Executive Chef opportunity with Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club – Boca Raton, FL

About the Club:

Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club (RPYCC) has been a part of the Boca Raton landscape for over 65 years. Since its founding in 1959, Royal Palm has been a gathering ground for South Florida’s high society and community, philanthropic and social leaders of all kinds. Royal Palm began its legendary history when Mr. Arthur Vining Davis wanted to sell some of his estimated 100,000 acres in Florida, and the land that he chose for the Royal Palm community development was a premium location with boundaries of the Boca Hotel and Club, the Intracoastal Waterway, the Hillsboro River and Federal Highway.

Royal Palm has a proud tradition of philanthropy, strengthened by Members who lead with generosity and a commitment to community. From organizing local events to contributing meaningful donations, the Club’s legacy of giving reflects a genuine dedication to supporting those beyond its gates.

Chef Position Specific:

The Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club is looking for an Executive Chef who will always look for improvement while continuing to maintain the standards of excellence already in place. The ideal candidate will possess a true passion for professional cooking and have a proven and stable record of culinary excellence. He/she has acute organizational skills and a business acumen with the ability to control costs and meet budget goals. Integrity, leadership, and the ability to thrive under pressure is necessary. The Executive Chef is a strong communicator of staff’s expectations and has a proven and stable record of success. Club experience is preferred.

This individual should be mature and poised in dealing with people and has a reputation for bringing the team together vs creating a ‘we vs they’ mindset amongst supervisors. The Executive Chef will understand member dining preferences and create menu variety and consistency. He/she is expected to develop the culinary program that will meet and/or exceed member expectations. In summary, the Executive Chef understands the private club sector and is driven by pride, member satisfaction and teamwork.

Candidate Qualifications

• The Executive Chef is responsible for providing overall leadership and management for all food production and presentation. He/she demonstrates good judgment, problem-solving, and decision making skills.
• The Executive Chef will participate in the Budget process and works with the AGM and Director of F&B forecasting food revenues for the budget. The Executive Chef will collaborate with the AGM on kitchen expenses, including payroll and materials. The Executive Chef will also forecast kitchen capital expenses.
• The Executive Chef is enthusiastic about all things culinary and can produce a quality product and get it out of the kitchen with a sense of urgency on a consistent basis. Working knowledge of food and wine pairings is a plus.
• The Executive Chef develops standard recipes and techniques for food preparation and presentation that help ensure consistent high quality. Works to minimize food costs; exercises portion control for all items served and assists in establishing menu selling prices.
• The Executive Chef will provide mentoring leadership and foster a culture of continuing education and development of future, up-and-coming culinarians. He/she will develop an annual training plan for the culinary and steward departments to include safety, food handling, food storage, and cleanliness as required by the health department.
• The Executive Chef evaluates job performance of culinary staff; coaches and counsels to ensure staff are on track. Rewards and disciplines staff in a fair and appropriate manner.
• The Executive Chef has management and administrative skills with the ability to communicate with staff, other department heads, and membership.
• The Executive Chef attends and participates in Food & Beverage Committee meetings to discuss new menus or operational changes as needed.
• The Executive Chef maintains visibility to the membership by walking through the dining rooms during meal service. In addition, he/she is expected to provide articles for the monthly newsletter, commentaries at Wine dinners and other club events. The Executive Chef is available for consultation on menus for private and/or Club events.

A Note From the Assistant General Manager

Our culture is built on collaboration, inspiration, passion, and fun. Team members across all departments work together toward a shared goal of delivering exceptional experiences and continuously improving our Club. We are fortunate to have a highly engaged membership that cares deeply about Royal Palm and is invested in its success. Their passion and high expectations challenge us to innovate, elevate our standards, and ensure Royal Palm remains one of the finest private clubs in the country. #RoyalHospitality

The ‘Best Advice’ I can give the new Executive Chef is to interact with the team and the Members while genuinely listening to them and you will be successful.

Initial Focus

1. Build Member Relations – Be visible with the membership, interact with the Members in the different restaurants and be the face of Food & Beverage operation. Listen to the membership wants and needs and actively build relationships. Be genuine in your desire to help the Club succeed.
2. Food Quality/Consistency – The new Executive Chef is expected to 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. Collaborate with the F&B team and bring in new/fresh ideas.
3. Team Building – Lead & support the team with respect. Build and develop a strong culinary team that is quality driven and works with a sense of urgency. The new Executive Chef will serve as a teacher and mentor and help in staff development. Inspire the team and help build a strong culinary culture driven to excellence.
4. Set New Standards of Excellence – Evaluate and set appropriate and enhanced standards of operation, execution, and delivery within the culinary operation. Work closely with the Assistant General Manager to ensure a cohesive experience achieved with the BOH and FOH teams. Become a respected member of the management team.

Additional Information

• Annual food sales $4.7MM; Total F&B Sales $5.5MM.
• The Club currently has a 65% food cost and the food cost budget at 62% with a sales mix of 85% A La Carte and 15% Banquet.
• There are approximately 62 culinary staff plus 15 stewards supported by a $4MM labor budget.
• There are eleven (11) Sous Chefs, (Executive Sous Chef, 5 Jr. Sous (H2B), Pastry Sous, 2 Senior Sous Chefs and 2 Regular Sous) There is also a Pastry Chef, Banquet Chef, Chief Steward and Purchasing Manager.
• Frenchman’s Creek supports six (6) Kitchens which include (4) four in the Main Clubhouse, Pool Café and Beach Club. Kitchens in the clubhouse are brand new as of November 2025.
• The Club has (3) three Clubhouses (Main 135,000 sq. ft.; Spa & Fitness 26,000 sq. ft.; Beach Club 5,000 sq. ft.) with 1,108 members whose average age is 72.
• The Club operates (12) months annually and does not close. The busiest months are November – April.The Off-season is considered mid-May to mid-October.
• The Executive Chef reports to the General Manager/COO and works closely with Food & Beverage, Finance, Human Resource, Marketing & Communications and Purchasing.

Dining

The 19th Hole – Casual with 120 seats, serving breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Sunday.
The Gazebo – Casual with 120 seats, serving lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday.
Harbor Grille – Upscale Casual with 360 seats, serving dinner only Tuesday through Sunday.
1959 – Formal with 38 seats, serving dinner only Friday and Saturday.

Private Parties – The Club has (5) private rooms seating from 24 to 300. The largest sit-down event the Club can accommodate is 300 members and/or 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. Interested individuals should send resumes, a well-conceived cover letter, and supporting information (a digital Portfolio is encouraged).