Executive Chef, Berkeley Hall – Bluffton, SC

About the Club: Member-owned and operated since January 2005. Located along the still waters of the Okatie River in the heart of South Carolina’s Lowcountry, Berkeley Hall offers the perfect blend of private club sophistication and Southern hospitality. While the landscape is plentiful, the homes and homesites are in limited supply. In fact, Berkeley Hall is the lowest density private course in the Southeast with an average of 5.3 homesites per hole.

With two world-class Tom Fazio golf courses and a stunning Jeffersonian-style Clubhouse, the club experience is balanced out through a range of indoor and outdoor activities designed for the entire family. It all comes together, perfectly, in one community. Click here for the club’s website: https://berkeleyhallclub.com/

Position Specific: The ideal Chef would come from a high-end private club or luxury resort with a strong, multi-outlet Food & Beverage program. Experience in an environment with high member expectations, consistent à la carte dining, strong financial controls, and a culture of service excellence is critical. These operations tend to produce leaders who understand how to balance culinary creativity with operational discipline, team development, and the delivery of an elevated, member-focused dining experience, aligning well with Berkeley Hall Club’s standards and expectations.

As the face of culinary operations, the Executive Chef must be equally comfortable engaging in the kitchen and the dining rooms, interacting with a wide range of members, guests, and staff. The Executive Chef will understand member dining preferences and continue to develop the culinary program and offerings to meet and/or exceed member expectations. Serving as a positive catalyst for the Club’s culinary program, the Executive Chef is driven by pride and plays a vital role in shaping memorable dining experiences and is an integral contributor to the overall success of the Club’s operations.

Note From the General Manager: ‘BHC was recently nominated as one of the Top 15 Places to Work in South Carolina, reflecting a strong culture and commitment to its people. The membership is wonderful, supportive, and genuinely cares about the staff, while also maintaining high standards and expectations to ensure an exceptional membership experience. Feedback from the last three membership surveys has identified Food & Beverage as the Club’s greatest challenge, underscoring the need for improvement. The staff is dedicated and talented but would benefit from additional polishing, consistent leadership, clear direction, and effective communication from the right leader.’

The best advice we can give to our new Executive Chef is to listen first; take the time to understand the membership, the culture, and team before making major changes. Success at Berkeley Hall Club will come from building consistency in food quality, strengthening kitchen systems, and investing in the development and retention of the culinary staff. We encourage the chef to focus on execution before expansion, ensuring menus are well-balanced, efficient, and consistently delivered. Open communication with both the culinary team and club leadership, responsiveness to member feedback, and a hands-on leadership style will be essential. Most importantly, patience, adaptability, and a commitment to continuous improvement will be key to earning trust and elevating the overall dining experience.

Candidate Qualifications:

• The Executive Chef position requires a leader who can consistently deliver high-quality food across multiple outlets while meeting the diverse expectations of the membership.
• The role demands strong menu development and rotation skills that balance creativity with operational efficiency. Equally important are proven abilities in recruiting, training, and retaining culinary staff, building a disciplined and motivated team, and improving service speed and execution.
• The position also requires solid operational and financial management skills, including scheduling, workflow, inventory, and cost control. The ideal candidate will be member-focused, responsive to feedback, collaborative with club leadership, and adaptable in a fast-paced private club environment.
• The Executive Chef addresses the unique challenges of the kitchen while elevating the overall member experience. The key traits are:
  
  1. Consistency and Quality: A chef who can ensure consistent food quality across all service periods and menu items, so members feel confident that every meal meets the high standards of Berkeley Hall Club.
  
  2. Creativity with Structure: Someone who can bring fresh ideas to menu variety and rotation while balancing the broad differences in member expectations. The goal is to deliver diverse, appealing options that satisfy all segments of our membership.
  
  3. Leadership and Team Development: A proven leader capable of recruiting, training, and retaining a skilled kitchen staff. Strong mentorship and team-building skills are essential to improve service speed, staff performance, and overall kitchen morale.
  
  4. Operational Excellence: Ability to manage day-to-day operations efficiently, including inventory, cost control, and workflow, to reduce stress on the team and improve service consistency.
  
  5. Member-Focused Approach: A chef who listens to feedback, anticipates member preferences, and works closely with the management team to enhance overall satisfaction.
  
