget.
The Club maintains five (5) Kitchens; Banquet Kitchen, A La Carte Kitchen,Bake Shop and (2) Pool Snack Bar kitchens and North Shack kitchen. All kitchens brand new.
The Club brigade will consist of four (4) Sous Chefs, i.e., Executive, AM, PM, Banquet. A Pastry Chef, Banquet Chef, Administrative Assistant and Purchasing Manager.
The Clubhouse will be 110,000 sq. ft.
The Club supports over 900 members.
The Club is open 12 months annually. Busy months are May-December.Off-Season Modified Operations January – Mid-March
The Sous Chefs report to the Executive Chef and works closely with the Executive Sous Chef, F&B Managers, Director of Club Operations, Dining Room Supervisor, Events Coordinator and Human Resources.

Temporary Kitchen & Dining Facilities

Dining: (Projected A La Carte Outlets)
Hagen Bar/Grill/Veranda – Informal with 140 seats, serving Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday through Sunday.
Men’s Grill – Informal with 100 seats, serving Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday through Sunday.
Ladies’ Lounge – Informal with 20 seats, Tuesday through Sunday, for program-driven food and beverage.
Hogan Lounge – Sophisticated informal with 40 seats, serving Dinner , Tuesday through Sunday.
South Dining Room – Formal with 40 seats, serving Lunch & Dinner , Tuesday through Sunday.
Private Dining Room – Formal with 16 seats, per request.

Private Parties – The Club has five (5) private rooms with seating from 12 to 300 guests. The largest sit-down event the Club can accommodate is 300 members/guests.

The Club offers a competitive base salary, performance bonus ‘Based on quality of work and job execution’ and benefits package including a 401k, health, life & dental insurance, ACF Dues and Conference and dining allowance. Relocation is available. A (CEC) is preferred. Interested individuals should send resumes, a well-conceived cover letter, and supporting information (a digital Portfolio is encouraged).