BATESBURG, South Carolina
Moscow, Idaho
Flagstaff, Arizona
Estero, Florida
Posted: 11-Mar-25
Location: BATESBURG, South Carolina
Type: Full Time
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EXECUTIVE SOUS CHEF PROFILE
THE TREE FARM
BATESBURG, SC
THE EXECUTIVE SOUS CHEF OPPORTUNITY AT THE TREE FARM
An outstanding opportunity to join an exceptional team, with a great Membership exists at The Tree Farm. The role is suited for candidates with a proven history of leadership and excellence in culinary operations management within private clubs or luxury hospitality establishments. Ideal candidates will have demonstrated success in leading busy, high-volume, quality, with multiple a la carte, and banquet outlets. Candidates should possess a history of innovative, creative, and consistent culinary operations, coupled with a passion for hospitality and the mentorship of future culinarians.
Recognized as one of the premier golf clubs in the United States, The Tree Farm is committed to maintaining a balance of tradition, inclusiveness, and modern relevance, and continually delivering exceptional experiences to its membership. As part of this commitment, the club explores both classic and modern dining concepts that resonate with members and guests alike. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to lead and shape these initiatives, contributing to the club's reputation as a leader in culinary excellence.
ABOUT THE TREE FARM
The Tree Farm, Zac Blair’s highly anticipated golf course, in South Carolina, has come to life as a private golf retreat emphasizing strategic variety, fun, and a world-class design pedigree. Blair partnered with renowned architect Tom Doak and shaper Kye Goalby to bring his vision to reality. The Tree Farm is an all-inclusive club with members and guests not having to be concerned about anything other than having fun and relaxing. Members and guests have additional amenities to enjoy with a short course, a putting course, fishing, and golf accompanied by a caddie program.
Since its opening, The Tree Farm has garnered attention for its emphasis on shot variety, engaging routing, and the ability to be enjoyed from multiple playing lengths—ensuring it remains fresh and exciting for everyone. With Doak’s masterful routing, Goalby’s shaping expertise, and Blair’s passion for classic architecture, the course sits alongside modern gems like Ballyneal and Tara Iti, continuing the tradition of thoughtful, strategic golf design.
Lodging is provided with 4 10-bedroom cabins that include common living areas and small outdoor spaces and a Locker Room in the clubhouse providing 4 additional bedrooms. The golf operations village includes a pro shop, caddy yard, and professional staff buildings with the goal of providing a relaxed but memorable service.
THE TREE FARM BY THE NUMBERS:
- 75 founding Members
- Approximately $65M investment to develop project
- 380 Members
- 7 Board Members
- Approximately 17,000 rounds
- Closed July through August
- 48 Average age of members
- $2M Total Food and Beverage Revenue
- 45% Food Cost ? 35% Beverage Cost
- 220 Daily Covers
- 15 FTE in Kitchen
- All-inclusive fee of $1200 per day
- 4 Cabins ? 52 Beds
- 92 Employees
TREE FARM WEBSITE: www.thetreefarm.golf
FOOD & BEVERAGE OPERATIONS
Main Clubhouse – beautiful scenic view of the award-winning golf course. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner transition through this dining space. Scene of place is vital to the culinary offerings, in both taste and presentation. Local farm relationships are key to the cuisine that is prepared. If not a buffet for lunch, family style is ideal for the large gathering of golf groups. Often culinary staff assist with the service of the offering giving dinner a personalized chef’s table feel. The result is a dynamic, engaging dining experience that complements the club’s atmosphere.
Tree Farm Lodging – personalized accommodations for golfers as they experience the surroundings. Individually appointed cottages are provided with customized light food and beverages based on the desires of the members or guests. These personalized services set the Tree Farm apart from other golfing communities.
BBQ Experience – classic South Carolina-inspired BBQ can be accommodated with The Tree Farms custom-made smoker and featured in various key locations around the property.
