Executive Chef - Primm Valley Casino Resorts

It's fun to work in a company where people truly BELIEVE in what they're doing!

We're committed to bringing passion and customer focus to the business.

Position Overview

The Executive Chef is responsible for the leadership, administration, and operational excellence of all culinary operations throughout the property. This includes restaurants, quick-service outlets, banquet and catering kitchens, employee dining (if applicable), casino food outlets, and any additional culinary venues.

Reporting directly to the Director of Food & Beverage, the Executive Chef serves as the senior culinary leader responsible for food quality, financial performance, menu development, kitchen operations, food safety, labor management, purchasing, and team development. This position leads the culinary team in delivering exceptional dining experiences while maintaining operational efficiency, profitability, and consistency across all outlets.

The Executive Chef is expected to be a visible, hands-on leader who develops people, drives innovation, and establishes a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Culinary Leadership

• Provide leadership and direction for all culinary operations throughout the property.
• Establish culinary standards that ensure consistency, quality, presentation, and execution across every outlet.
• Build a culture focused on professionalism, teamwork, cleanliness, urgency, and guest satisfaction.
• Maintain a visible presence in kitchens while coaching and developing culinary leaders and team members.
• Lead daily culinary operations while balancing strategic planning with hands-on execution.

Kitchen Operations

• Oversee the daily operation of all kitchens, including restaurants, quick-service outlets, banquet production, casino food service, employee dining, and special event operations.
• Ensure recipes, production methods, portion controls, plating standards, and preparation procedures are consistently followed.
• Monitor food quality throughout all meal periods.
• Coordinate production across multiple outlets to maximize efficiency while maintaining service standards.
• Develop and maintain kitchen Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

Financial Management

• Manage all culinary labor, food costs, purchasing, inventory, and controllable expenses.
• Develop annual culinary budgets and operating plans in partnership with the Director of Food & Beverage.
• Monitor key financial metrics including: Food Cost, Kitchen Labor, Waste, Productivity, Inventory, etc.
• Implement cost-control initiatives without sacrificing food quality or guest satisfaction.
• Analyze purchasing trends and identify opportunities to improve profitability.

Menu Development

• Design and maintain menus that support the property's brand, operational capabilities, and financial objectives.
• Develop seasonal features, banquet menus, special event menus, and promotional offerings.
• Standardize recipes and maintain recipe costing for every menu item.
• Evaluate guest feedback and sales performance to continuously improve menu offerings.
• Collaborate with Marketing and the Director of Food & Beverage on culinary promotions and special events.

Purchasing & Inventory Management

• Oversee all culinary purchasing and receiving practices.
• Establish vendor relationships that ensure consistent quality and competitive pricing.
• Maintain inventory controls and ordering procedures.
• Conduct regular inventory reviews to minimize waste and maximize product utilization.
• Ensure proper storage, rotation, labeling, and product handling procedures.

Leadership & Team Development

• Recruit, hire, train, coach, and retain high-performing culinary leaders and hourly team members.
• Develop culinary leaders through structured coaching and succession planning.
• Conduct performance evaluations and establish measurable performance expectations.
• Foster an environment of accountability, respect, collaboration, and continuous learning.
• Recognize and reward high performance while addressing performance concerns promptly.

Food Safety & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local food safety regulations.
• Maintain the highest standards of sanitation, cleanliness, and organization.
• Lead health department inspections and corrective action plans.
• Ensure compliance with HACCP principles, food handling procedures, and company standards.
• Maintain all required food safety certifications.

Banquet & Special Events

• Lead culinary planning and execution for banquets, catering, VIP events, entertainment activations, casino promotions, and holiday programming.
• Ensure seamless event execution.
• Develop banquet menus that maximize guest satisfaction while maintaining profitability.
• Support property-wide initiatives through innovative culinary experiences.

Operational Excellence

• Conduct regular kitchen inspections and quality assurance reviews.
• Monitor ticket times, production flow, and kitchen efficiency.
• Identify operational improvements that increase productivity and reduce waste.
• Support implementation of new culinary technologies and kitchen equipment.
• Maintain organized prep systems and production schedules.

Qualifications

• Associate's or Bachelor's Degree in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, or related field preferred.
• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressive culinary leadership experience in hotel, casino, resort, or high-volume restaurant operations.
• Minimum of three (3) years as an Executive Chef or Executive Sous Chef overseeing multiple culinary outlets.
• Demonstrated experience managing banquet production, restaurant operations, and high-volume kitchen environments.
• Strong financial acumen with experience managing food cost, labor cost, purchasing, and inventory.
• Experience in gaming or resort hospitality preferred.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong leadership and organizational skills.
• Comprehensive knowledge of culinary techniques, food production, menu engineering, and kitchen operations.
• Strong financial management and cost-control abilities.
• Excellent communication and coaching skills.
• Ability to lead multiple kitchens simultaneously.
• Knowledge of inventory management, purchasing, recipe costing, and production planning.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, 24-hour hospitality environment.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Commitment to developing future culinary leaders.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods.
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to work safely in hot, cold, and fast-paced kitchen environments.
• Ability to operate commercial kitchen equipment safely.

Work Environment

• Requires regular presence throughout all culinary operations on property.
• Must be available to work flexible schedules, including evenings, weekends, holidays, and special events.
• Requires frequent interaction with front-of-house leadership, banquet operations, vendors, and property leadership.

If you like wild growth and working with happy, enthusiastic over-achievers, you'll enjoy your career with us!