Executive Chef

Temps plein

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced, creative, and hands-on Executive Chef to lead the opening and ongoing culinary operations of our new Le Méridien hotel in downtown San Diego.

With 10,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space, a full-service restaurant, and in-room dining, this is an exciting opportunity to build and lead a culinary program from the ground up.

The ideal candidate will bring strong hotel culinary experience, exceptional leadership skills, creativity, and a solid understanding of food costs, menu pricing, and kitchen operations.

Key Responsibilities

Pre-Opening & Culinary Development

• Lead the setup and successful opening of all culinary operations.
• Create and develop menus for the restaurant, banquets, catering, and in-room dining.
• Establish recipes, food presentation standards, operating procedures, and quality controls.
• Establish strong vendor relationships, negotiate competitive pricing, and ensure product quality.

Leadership & Team Development

• Recruit, hire, train, and develop the entire culinary team.
• Build a positive, professional, and high-performing kitchen culture.
• Establish staffing levels, scheduling, and training programs.
• Provide ongoing coaching, leadership, and development to culinary associates.

Restaurant, Banquets & Catering

• Oversee daily culinary operations across all food and beverage outlets.
• Develop creative, competitive, and profitable restaurant and banquet menus.
• Lead culinary execution for meetings, weddings, corporate events, and special functions.
• Partner with the Sales and Catering teams to deliver exceptional event experiences.
• Maintain consistency in food quality, presentation, and execution across all outlets.

Financial & Operational Management

• Develop menu pricing strategies and maintain established food cost targets.
• Manage food costs, labor expenses, purchasing, inventory, and waste.
• Assist in developing annual budgets and financial forecasts.
• Monitor culinary financial performance and identify opportunities to improve profitability.
• Maintain compliance with food safety, sanitation, health department, and Marriott brand standards.

Qualifications

• Previous Executive Chef or Executive Sous Chef experience in a full-service hotel.
• Strong background in hotel banquet, catering, and restaurant operations.
• Proven experience with menu development, recipe costing, and financial management.
• Demonstrated ability to recruit, train, and develop successful culinary teams.
• Strong knowledge of vendor negotiations, purchasing, and inventory controls.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and leadership skills.
• Hotel pre-opening experience strongly preferred.
• Ability to work collaboratively with Food & Beverage, Sales, and hotel leadership.

Why Join Us?

This is a unique opportunity to be part of the opening leadership team at Le Méridien San Diego.

As Executive Chef, you will have the opportunity to shape the hotel’s culinary identity, develop innovative menus, build your own team, and establish a strong foundation for long-term success.

We are looking for a passionate culinary leader who takes ownership, develops people, understands the business side of food and beverage, and is excited about building something exceptional from day one.