EXECUTIVE SOUS CHEF POSITION OVERVIEW
The Executive Sous Chef (ESC) at The Tree Farm reports directly to the Executive Chef. They are responsible for all food production including a la carte, family-style dining, and other offerings. He or she develops daily menus, food purchase specifications, and recipes; trains, mentors, and supervises the production team; monitors and manages food and labor costs for the department; and maintains the highest professional food quality and sanitation standards. They are part of the culinary leadership team.
INITIAL PRIORITIES OF THE EXECUTIVE SOUS CHEF
- Strong administrative experience with branded and luxury organizations.
- Gain the culinary team's trust, as well as evaluate and continue to develop, train, and mentor the staff while promoting fairness and consistency within.
- Collaborate with the FOH team, driving exceptional results for all food and beverage offerings
- Assist with capital expense planning and procurement, holds self and team accountable to department budget, continually analyzing labor and food cost through various methods to meet or exceed goals.
- Spearhead, develop, plan, and execute themed events.
- Inventory management through daily control and monthly process.
- Evaluate food product to assure the quality standards are consistently executed, supervises production, execution, and presentation for all events and a la carte service.
- Menu and recipe development for all outlets, and other unique Tree Farm dining locations.
- Continue to focus on delivering consistency and the highest quality for all the culinary offerings
- Create in partnership with EC, innovative and exciting culinary experiences for The Tree Farm members and guests in a la carte and member and private dining events.
- Partner with EC on the culinary dining preferences of the membership.
- Learn local vendors, farmers, etc., to continue the strong tradition of locally sourced, quality ingredients.
- After observing and understanding member and team member needs, support EC’s culinary direction, evaluate and update menus, and deliver new and creative dining concepts and menu options.
KEY PRIORITIES FOR SUCCESS
LEADERSHIP
- Takes an active role in shaping kitchen culture under the direction of the Executive Chef.
- Take full ownership of trust with them by engaging, observing, learning, and listening to their wisdom, experience, and needs.
- Responsible for new hire onboarding, ongoing training, evaluating, and supervising personnel, including OSHA and Health Ordinance training requirements. This position maintains proper personnel records including yearly reviews, changes in employment status, and other human resource-related issues. These records will be submitted to the Human Resources Director
- Complies with departmental policies, club rules, regulations, and policies set forth in the employee handbook.
- Create a fun collaborative work environment while being “hands-on” when necessary but understanding when to step back and lead the team.
- Proactive, creative, and flexible when it comes to problem-solving.
- Involve the team in the decision-making process of how “work gets done” and create a work environment of mutual respect in which people want to come and participate every day.
- Be a focused and consistent evaluator of personnel, ensuring that standards of conduct and delivery are met; this includes oversight of exacting standards of appearance, hospitality, service, and cleanliness of the facilities.
- Be an active and dynamic recruiter of team members and someone who inherently enjoys developing and building his/her team and leading them to significant, positive membership satisfaction outcomes.
- Establish and consistently enhance operating standards for personnel in areas of responsibility and consistently evaluate knowledge, understanding, and execution to these exacting standards.
- Work closely with the front-of-house food and beverage managers to ensure a cohesive experience that consistently exceeds the expectations of members and guests.
- Hold daily/weekly team member briefings and line-ups with direct reports to keep them informed of necessary and relevant activities and expectations at the Club. Assist in planning and be responsible for ensuring special Club events are well-conceived and executed.
OPERATIONS
- Plan, organize, and run a la carte operation with multiple events at the same time across multiple locations.
- Learns, understands, and executes all stations including but not limited to; sauté, grill, garde manger, sides/ pizza stations, pastry, and course cafes.
- Develop and maintain standard recipes and techniques for food preparation and presentation that help to assure consistency and quality and minimize food costs; exercise portion control for all items served and assist in establishing menu-selling prices.
- Organizes and prioritizes multiple projects to meet deadlines as assigned by the Executive Chef
- Assist with employee café menu development helping ensure a high daily standard of quality, cleanliness, and overall guest experience.
- Evaluate food products to assure that the highest quality standards are consistently attained.
- Ensure that exacting standards of sanitation, cleanliness, and safety are always maintained throughout all kitchen areas. Establish controls to minimize food and supply waste and theft.
