Executive Chef, The Milbrook Club, Greenwich, CT

The Milbrook Club was established in Greenwich, Connecticut, in 1923 as a private social club. The Club’s founders were a group of New Yorkers who sought to create a retreat where they could enjoy the beauty of Long Island Sound and engage in social activities.

The Club has a membership of approximately 310 families, hosts a variety of events, including balls, weddings, and mitzvahs. The Club also has a strong athletic program, and its members compete in a variety of sports, including golf, tennis, and aquatics. The Milbrook Club is also significant for its role in the social history of Greenwich. The Club was a popular social destination for the elite of New York City for many years. It was also a center for a variety of athletic and cultural activities.

The Milbrook Club is a historic landmark in Greenwich, Connecticut. The neighborhood and club were the first planned community in America.

The Milbrook Club located seeks a dynamic culinarian to provide visible and hands-on leadership to enhance the Club’s historically strong food-service program. The Club is on solid footing in its F&B programming, satisfaction and offerings, and looks to further improve with a new Chef at the helm. A long tenured and well-respected management team is in place and stands ready to support the culinary team.

The Club’s Executive Chef must possess the talent to enhance member dining and catered events as well as be able to develop and execute member special events. The Chef’s primary responsibility will be to provide a consistent and well-rounded culinary experience for the membership and their guests. The successful candidate will oversee all food-service to include, upscale-casual dining, summer terrace dining, pool side café, and banquets. The Executive Chef will be responsible for the administration and management for all food operations.

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. Create New Menus – Leverage Culinary Expertise and develop menus with 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. Staffing – Focus on recruiting, hiring, cross-training, professional development and scheduling. Works “hands on” with the staff and has the ability to mentor, train and lead.
4. Integrate into the Executive Team  – The new Executive Chef works directly with the other department managers on communication, problem solving and teamwork. Team growth and collaboration with other key management is important for success.

In The GM’s Own Words: Milbrook prides itself in its truly “family-centric” style. From golf instruction for children and juniors to paddle programs and camps, the Club offers something for everyone regardless of skill, age or desire. The membership has reached its 310 cap in the last year and has a growing wait list with a very strong pipeline. The membership age is trending down with most new families having multiple children. For the area, it’s a very relaxed and approachable membership that truly embraces the community and is fully engaged with the Club. The kitchen has experienced difficulty in filling/retaining certain roles (sous chef, extra line cooks) but has a strong core group. A long-tenured and well-respected management team is in place and stands ready to support the culinary talent.

Candidate Qualifications:

• The position requires an engaged leader with a strong culinary vision who will drive dining offerings and consistency in a la Carte dining.
•  Develop recipes, standards and techniques for food preparation and presentation, and ensures the staff is trained to ensure a high-quality product is served on a consistent basis.
• The new Executive Chef is passionate about all things culinary. They keep up with the latest trends and equipment and produces new house-made items, creative buffet presentations and evolving menus
• The Executive Chef is expected to maintain visibility by walking through the dining rooms. In addition is expected to write a quarterly newsletter article and provide occasional cooking classes.  
• The Chef participates in the budgeting process and provides input on scheduling hours needed, pay rates and food cost.  
• The Executive Chef is expected to attend the House Committee meeting to provide a culinary update in regards to menus, events and staff.
• This individual is business-minded and tuned into data management. They demonstrate emotional intelligence and excellent leadership skills while working in a hands-on manner.

Additional Information:

• Annual food sales $1.5 MM; Total F&B Sales $2.1 MM.
• The Club currently has a 44% food cost with a food cost goal at 42% with a sales mix of 78% A La Carte and 22% Banquet.
• There are 8 culinary staff and 4 stewards supported by a $600,000 Labor Budget.
• There is (1) Sous Chef – currently unfilled. The Chef does the Purchasing.
• The Club supports three (3) Kitchens. The Outside Patio Kitchen and Pool Snack Bar for the summer operation, the Cubhouse Kitchen for the winter operation as well as for banquets. Management rates the condition as a 3 out of 5. The kitchens are functional with good equipment but have storage and volume limitations.
• The Milbrook Club has one 18,000 sq. ft. Clubhouse with 338 members whose average age is 56.
• The Club operates (11) eleven months annually. Closed for the month of February. Busy months are Memorial Day to Labor Day.
• The Executive Chef reports to the General Manager and works closely with the Clubhouse Manager, Controller, F&B Manager and Head Golf Professional.
• The departing Chef has been with the Club for six years.

Dining: (A La Carte Outlets)

Summer/Outside “Patio” – Casual with 160 seats, serving Lunch & Dinner, Wednesdays through Sunday.

Winter/Indoor “Bar 23” – Casual with 64 seats, serving Lunch & Dinner, Thursday through Sunday.

Winter/Indoor “Overlook Grill” – Casual with 56 seats, serving Lunch & Dinner, Thursday through Sunday.

Pool Snackbar – Casual with 40 seats, serving Lunch & Dinner daily over the summer from noon – 6pm 

Private Parties – The Club has three (3) private rooms with seating from 12 to 170 guests. The largest sit-down event the Club can accommodate is 170 members/guests.

Note: The Club completed a master plan facilities update ($7 mm) in late 2017 that includes a new Pool House and Poolside Café, a new Paddle Facility with 4 courts, and a 1,300 sq/ft paddle house with outdoor fire pits, which is like a second winter clubhouse. The Clubhouse improvements include an additional 5,000 sq/ft that features a beautiful new Grille Room, new 55-seat Bar with outdoor terrace and fire pits, 14-seat private dining/board room and adult lounge with shuffleboard and televisions for viewing games and relaxing after dinner. The ongoing enhancements will further help solidify the club’s position as the premiere family-centric club in Greenwich. Click-Here to see more on the recent project as featured in Club, Resort & Business Magazine.

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

Work with Denise Zanchelli and Team DZA, a team of proven culinary professionals to help advance your career.