Executive Sous Chef, Bird Key Yacht Club – Sarasota, FL

Bridging the Sea & Sarasota, Bird Key Yacht Club is a place shaped by water and defined by people. You’ll find more than a marina or a clubhouse at Bird Key Yacht Club. You’ll discover rhythm and ritual, conversation, and care. A way of living that blends Sarasota’s cultural soul with coastal ease and welcomes you with the kind of quiet confidence that doesn’t have to prove anything. We’re not flashy; we’re thoughtful. Not rigid, but intentional. This is a Club where the pace is just right; the details matter, and the experiences — on the dock, at the table, or pleasantly face to face — linger longer than expected.

Bird Key Yacht Club, founded in 1959, has long been one of Sarasota’s most treasured private clubs, where life on the water, meaningful relationships, and gracious hospitality come together. While honoring its rich history and traditions, the Club is now entering its most exciting chapter with the opening of a remarkable new clubhouse. In 2025, the club broke ground for a brand new 22,000 square foot clubhouse, tennis pavilion and tennis courts, pool, fitness studio, locker rooms, and outdoor spaces and the opportunity to redefine the member experience for generations to come.

Position Specific: Bird Key Yacht Club is looking for a bright culinary talent who understands food trends and is open to our new culinary philosophy of sustainable, locally or regionally sourced, organic, clean, and fresh. We have the opportunity to completely rebrand who and what our dining is at BKYC, to go along with the complete rebrand that we just did. We are starting fresh … and excited to have you join us!

The Executive Sous Chef is responsible for assisting the Executive Chef in operating a private club food production operation. He or She will aid the Chef in his responsibilities for the quality and presentation of all food served for lunch, dinner, private parties, and staff meals. The Executive Sous Chef will be a “hands on” manager and trainer of the entire kitchen crew. He or She will also have general supervisory responsibility for the conduct of all service staff while they are present in the kitchen. The sanitation and general upkeep of all preparation areas and equipment is also key. From a financial standpoint, The Executive Sous Chef is expected to understand and ensure that costs are kept within budget. The Executive Sous Chef will assume the full duties of the Chef in his absence.

NOTE FROM THE EXECUTIVE CHEF

The General Manager and The Executive Chef have both been with Bird Key for five years, and both share an immense passion for hospitality. The leadership team is small, and all are extremely dedicated and share the same vision of the new Club. The commitment is to operate a world class Yacht Club that sets the standard for all others to aspire to be. The culinary team will all be handpicked by you and the Executive Chef. A fantastic opportunity to be a part of achieving a Platinum Club status and growing into a new position.

The ‘Best Advice” I can give our new ESC is, “his is the reimagination of a Club that was founded in 1959. You will be a part of shaping the culture and standards of a brand-new culinary operation. You need to bring enthusiasm, vision, passion and commitment. The standards and expectations we set for the culinary operation will last for decades to come. Patience and the ability to teach and mentor a new culinary team from the ground up. A Club for you to grow into a new role. It’s a very special place”.

Candidate Qualifications:

Personal Traits & Characteristics: The ideal candidate views hospitality as a calling, not simply an occupation. They are energized by building teams, creating systems, and establishing and holding to a culture of excellence. They enjoy interacting with the membership and fellow employees. The ideal candidate also adopts a philosophy of “Unreasonable Hospitality” and “Extreme Ownership”.

