Executive Chef opportunity with Squire Creek Country Club – Choudrant, LA

About the Club: Squire Creek Country Club provides its members with all the amenities of an exclusive club. From a great golf or tennis experience, to its friendly and attentive staff, to exceptional food and drinks, to a wide variety of activities for the young and active membership, Squire Creek redefines the art of relaxation.

Squire Creek Country Club features a Tom Fazio designed golf course rated by Golf Digest Magazine as one of the ‘best new’ golf courses in the country. Perennially, Squire Creek Country Club is selected by major golf publications as the number one golf course in Louisiana. The par 72 course boasts ‘Tifway’ Bermuda tees and fairways along with challenging ‘Tifeagle’ Bermuda greens. Over 21,000 azaleas and fifty acres of native grasses blend seamlessly to make for memorable rounds of golf each time you tee up.

Position Specific: Squire Creek Country Club is looking for a Chef who has strong leadership skills and the ability to interact with membership and staff at all levels. Effective leadership is demonstrated by a hands-on approach overseeing daily food production, assuring a consistent quality product and ongoing staff development. The ultimate goal of the culinary team is to produce well-prepared cuisine and varied menu selections coupled with signature items of broad-based appeal to the entire membership. Proven management and communication skills are required to build a “cohesive culinary culture” while achieving realistic financial objectives.

The ideal candidate will possess a true passion for professional cooking and is career driven, self-motivated, passionate and have a proven track record at a first-class facility.

Initial Focus:

1. Staff Development – Focus on recruiting, hiring, cross-training, professional development and scheduling. Bring the culinary team together, and provide direction and leadership. Develop a training program and take the time to get acquainted with the culture and existing staff.
2. Get to Know Louisiana – Be visible and engaging to the members and listen to them about their tastes and preferences. The members appreciate fine dining and the new Executive Chef should be comfortably knowledgeable about Cajun and Creole Cuisine.
3. Create New Menus – The Club is looking to upgrade its menu with variety and more frequent changes. The new Executive Chef will bring creativity to the menus and maintain the quality and variety of the food already in place.
4. Evaluate Kitchen for Efficiency – Develop systems and procedures for the culinary team to establish food service consistency. Teach staff to work with a sense of urgency, making sure every plate is perfect, holding staff accountable.

NOTE FROM MANAGEMENT – “We work at a great club with a great owner and members. The club is twenty-three years old and has a full membership with a waiting list. The existing Chef has been with the club for 18 years. He will be transitioning to another position within the company and will still be on site. The senior staff has been employed at the club for an average of 17 years. We work great together and are looking for a special person to join the team. We would like the new chef to have a great attitude, be willing to mentor and train staff, and develop a strategic plan to improve the culinary program at the club.”

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.
• The new Executive Chef should be highly organized with time and consistently meet all deadlines, including menu planning, manage event timelines, weekly features, and other culinary deliverables, to ensure efficient and effective operations.
• The new Executive Chef is passionate about all things culinary, and keeps current with the latest trends and equipment, and is able to produce new house-made items, creative buffet presentations and evolving menus.
• The Executive Chef will focus on creating new signature menu items that represent the Club.
• The new Chef is hands-on ensuring consistency in every dish through effective planning, ingredient sourcing, and meticulous attention to detail as well as maintaining high standards of food quality and presentation.
• The Executive Chef is expected to maintain visibility by walking through the dining rooms and the clubhouse interacting with the members. The new Chef may appear in instructional YouTube Videos, authoring newsletter articles, hosting Kitchen Chef Tables and more.

Additional Information:

• Annual food sales $1.5MM; Total F&B Sales $2.2MM. In the most recent FY, SCCC subsidized F&B ($7,000)
• The Club currently has a 52% food cost and the food cost goal at 50% with a sales mix of 62% A La Carte and 38% Banquet.
• There are approximately 15 culinary staff and 3 stewards supported by a $768,489 labor budget.
• There are two (2) Sous Chefs, A.M & P.M. The Chef does the purchasing.
• Squire Creek supports three (3) Kitchens which include the Main Kitchen, Fazio Grill and the Pool Cafe. Management rates the condition as a 4 out of 5. The Main kitchen was renovated in 2021. However it is located on one end of the clubhouse which limits service. The banquet/prep area is not a full banquet kitchen.
• The club has one 38,000 sq. ft. clubhouse with 1,020 members whose average age is 54.
• The Club operates (12) months annually and closes the first 10-14 days of January. The busiest months are March-December.
• The Executive Chef reports to the General Manager and works closely with the Clubhouse Manager, Catering & Banquets Manager, Member Events Coordinator, Director of Golf, Head Golf Professional and the Director of Accounting.

Dining: (A La Carte Outlets)

• Oaklawn – Formal/Casual with 80 seats, serving Lunch and Dinner, Wednesday – Sunday.
• Fazio Grill – Casual with 25 seats, serving Lunch and Dinner, Wednesday – Monday.
• The 19th Hole – Casual with 60 seats, serving Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Wednesday – Monday.
• Private Parties – The Club has four (4) private rooms seating from 12 to 70 guests. The largest sit-down event the Club can accommodate is 235 members/guests.

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