THE EXECUTIVE CHEF OPPORTUNITY AT BRAE BURN COUNTRY CLUB
Brae Burn Country Club, a prestigious, family focused club located in Purchase, New York, is searching for a hands-on executive chef to grow, elevate and lead its active culinary program. The club embodies the concept of “family” with a very social and inclusive membership and a collaborative, professional and supportive team. Successful candidates have experience positively leading active a la carte dining programs as well as large banquet events simultaneously. If you have a track record of leading high quality, creative and consistent operations, as well as a passion for hospitality and “creating a home away from home for members and guests,” look no further than the executive chef opportunity at Brae Burn Country Club.
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BRAE BURN COUNTRY CLUB
Located in the heart of New York’s prestigious Westchester County, Brae Burn Country Club has been a cherished part of the community since its founding in 1964. Today, its beautifully renovated interiors and elegantly landscaped grounds continue to offer a setting of unparalleled grace for private and corporate events as well as a rich array of activities for members.
In addition to an active food and beverage program, the club offers a championship, 18-hole golf course with a history of hosting multiple tournaments including the multiple Westchester Opens and local and sectional U.S. Open qualifying tournaments. The club also has 11 Har-Tru tennis courts, an expansive pool overlooking the golf course and a state-of-the-art fitness center.
BRAE BURN COUNTRY CLUB MISSION STATEMENT
“To create a home away from home for the members and guests.”
BRAE BURN COUNTRY CLUB BY THE NUMBERS:
- 311 members
- $2.6M annual F&B volume (approximately 60% a la carte/40% banquet)
- 14 kitchen employees
- 2 kitchens (clubhouse and pool)
- 57 is the average member age
- 180 total employees
FOOD & BEVERAGE OPERATIONS:
A la carte dining in Brae Burn Country Club’s 48,736-square-foot clubhouse includes the Grill Room (seats 108) and the Patio (seats 64). Continental breakfast is served in the Grill Room Tuesday through Sunday and a la carte breakfast is available Saturday and Sunday. Lunch is served from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Tuesdays through Sundays, and dinner is served from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
The Snack Bar, located by the pool, seats 60 and is open in season from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. On Thursday nights the Snack Bar is open until 8:00 p.m.
Dining highlights include Sunday BBQ’s and Saturday and Sunday brunch. Theme night dinners are also very popular at the club such as the Shore Dinner, Steak Night, etc.
Brae Burn Country Club offers multiple private dining and reception areas including the 5,000-square-foot Main Ballroom – the largest dining room in Westchester. The Main Ballroom has a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the golf course. There is a retractable wall between the Main Ballroom and the Grill Room which, when opened, can accommodate up to 626 people for a seated dinner. The Main Ballroom opens to an outdoor patio through four sets of double doors.
Additional private events areas include the Bar and Lounge – an inviting space with a double-sided fireplace and an oversized rosewood bar. The Bar and Lounge can accommodate 250 guests and is ideal for cocktail receptions and dinner parties. The room overlooks the golf course and opens to a grandly sized patio. Currently this room offers hors d’oeuvres Friday through Sunday from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. for golfers but could potentially be used as an a la carte bar and bistro area for members in the future.
The 1,500-square-foot Foyer, located between the Bar and Lounge and the Main Ballroom, is another space that can be used for private events. The Foyer has direct access to the Bar, Lounge and Patio.
Brae Burn Country Club currently hosts approximately 60 outside events a year including charity galas, Mitzvahs, and weddings. The club also hosts eight golf outings per year that take place on Mondays.
Brae Burn Country Club is busiest between May 1 to September 30. In season the club is closed on Mondays and in the off-season the club is closed on Monday through Wednesday. The club is also closed for Rosh Hashanah, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
BRAE BURN COUNTRY CLUB WEBSITE: www.braeburncc.org
EXECUTIVE CHEF JOB DESCRIPTION
The executive chef (EC) at Brae Burn Country Club is responsible for all food production including a la carte, banquets and other outlets. He or she develops menus, food purchase specifications and recipes; trains, mentors and supervises production staff; monitors and manages food and labor costs for the department; and maintains the highest professional food quality and sanitation standards.
The EC leads, manages, motivates and directs kitchen staff to achieve the objectives set by the General Manager, Assistant General Manager, and EC. The EC creates the standards for kitchen policies and procedures, communicates these policies, and ensures that the policies are adhered to by all BOH staff.
The EC is responsible for ensuring that all food is consistently outstanding – from traditional Brae Burn Country Club favorites to innovative offerings and special events throughout all dining venues. The EC understands that quality and consistency in producing and delivering the Brae Burn Burger is just as important to the member experience as producing a five-course wine dinner and other memorable special events. The EC is responsible to ensure that the culinary team takes pride in the meals that they produce and approaches each item on the plate with equal focus.
The EC creates and updates menus often, incorporates daily specials, and develops and documents recipes and controls to ensure consistency. Creativity and innovation, not just variety, is essential in planning menus and events for the members of Brae Burn Country Club. Creativity in presentation is also important – plate presentation as well as how food is presented on buffets.
The EC stays current on all culinary trends and is well-versed in accommodating a wide variety of food allergies and intolerances. The EC incorporates gluten-free items on the menu and trains all staff in the proper handling of gluten-free dishes and requests.
The EC is the face of culinary operations and needs to be comfortable conversing and interacting in both the kitchen and dining rooms as he or she interfaces with multiple and diverse constituencies (members, staff, vendors, etc.) throughout the day. The EC is visible and approachable.
The EC is responsive to club member and team member requests and strives to find creative ways to accommodate reasonable requests. He or she believes in the service philosophy: “the answer is ‘yes,’ what is the question?”