• An engaged self-starter. A confident leader with empathy and an ability to inspire the team. Someone that will hold the team accountable and challenge them to be better than they were yesterday. The goal is to move the program from ‘Good to Great.’
• Prepares and/or directly supervises kitchen staff responsible for the daily preparation of all food items to ensure that methods of cooking, garnishing, and portion-sizing are as prescribed by standardized specifications.
• Is the supervisor of all a la carte food operations, checking daily for the quality and quantity of la carte food items needed. Also to lend creativity and help to ensure that the food quality and presentation of banquet meals and buffets are of the highest standards.
• He/she is highly organized, with the ability to meet deadlines related to a la carte service, event execution, weekly features, and operational deliverables.
• Passionate about all things culinary and committed to staying current with food trends, techniques, and equipment. Ensure the production of all a la carte items such as soups, sauces, and daily mis en place meets quality standards.
• Understand and assist with the development of all menus including procedures for seasonality, pricing, kitchen specification worksheets, portion specifications, and ordering system.
• The Sous Chef will attend regular staff meetings i.e., BEO-Staff- Event Planning where practical and is expected to maintain a professional relationship with all employees. He or She will communicate weekly schedules and document the performance of employees under his or her supervision.
• Attend the Food & Beverage Committee meeting with the Executive Chef to support the culinary operation, address questions and report progress.
• It is expected the Executive Sous Chef will be actively present on the dining room floor, when able, participates in special club functions like wine dinners and cooking classes, will contribute to writing the newsletter article some months, will communicate to the membership via e-blasts, and develop and create other member engagements opportunities.
• The Club wished to engage the Executive Sous Chef heavily in the budgeting process as part of their leadership and management development.
• Work with maintenance staff on general upkeep of kitchen. Perform monthly kitchen inspections for general upkeep and cleanliness.
• To assume responsibility for the Executive Chef’s duties in his absence and understand the operations of all food outlets including banquets, a la carte, and special events.

Initial Focus:

1. Understand the Club’s Culture – The new Executive Sous Chef is expected to take time to understand the culture of the Club and staff. Then, adopt the philosophy of BKYC and help shape it in the new facilities
2. Assist with the Club’s Reopening. – Integrate with existing staff and become a key part of the reopening team. Take the lead in all things culinary. Be flexible, consistent and dedicated to a successful opening.
3. New Initial Menus – Coordinate with Executive Chef and F&B Director on development of initial new menus that represent the culinary operation to a higher level of excellence. The ESC will need a ‘think out of the box’ mentality to offer creative/diverse quarterly menus and weekly specials.
4. Standard Operating Procedures – Understand and evaluate aspects of the operation. Review all established systems and adapt the SOPs i.e., employee handbook, schedules, procedures and help to finalize the guidelines in preparation for rehiring the entire culinary team
5. Ordering/Inventory/Security – Work with Executive Chef to order required supplies for new kitchen operation. Maintain good records and inventory and a system to secure the items once they arrive at the club.

 Additional Information:

• Annual food sales at $805,000; total Food & Beverage Sales $1,150,200.
• The Food cost is 40% with a budgeted food cost 40%. Sales mix of 60% a la carte and 40% banquet.
• The Culinary Team includes 20 kitchen staff and 4 Stewards and is supported by a $587,000 labor budget.
• The Executive Chef is supported by two (2) Sous Chefs – (Executive Sous & Banquet Chef) plus a Pastry Chef. The Chef does the purchasing.
• The Club has two (2) kitchens. Main Kitchen and Warming Kitchen for Banquets. Management rates the condition of kitchen as a (5) out of (5). BKYC is currently constructing a brand new 22,000 square foot clubhouse with pool, fitness, bocce amenities along with a tennis pavilion with four brand new Har-Tru clay courts. We will develop two a la carte outlets: clubhouse and poolside.
• BKYC has a 22,000 sq. ft. Clubhouse with 300 members whose average age is 68.
• The Club operates for 12 months annually and closes the F&B Outlets on Mondays and Tuesdays with the possibility of opening for certain events, holidays and banquets. The busy months are November – April.
• The Executive Sous Chef reports to the Executive Chef and works closely with the F&B Director and Catering Director.

A La Carte Dining:

• A la Carte Dining – Casual/Casual Fine Dining with 110 seats serving breakfast, lunch & dinner Wed. – Sun.
• Poolside Dining – Casual with 36 seats, serving lunch & dinner Wednesday – Sunday

• Private Member & Club Events – The Club supports four (4) private rooms with seating from 12 to 200. The largest sit down event can accommodate 350 guests

The Club offers a competitive base salary, performance bonus and benefits package including a 401k plan, health, life & dental insurance, ACF Dues and Conference. Relocation allowance is available. Note: Candidates who are on the path to achieve their CEC is a plus. Interested individuals should send resumes, a well-conceived cover letter, and supporting information (a digital Portfolio is encouraged).