- Safeguard all food-preparation team members by implementing training to increase their knowledge about safety, sanitation, and accident-prevention principles.
- Maintain safety-training programs; manage OSHA-related aspects of kitchen safety and maintain MSDS’s in an easily accessible location.
MEMBERSHIP
- Have a heart for hospitality, embracing, promoting, and elevating the warmth and culture of The Tree Farm.
- Earn members’ trust by instilling confidence through continued enhanced operations, interaction, and visibility.
- Welcome, encourage, and engage in regular feedback from members.
- Be responsive to members’ requests for menu selections, event planning, etc., and strive to find creative ways to accommodate reasonable requests. The Tree Farm prides itself on having a “say yes” culture.
FINANCIAL
- Clearly understand the metrics for successful attainment of financial goals and objectives in F&B operations and consistently review these expectations with his or her direct reports to ensure understanding and ‘buy-in’ from those contributing to their attainment.
- Consistently monitor payroll and labor resource allocations to ensure they are in line with financial forecasting and goals. Produce variance reports for monthly financial statements.
- Ensure effective and efficient staffing and scheduling for all facilities and functions while balancing financial objectives with member satisfaction goals.
- Embrace the use of systems (including regular inventory processes) and technology to assist in the management of the kitchen and the financial performance of the operation.
- Prepare necessary data for applicable parts of the budget; project annual food, labor, and other costs and monitor actual financial results; take corrective action as necessary to help assure that financial goals are met.
- Create, review, and approve product purchase specifications and maintain excellent vendor relationships.
CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS
- Is an effective and enthusiastic leader and culinary professional with a proven track record of providing high-level services with a personality that is commensurately appropriate to The Tree Farm.
- Has exceptionally strong culinary credentials, good tenure in previous roles, and most importantly, the ability to consistently define and achieve goals and objectives.
- Proficient in MS Office, including Outlook, Word Excel, and other PC programs.
- Has strong management skills with verifiable strengths in inspirational, hands-on leadership, financial performance, and people skills.
- Has strong knowledge of various cooking methods, preparation of soups, sauces, and stocks; butchering; product identification; food purchasing functions; garde manger; exposure to pastry and baking; and can perform all functions of the cooks, leading and training by example.
- Strong administrative and organizational skills, with the ability to meet tight deadlines & manage multiple food outlets.
EDUCATIONAL AND CERTIFICATION QUALIFICATIONS
- Has a minimum of 8 years prior culinary management experience at branded chain restaurants, luxury resorts, hotels, and/or clubs.
- 3-5 years at Sous Chef – leadership level
- Culinary/Hospitality Degree is a plus, not required (Associate or Bachelors)
- ACF Certification is a goal, not required for the Executive Sous Chef (CEC level)
- Must be certified in food safety.
EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION
In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.
SALARY AND BENEFITS
The salary is open and commensurate with qualifications and experience. The club offers an excellent benefits package.
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. Please be sure your image is not present on your resume or cover letter; that should be used on your LinkedIn Profile.
Prepare a thoughtful cover letter addressed to Eric Dietz, General Manager/CEO at The Tree Farm, and clearly articulate your alignment with this role and, why you want to be considered for this position at this stage of your career, and why TTF and the South Carolina area will be beneficial to you, your family, your career, and the Club if selected.
You must apply for this role as soon as possible but no later than 15th, April 2025. Candidate selections will occur late April, with the first Interviews expected in May, and the second interviews a short time later. The new candidate should assume his/her role in late May and early June.
IMPORTANT: Save your resume and letter in the following manner:
“Last Name, First Name - Resume” &
“Last Name, First Name - Cover Letter – Tree Farm”
(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.
Click here to upload your resume and cover letter.
If you have any questions, please email Bethany Taylor: bethany@kkandw.com
LEAD SEARCH EXECUTIVES
Annette Whittley, Search Executive
561-827-1945 (M)
annette@kkandw.com
Lawrence McFadden CMC, Search Executive
239-963-6888 (M)
lawrence@kkandw.com