Executive Chef opportunity with The Valley Hunt Club – Pasadena, CA

About the Club: The Valley Hunt Club is a historic gem that sits in the heart of Pasadena, California. Established in 1888, the club has a storied history that reflects the cultural and social evolution of the region. It was originally founded as a social Club for the elite of Pasadena, with a focus on outdoor activities such as fox hunting and horse riding. Over time, the Club has evolved to include a range of sports and social events, but it has always maintained its commitment to tradition and community.

One of the most famous events associated with the Club is the Tournament of Roses Parade. In fact, the Valley Hunt Club was the first to organize the parade in 1890, which has now become an annual tradition that attracts visitors from all over the world.

Today, the Valley Hunt Club continues to be an important part of the Pasadena community, hosting events and activities that honor its rich history while also looking to the future. With its beautiful grounds, elegant clubhouse, and commitment to excellence, the club remains a cherished institution for its members.

Position Specific: The Valley Hunt Club is looking for a hands-on leader to improve upon menu variety and consistency. This individual has the ability to recruit staff and build a stellar ‘Culinary Team’. He/she has acute organization skills with a business acumen and the ability to control costs meet budget goals. Integrity, leadership, and the ability to thrive under pressure is a must. He/she is a strong communicator of staff expectations and has a proven and stable track record of success.

This individual should be an effective leader who is 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 continue to develop the culinary program to meet and/or exceed member expectations.

Initial Priorities:

1. Get to Know the Membership – Interact with members by being visible and engaging. Understand the Club’s culture, its history, and traditions.
2. Culinary Creativity – 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, high-level of finesse, respect for club-classics and ability to translate this to members of all ages.
3. ‘Team Building’ – Provide a sense of calmness and support to the staff. Inspire the team and help build a strong culinary culture driven to excellence. Serve as Coach and Mentor and foster a culture of ‘One Team – One Goal’ striving for daily success.
4. Evaluate Systems and Controls – The new Executive Chef is expected to evaluate current operations and staffing and provide recommendations for enhanced systems, controls, product, and services in all areas. Focus on a high degree of sanitation and hygiene.

In the GM’S Own Words: The Valley Hunt Club is a premier family, tennis, and swim Club founded in 1888. It has a traditional east coast feel with multi-generational members that travel internationally. They crave a Chef that is hands-on and approachable. They love their wine dinners but they also love their Club staples. The Club went without a GM toward the tail end of COVID until February of 2023. This absence did create a culture shift that the present GM is improving daily. Your GM has 30 years of F&B experience from privately owned restaurants to five-star hotels and private Clubs. She is looking for a Chef to partner with and create fun and interesting events while continuing to evolve a la carte dining. The culinary team is green and in need of further training while boosting morale. This is a wonderful sized operation with a great group of members and staff and we need a leader to get us across the finish line.

Candidate Qualifications:

• The position requires an engaged leader with strong culinary vision who will drive dining offerings and consistency in a la carte dining operating with a sense of urgency.
• The Executive Chef will collaborate with the General Manager to establish and execute operational strategies that align with the Club’s mission, vision, and goals.
• The new Executive Chef is enthusiastic about all things culinary with the ability to provide consistent menu items. The Executive Chef develops standard recipes and techniques for food preparation and presentation that help ensure consistently high quality while minimizing food costs; exercises portion control for all items served and assists in establishing menu selling prices.
• The Executive Chef is expected to maintain visibility by walking through the dining rooms during meal service. In addition is expected to provide occasional cooking classes and an article for the monthly newsletter.
• The Executive Chef prepares necessary data for applicable parts of the budget; projects annual food, labor and other costs and monitors actual financial results; takes corrective action as necessary to help ensure financial goals are met. He/she is expected to Create a 12-month schedule for labor costs, food cost and capital needs.
• He/she ensures that high standards of sanitation, cleanliness and safety are maintained throughout all kitchen areas.

Additional Information:

• Annual food sales $3.4 MM; Total F&B Sales $4.7 MM with a sales mix of approximately 68% a la carte and 32% Banquets.
• The Club is currently operating at its food cost goal of 44%. There are 25 culinary staff and 5 stewards supported by a $1,200,000 Labor Budget.
• There are (2) Sous Chef one recently hired and one on medical leave. There is a Pastry Chef, Banquet Chef and Purchasing Manager.
• The Club supports two (2) Kitchens, the main kitchen and Snack Bar. Management rates the condition as a 3 out of 5. A Campus evaluation was completed by Club Benchmarking in 2023 and the Club is currently in the middle of a professionally led Master Plan , which includes potential investment into F&B operations.
• The Valley Hunt Club has one 22,000 sq. ft. Clubhouse with 954 members whose average age is 65.
• The Club operates (12) twelve months annually and closes for maintenance 1 week in August and 1 week in January. Busy months are November and December.
• The Executive Chef reports to the General Manager and works closely with the Assistant General Manager, Director of Catering, Director of Food & Beverage, Director of Restaurants, Director of Communications & Marketing and Controller.
• The previous Chef was employed by the Club for eight Years.

Dining: (A La Carte Outlets)

• Fireside Terrace – Casual with 80 seats, serving Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday – Sunday.
• Hunt Room – Casual with 60 seats, serving Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday – Sunday.
• The Garden Room – Upscale with 60 seats, serving Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday – Sunday.
• Brinton Room – A Casual Grab n’ Go ‘Gourmet Market’ that is open for Breakfast & Lunch, Monday – Sunday.
• Snack Bar – Casual with 80 seats, serving Lunch & Dinner, Seven days per week Memorial Day through Labor Day
• Private Parties/Events: VHC has (4) four private rooms seating from 30 to 150 guests. The largest sit down event the Club can accommodate is 550.

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