• In short, a dynamic Executive Chef who can stabilize operations, inspire the team, and elevate both the quality and variety of our offerings, ensuring a consistently exceptional dining experience for all members.
• The Executive Chef is highly involved in the budget process and provides insight into kitchen operational needs,including food and labor costs, capital expenditures, equipment maintenance, and items requiring replacement or upgrade.
• The Executive Chef is expected to be actively engaged with the membership, including contributing to the membership experience magazine, participating in social media initiatives, and interfacing directly with members during dining service and special events. The Chef would also play a role in member-focused programming, such as cooking classes, demonstrations, and bookable culinary events. Overall, the goal is to ensure the Chef is a visible and approachable presence who enhances the overall member experience through both personal interaction and creative culinary communication.
• The Executive Chef attends the House & Social Committee meetings and is expected to be actively engaged and outspoken, contributing insights to help lead discussions alongside other department heads. The goal is for the Chef to play a key leadership role in shaping Food & Beverage strategy and ensuring alignment with member expectations.
• The Executive Chef must be a good fit for the culture of the Club. He or she must demonstrate values, conduct, and integrity consistent with the Club’s mission.

Initial Focus:

1. Menu Design & Implementation – Leverage Culinary Expertise and develop menus with an emphasis on healthy options, variety, seasonality and high-quality ingredients. Respect for club-classics and the Low Country with the ability to translate this to members of all ages.
2. Food Quality/Consistency – The new Executive Chef is expected to evaluate and improve current operations.He/she should work daily to enhance the member dining experience, for quality presentation, creativity and value delivered on a consistent basis.
3. Cost Control – The new Executive Chef is expected to evaluate current operations and purchasing for enhanced systems, controls, product, and services in all areas.
4. Establish New Standards – The Executive Chef has a”leadership by example” mentality and earns the confidence of the members and the respect of the staff.
5. Execute Culinary Vision – With this appointment the Club is looking to elevate the member dining experience,so the Club is recognized for exceptional food.

 Additional Information:

• Annual food sales $1.4 MM; Total F&B Sales $2.2 MM.
• The Club currently has a 44% food cost with the food cost budget at 44% and a sales mix of 70%, A La Carte and 30% Banquet.
• There are (13) culinary employees and (3) stewards supported by a $1.3 MM labor budget.
• There are two (2) Sous Chefs, (Executive Sous Chef and Sous Chef) a Pastry Chef and Banquet Chef. The Chef does the purchasing.
• The Club has two (2) Kitchens (Display Kitchen and Main Kitchen) completely renovated in 2025. Management rates the condition as a 5 out of 5.
• The Club has one (1) 35,000 sq. ft. Clubhouse with 600members whose average age is 60.
• The Club operates for twelve (12) months annually.The busy months are March to May and October to December.
• The Executive Chef reports to the General Manager/COO and works closely with the Catering &Events Manager, F&B Manager, Fitness Director,Director of Golf and the Director of Facilities Maintenance.
• The previous Chef was with the Club for 16 months.

Dining: (various a La Carte Outlets & Events)

• Verandah – Casual with 120 seats, serving lunch and dinner six days weekly.
• Palmetto Room – Formal with 80 seats, serving lunch and dinner schedule varies with events.
• Tap Room – Casual with 50 seats, serving lunch and dinner schedule varies with events.
• Men’s Locker Room – Casual with 70 seats, serving lunch and dinner daily between 10 AM to 6 PM
• Woman’s Locker Room – Serving light snacks, beverages and a la carte service when desired.
  
• Private Parties – The Club has four (4) private rooms seating from 50 to 120. The largest sit-down event the Club can accommodate is 250 members/guests.
  
• The Berkeley Room – Set up as a meeting space.
  ‘Berkeley Hall will provide sought after and diverse lifestyle choices and amenities centered on two core Fazio golf courses, while capitalizing on our smaller membership to remain an intimate and welcoming community where enhancing membership value is the top priority’

The Club offers a generous base salary, performance bonus and benefits package including a 401k plan, health with dependent coverage, life & dental insurance, ACF Dues and Conference. A (CEC) is preferred. Relocation is available. Interested individuals should send resumes, a well-conceived cover letter, and supporting information (a digital Portfolio is encouraged)

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