Executive Chef

About the Company

Executive Chef — Catering & Events

Location: Philadelphia, PA (Western Suburbs) — onsite at a central commissary kitchen

Pay Rate: $100,000+ base salary, based on experience and administrative scope

Overview

For three decades, this family-run hospitality group has been one of the Philadelphia suburbs' go-to names for high-end catering and celebrations — an award-winning custom catering brand, a portfolio of historic event venues, and mobile food service that brings the kitchen straight to the party. Hundreds of weddings, corporate events, and private celebrations a year all run through one central commissary kitchen. And that kitchen is ready for its next chapter.

Responsibilities

• Annual purchasing and menu planning — moving the operation from as-needed ordering and fully custom menus to an annual buying strategy and a systematized menu plan that scales and lowers cost
• Food and kitchen supply purchasing, vendor relationships and pricing, and delivery scheduling
• Food cost control: recipe and menu costing, food cost monitoring, portion standards, and waste tracking
• Inventory and systems — receiving, counts, and stock rotation, plus building the repeatable ordering and inventory processes that replace today's manual approach
• Prep planning: advance prep plans and production schedules built from Event Orders across venues, off-premise catering, and mobile food service
• Kitchen leadership and labor — leading the Sous Chef and a kitchen team of 8–10; hiring, scheduling, and training staff to match the event calendar
• Menu and package pricing updates, culinary Event Order review, and tasting coordination, with room for creative menu input
• Partnering with leadership, Sales, and Event Coordination on tastings, menu questions, and event planning
• Food safety standards, health permits and inspections, and sanitation logs

Qualifications

• 5+ years leading kitchens as an Executive Chef or Executive Sous Chef
• ServSafe Manager certification
• Able to work fully onsite at the central commissary kitchen
• Strong purchasing, food and labor cost, and inventory management skills
• Proven ability to build annual purchasing plans and standardized menus and recipes designed to scale
• Organized, systems-minded leader whose strongest suit is the administrative side of the kitchen
• Thrives on challenge and change — energized by twists and turns, and comfortable working alongside strong, direct personalities

Preferred Skills

• High-volume catering, banquet, off-premise, or wedding experience (restaurant Executive Chefs with strong administrative skills will also be considered)
• Culinary degree
• Creative menu development input
• Caterease or comparable event management software experience

This is not a remote position — this role is fully onsite at our client's central commissary kitchen in the Philadelphia western suburbs. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Pay range and compensation package

• Base salary of $100,000+, based on experience — with room to go higher for candidates who bring strong administrative and operational leadership
• Schedule: weekday-based with core daytime hours, flexing around the event calendar — typically 40–60 hours/week depending on season
• Kitchen administration focus — purchasing, planning, costing, and systems — rather than hands-on prep or on-site event service
• Health, dental, and vision coverage
• IRA retirement plan with company match
• 12 days of paid time off
• A clear growth path into the General Manager role
• A close-knit, family-run team with three decades of reputation behind it — where the Executive Chef has genuine authority to build the systems the business runs on

Equal Opportunity Statement

Our client is an equal opportunity employer; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.