The EC leads the BOH initiative relative to accident prevention, training and retention of staff, and sanitation and safety standards. The EC pays sharp attention to detail, enforces the highest standards of sanitation and safety, and ensures that all BOH staff approach the standards with the same level of focus.
The EC is a team builder who mentors kitchen staff and develops a pipeline of talented and creative individuals by building on its reputation as an excellent learning and training ground for up and coming culinarians. The EC treats all staff with respect and, in return, requires that of the team. The EC works to ensure that a positive working atmosphere is maintained throughout all F&B operations.
The EC has a proven track record of controlling food and labor costs. He or she is adept at creating and managing a budget and provides food purchase specifications to control food quality and costs.
The EC is responsible for leading the product knowledge training for FOH personnel through daily pre-meal meetings and special food knowledge training programs.
The EC works as a strategic and operational partner with the managers, staff, and House Committee of Brae Burn Country Club to develop information sharing, good communication, superior internal and external customer relationships and high performance teamwork in order to achieve club objectives.
The EC is someone who looks at mistakes as opportunities for improvement, and instills this mindset and outcome into his/her team, while at the same time epitomizing the perspective of being readily open and embracing of input—The EC is approachable by both members and staff.
The EC is responsible for providing quality and healthy employee “family” meals for up to 180 team members.
Ultimately, the executive chef of Brae Burn Country Club is an important and positive face of culinary operations. He or she is an integral part of the overall success of the operation and is a strong influencer on each constituency he or she interfaces with while performing his or her duties. The responsibility to lead this facet of the organization from a passionate, creative, supportive, progressive and team-focused perspective is of critical importance for long-term success.
INITIAL PRIORITIES OF THE EXECUTIVE CHEF
- Provide new and exciting culinary experiences for Brae Burn Country Club members and guests in both a la carte dining and member events.
- Focus on delivering consistency and the highest quality in a la carte and banquet operations.
- Gain the staff’s trust, as well as evaluate and continue to develop, train and mentor the culinary team while promoting fairness and consistency within.
- Find and maintain a balance among member dining needs from classic country club fare to new, innovative dining options. The executive chef will need to offer menu options that appeal to tenured members as well as newer, more active, younger members and provide creative plate, buffet and action station presentations as well as provide value to the membership.
- Evaluate and set appropriate and necessary standards of operation, execution and delivery within the culinary operation, taking ownership of the entire experience from production to timing to final delivery of end product, while working closely with the FOH management team.
- Learn members’ names and culinary and dining preferences. Listen to the members in order to meet their requirements and learn what matters most to them. Earn member trust by instilling confidence through continued enhanced operations and visibility. Being visible and approachable is an important aspect to this position.
- Evaluate and set appropriate and necessary standards of operation, processes, execution and delivery within the culinary operation, taking ownership for the entire experience from production to final delivery of the end product, while working closely and positively with the FOH team.
- Meet budgeted food and labor cost goals by proactively monitoring and controlling food and labor costs.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
Brae Burn Country Club operates under the general manager organizational structure. The executive chef reports directly to the general manager and interfaces with the House and Entertainment committees.
The kitchen staff totals 14 team members including an executive sous chef and junior sous chef.
CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS
The successful candidate:
- Is an effective and passionate, hands-on leader and culinary professional with a proven track record of providing high-level services with a personality that is commensurately appropriate to Brae Burn Country Club. Experience in a predominantly Jewish private club is desirable.
- Has successfully led dynamic culinary operations. Additionally, those with a proclivity for healthy, seasonally driven menus will be favored.
- Has exceptionally strong culinary credentials, and most importantly, the ability to consistently define and achieve goals and objectives. This includes proven and verifiable leadership qualities with a demonstrated ability to direct, coordinate and control all facets of an active food and beverage operation. The EC has verifiable strengths in inspirational leadership, financial performance, and people skills.
- Is a confident, proactive team builder who has a history of attracting, developing and retaining high performing staff.
- Has solid computer skills including but not limited to Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel. This position also requires technical skills to effectively manage multiple restaurants in multiple locations. Experience with Jonas Encore POS software is a plus.
- Takes tremendous pride in making members happy and exceeding their expectations.
- Possesses strong written and oral communications skills.
- Is organized as well as flexible. He or she can proactively lead a la carte and banquet operations simultaneously and is also able to execute pop-up member events successfully. The number of covers fluctuates depending on the night and event so the executive chef must be flexible, organized and a good planner.
EDUCATIONAL AND CERTIFICATION QUALIFICATIONS
The successful candidate:
- Has a Culinary Arts degree from an accredited school or apprenticeship program or equivalent experience.
- Has a minimum of five years’ prior management experience as an executive chef and at least eight years of diversified kitchen and hospitality industry experience including banquet and a la carte operations. Executive sous chefs with successful track record at larger F&B programs and that are ready for their first executive chef opportunity may be considered.
- Must be certified in food safety.
SALARY & BENEFITS
Salary is open and commensurate with qualifications and experience. The club offers an excellent benefits package including professional development.
INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO APPLY
Please upload your resume and cover letter (in that order) using the link below. You should have your documents fully prepared to be attached when prompted for them during the online application process.
Your letter should be addressed to the Brae Burn Country Club Search Committee, and should clearly articulate why you want to be considered for this position at this stage of your career and why Brae Burn Country Club and the Westchester County area will likely be a “fit” for you, your family and the club if selected.
IMPORTANT: Save your resume and letter in the following manner:
“Last Name, First Name Resume” &
“Last Name, First Name Letter BBCC”
(These documents should be in Word or PDF format)
Note: Once you complete the application process for this search, you are not able to go back in and add additional documents.
If you have any questions, please email Nan Fisher: nan@kkandw.com
LEAD SEARCH EXECUTIVE:
Lisa Carroll
lisa@kkandw.com
561-596-1123