Executive Chef

Executive Chef Location:Chicago, IL Position Type:Full-Time About the Role We are seeking a highly experiencedExecutive Chefto lead the culinary vision and strategic direction of a premium Nikkei restaurant brand. This role will be responsible for overseeing kitchen leadership, driving culinary innovation, ensuring operational excellence, and maintaining the highest standards of quality, consistency, and profitability across the culinary department. The Corporate Executive Chef will work closely with theHead Chef and Head Itamae , providing leadership, mentorship, and strategic guidance to elevate the brand’s gastronomic experience. Key Responsibilities • Lead, mentor, and evaluate theHead Chef and Head Itamae , ensuring operational excellence across all kitchen areas. • Driveculinary innovation and R&D , developing new dishes, seasonal menus, and specials aligned with the brand’s Nikkei identity. • Monitor and controlfood cost performance , implementing waste reduction strategies and profitability optimization. • Establish and maintainrecipe standardization , including costing, portioning, plating, and preparation techniques to guarantee consistency. • Implement and auditfood safety and hygiene standards , including HACCP and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). • Oversee theselection and management of key suppliers , ensuring access to premium ingredients such as high-quality seafood and specialty products. • Lead culinarytalent development , including recruitment, training, and succession planning for kitchen leadership roles. • Superviseinventory control and culinary administrative processes , including documentation and performance reporting for senior leadership. • Represent the brand as theculinary ambassador , collaborating with the Global Culinary Director and participating in industry events and media opportunities. Qualifications • Professional training inGastronomy or Culinary Arts • Specialization ingourmet cuisine and Japanese / Peruvian (Nikkei) cuisine • Strong expertise infish and seafood handling, ingredient seasonality, and premium sourcing • Advanced knowledge ofculinary techniques, food safety, and cost management • Experience withrecipe standardization and kitchen operational processes • Minimum5+ years of experience as Head Chefin: Nikkei cuisine restaurants Fine dining establishments Gourmet restaurant concepts • Proven experience leadingsenior culinary teams and kitchen leadership roles •Advanced English proficiency • Intermediate proficiency inMicrosoft Office and Windows-based systems Compensation & Benefits • Competitive compensation package •Paid Leave and Paid Sick Leavein accordance with Chicago regulations (up to 80 hours annually) • Access toretirement savings programin compliance with Illinois Secure Choice requirements • Opportunity to lead culinary innovation within ahigh-end Nikkei dining concept • Career growth and leadership development within aninternational restaurant group Join Our Team This is a unique opportunity for a passionate culinary leader to shape the gastronomic direction of a growing premium brand while working with world-class ingredients and a highly talented kitchen team. If you are driven byinnovation, precision, and excellence in Nikkei cuisine , we invite you to apply.

Created: 2026-05-13