Executive Chef, Marrakesh Country Club – Palm Desert, CA

About the Club: Marrakesh Country Club is a 155-acre enchanting oasis, a residential community and country club where the beauty of life unfolds through spectacular golf, tennis, bocce ball, and the delightful game of pickleball. Nestled among 364 charming homes and 14 shimmering swimming pools, this historical gem of the desert whispers tales of elegance and grace. Built in the late 1960s by the illustrious builder Johnny Dawson and designed by the visionary J. Elgen Woolf, celebrated for his Hollywood Regency Architecture, Marrakesh exudes a unique boutique charm that captivates the heart.

The members of Marrakesh are a harmonious blend of sophistication, creative artists, designers, and entrepreneurs, each contributing to a vibrant tapestry of lifestyles, openness, and diversity. Recently, the club has undergone renovation, elevating its status within the country club community and positioning itself as a true boutique experience, a desired and coveted escape. Our outside membership is a testament to our allure, consisting of individuals from some of the nation’s most prestigious clubs.

Position Specific: Marrakesh Country Club is looking for an Executive Chef from a high-end luxury club, or high-end hotel/resort who has diverse experience managing banquets and a la carte operations, with a strong leadership presence. This individual is a quick thinker who appreciates the details and the integral parts of various cuisines and exceptional service. This individual should be an effective leader who is mature and poised in dealing with people, has a reputation for bringing the team together versus creating a ‘we versus they’ mindset amongst supervisors. The Executive Chef will understand member dining preferences and continue to develop the culinary program and offerings to meet and/or exceed member expectations.

Initial Focus:

1. Get to Know the Membership – Interact with members by being visible and engaging. Understand the Club’s culture, its history, and traditions.
2. Staff Review – Take time to understand the culture of the Club and get acquainted with the existing staff. Serve as Coach and Mentor and foster a culture of ‘One Team – One Goal’ striving for daily success. Grow staff out of the organization through development.
3. Create New Menus – Leverage Culinary Expertise and develop menus with an emphasis on variety, seasonality, and high-quality ingredients. Use your culinary repertoire including farm-to-table ethos, commitment to quality with a high-level of finesse and respect for club classics.
4. Review all Vendors & Contracts – The new Executive Chef is expected to evaluate current operations and vendors and provide recommendations for enhanced systems, controls, cost and quality of product and services in all areas. He/she should plan capital purchases to support their needs.

Note From the General Manager – The Marrakesh membership is diverse, warm and very much supportive of our staff. We are most likely the most diverse membership of any of the clubs in the desert. The staff needs training as we have had three management teams in the last three years. After Covid, the club went into a 2.5 year renovation so it was not operational for over 4 years. The members are willing to invest in the right person.

Candidate Qualifications:

• The position requires an engaged leader with a strong culinary vision who will drive dining offerings and ensure quality control and consistency of menu items.
• The Executive Chef should have management and administrative skills with the ability to communicate with staff and Department Heads and the ability to network with other chefs in the desert.
• The Executive Chef maintains the demeanor and physical actions of a person in a leadership role and puts personal and professional ethics as a top priority.
• He/she sets a personal example of leadership behavior by demonstrating through actions the support and development of their direct reports.
• Shows leadership and guidance to foster growth, education, training and development of the Executive Sous Chef.
• The Executive Chef has strong business skills in order to manage the budget effectively. He/she will participate in the Budget process with involvement anticipating revenues, labor and operational expenses.
• The Executive Chef attends committee meetings to provide insight, ideas and leadership.
• The Executive Chef is passionate about all things culinary and keeps current with the latest trends and equipment. He/she plans Wine Dinners and assists with staff training.
• Must have a thorough knowledge of multi-national cuisine and has a good understanding of the relationship of food and wine.
• The Executive Chef develops occasional cooking classes, weekly letters to membership, meets with all party planners and works closely with the men and ladies golf committees.

Additional Information:

• Annual food sales $1MM; Total F&B Sales $1.4MM. In the most recent FY, the Club subsidized F&B ($1,082,237)
• The Club currently has a 43% food cost and the food cost budget at 41% with a sales mix of 80% A La Carte and 20% Banquet.
• There is one (1) Sous Chef who handles the line during service. The Chef does the purchasing.
• There is one (1) Kitchen which has a split level a la carte line with banquets produced out of the lower prep kitchen. Management rates the condition as a 3 out of 5. (The kitchen line lacks proper storage for china behind the line and efficient banquet plating areas, it is primarily a new kitchen that is 3 years old.)
• The club has one clubhouse with 399 members.
• The Club operates on a full schedule for seven (7) months and are open 2 days/week in the off-season and they fully close for 6-8 weeks. The busy months are November to April.
• The Executive Chef reports to the General Manager/COO and works closely with the Director of Food and Beverage, Membership and Communications Manager, Controller, Golf Professional, Beverage and Wine Manager and Maintenance Steward.
• The previous Chef was employed by the Club for 8 years.

Dining Venues:

• The Terrace – Casual with 120 seats, serving Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Tuesday – Sunday.
• Mountain View – Formal with 85 seats, serving Dinner only, Friday and Saturday evenings
  
• Private Parties – The Club has two (2) private rooms seating up to 40. The largest sit-down event the Club can accommodate is 200 members/guests.

The Club offers a generous base salary, performance bonus and benefits package including a 401k plan, 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).