Executive Chef, Blue Mound Golf & Country Club – Wauwatosa, WI

About the Club: Located in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, (A suburb of Milwaukee) Blue Mound Golf and Country Club was founded in 1903 and has become one of the top private clubs in Wisconsin. The Club has an 18-hole Golf Course, Members Grill, Main Dining and Ballroom, two Member bars and two beautiful outdoor patios overlooking the prestigious golf course. The Club has over 350 members and gross revenues of $7.5 million.

Blue Mound Golf and Country Club has been providing its members with an excellent golfing experience for over 100 years. The club has 18 challenging holes, an elegant clubhouse, fine dining, and a variety of social activities along with a dedicated staff. The atmosphere is designed to encourage the kind of satisfying golf and rewarding social experiences found in the country’s finest clubs. Once members and their guests have ‘The Blue Mound Experience’, they will consider it their “home away from home.” The historic golf course, designed by the acclaimed Seth Raynor, was the first in Wisconsin to host a golf major: the 1933 PGA Championship, won by Gene Sarazen. Mr. Raynor’s masterpiece is maintained at the highest levels, with greens and fairways in pristine condition.

Blue Mound Golf and Country Club invested $1.1M in 2024 to improve the current footprint of the kitchen and to improve the efficiency of food service. The renovation included all new state-of-the-art hood systems, new cooking equipment, slip resistant flooring, Ecolab dishwasher, and an improved and larger capacity for banquet operations.

Position Specific: Blue Mound Golf & CC is a traditional club with a respected culinary reputation featuring several popular traditional dishes and preparations. The need is to balance the menu to accommodate the tried & true for the tenured members that dine regularly and simultaneously offer modern casual fare to capture a younger, more dynamic, more social set to make the Club their destination of choice. The Executive Chef will be creative, a strong leader that drives the team and culture, and takes ownership of all culinary development. The Chef must always be willing to help create the best working environment for all team members in and out of the kitchen, good judgment needs to be exercised while delivering first-class cuisine and remarkable hospitality.

The Executive Chef is responsible for all food and pastry production including the restaurants, banquet functions, and other outlets. Develops menus, food purchase specifications, and recipes. Develops and monitors food and labor budget for the department. Supervises and coordinates the work of the Sous Chef(s), cooks, and other kitchen employees. Maintains the highest professional food quality and sanitation standards.

Note From the General Manager: The membership at Blue Mound Golf & CC is down to earth, genuine, humble and cares deeply for the staff. The Membership treats their staff as family and wants to know about them and their families as well. They are willing to listen and are very understanding. The management team is one piece away in achieving a collaborative team and needs a Chef who is willing to work together as we strive towards our goal of excellence. We live by the motto, “yes we can do that, but what was the question?” We want to accommodate member requests, knowing some may not be immediately achievable. We want a co-worker that cares for his/her coworkers and wants to make BMG&CC the best Club in the Midwest.

The best advice I can give the new Chef is to, “listen to the membership, trust your fellow managers to help steer you in the right direction, maintain humility and treat staff with kindness and respect” It will come back to you twofold!

Candidate Qualifications:

• The position requires an engaged leader with a strong culinary vision who will drive dining offerings. The Club’s menus should be traditional items with the Chef’s modern twist.
• The Executive Chef should be proficient in a la carte execution with ability to deliver consistent, high-quality dishes especially during busy service periods. Able to execute banquets and events at an elevated level consistent with the Club’s standards.
• The Executive Chef possesses professionalism, competence, personality, pedigree and has a proven history of success in well-regarded hospitality venues.
• The Executive Chef serves as role model and sets the standard for culinary employees to maintain high quality and consistent member services. Advanced knowledge of industry “best practices” is required.
• The Executive Chef evaluates job performance of culinary staff; coaches and counsels to ensure staff are on track. Team building and staff development are important traits with the ability to hire, train, coach, build and retain a strong culinary team.
• The Executive Chef has strong kitchen management and administrative ability including scheduling, cost, and inventory control, purchasing, food safety, and sanitation. and compliance with Human Resource policies.
• The Executive Chef is visible to the membership and walks the dining rooms when appropriate. Authors newsletter posts, provides occasional cooking classes and helps when booking private members or club events.
• The Executive Chef will prepare the annual food budget initially, then reviews with General Manager, Controller and Clubhouse Manager and make necessary edits if required.
• The Executive Chef participates in F&B meetings to coordinate culinary operation, listen to feedback and solve problems as needed.

Initial Focus:

1. Develop Scratch Kitchen – A la carte covers have been trending down. The next Executive Chef should avoid convenience items and focus on healthy sustainable fresh foods; avoid the overuse of salt, and must have the ability to cook and train team to prepare prime steaks like a steakhouse and offering more fresh fish and seafood. Eliminate convenience food options.
2. Create High Quality A La Carte Offerings – Revive the a la carte menus and dining experience. The Club is looking to elevate its food operation and is looking for a visionary leader with the personal and professional skill-sets required by a traditional, yet forward thinking foodservice operation.
3. Create the “Wow Factor” in all High-End Events – Management’s desire is to transform the F&B operation into a destination dining experience. The ability of the Chef to create a “food buzz” around the Club by consistently exceeding member expectations is paramount. Focus on product quality, taste, presentation, variety, and creativity.
4. Work as a “TEAM” – Inspire the team and build a strong culinary culture driven to excellence. Team growth and collaboration with other key management are important for success.
5. Mentor Sous Chefs – Focus on staff development and education. Serve as coach and mentor and lead by example.

 Additional Information:

• Annual food sales at $1,274,000; total F&B Sales $1,982,000. The Club subsidized F&B ($573,541) in most recent FY.
• The Food cost is 44% with a sales mix of 45% a la carte and 55% banquet. Budgeted food cost 42%
• There are 12 culinary staff and 8 Stewards supported by a $1.3 MM labor budget.
• The Executive Chef is supported by (2) Sous Chefs, (A La Carte Sous Chef & Banquet Sous Chef), a Pastry Chef and Banquet Chef. The Chef does the purchasing.
• The Club has one (1) main kitchen with a Banquet line and A La Carte line with prep space for both areas. Management rates the condition of kitchen as a (5) out of (5). The kitchen is less than a year old. A capital reserve plan for replacement of all kitchen assets is in place. (Note: Membership always supports new equipment for the right reasons.)
• BMG&CC has one 50,000 sq. ft. Clubhouse with 350 members whose average age is 62.
• The Club operates 10.5 months annually and closes mid-Feb until late-March (6 weeks). Busy months are May – October and after Thanksgiving to the end of the year.
• The Executive Chef reports to the General Manager/COO and works directly with the Clubhouse
  Manager, Director of Catering, F&B Manager, Banquet Manager, Controller, Bar Manger, and Maintenance Engineer.

Dining: (various a La Carte Outlets & Events)

• The Grill Room – Casual with 85 seats, serving Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner six days per week
• Raynor Room – Golfers Casual with 25 seats, serving Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner six days per week
• Patio – Golfers Casual with 100 seats, serving Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner six days per week
  
• Private Member & Club Events
  The Club supports eight (8) private rooms with seating from 10 to 300. Included is the Main Dining Room/Ball Room which is formal and has 180 seats. The largest sit down event can accommodate 300 guests.

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