St. Helena, California
Napa, California
Posted: 26-May-26
Location: Tampa, Florida
Type: Full Time
Categories:
Work Setting:
EXECUTIVE CHEF PROFILE
OLD MEMORIAL GOLF CLUB
TAMPA, FL
EXECUTIVE CHEF OPPORTUNITY AT OLD MEMORIAL GOLF CLUB
Old Memorial Golf Club is seeking an Executive Chef to lead its culinary program with a focus on consistency, hospitality, and memorable member experiences. The successful candidate will bring a strong operational foundation, with the ability to establish and maintain clear policies, procedures, protocols, and systems that support an organized, disciplined, and high-performing kitchen culture. The Club is looking for a hands-on culinary leader who values simplicity executed at a high level, delivering food that is quick, delicious, and approachable, while consistently meeting the expectations of a discerning membership. Equally important, the Executive Chef must be highly member-centric and genuinely enjoy engaging with the membership. This is a front-facing role where visibility, approachability, and relationship-building are essential to success. The ideal candidate understands how to create food that is both memorable and craveable, balancing consistency and comfort with thoughtful execution and attention to detail. Working closely with Club leadership, the Executive Chef will continue to strengthen a culture of hospitality while elevating the overall dining experience across the Club.
ABOUT OLD MEMORIAL GOLF CLUB
Old Memorial Golf Club is a highly regarded private golf club in Tampa, Florida, founded in the mid-1990s by Outback Steakhouse founders Chris Sullivan, Bob Basham, and Bob Merritt with a vision of creating a traditional, minimalist golf experience inspired by the great links of Scotland and the classic sandbelt courses of Australia and the United States. Designed by acclaimed architect Steve Smyers, the course emphasizes firm playing conditions, strategic shot-making, and natural terrain over modern excess, reflecting the timeless character of legendary venues like St. Andrews and Pinehurst No. 2. Known for its understated atmosphere, strong sense of camaraderie, and commitment to the traditions of the game, Old Memorial has earned a reputation as one of Florida’s premier private golf clubs.
OLD MEMORIAL GOLF CLUB BY THE NUMBERS
- Approximate Number of Members: 491
- Average age of the membership: 59
- Approximate Annual Gross Volume $20M
- Annual Food Volume Approximately $1.8M
- Annual Beverage Volume Approximately $2.1M
- À la carte 90% Banquets 10%
- 1 Kitchen
- Average Covers per Year: 50,000
- Target food cost: 35%
- Annual Kitchen Gross Payroll Approximately $740,000
- 14 direct/indirect reports, including: Sous Chef & Pastry Chef
- Closed on Christmas, along with two multi-week closures in the summer
- The Club uses Jonas POS
OLD MEMORIAL GOLF CLUB WEBSITE: www.oldmemorialgolfclub.com
FOOD & BEVERAGE OPERATIONS
Men’s Locker Room and Patio (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner). The Men’s Locker Room serves as both a functional amenity space and an important social hub within the Club experience. Designed to support pre-and post-round gathering, the space encourages camaraderie and casual interaction among members while maintaining the traditional atmosphere expected within the Club.
The Locker Room includes a dedicated bar area featuring a strong, whiskey-focused beverage program and classic offerings, all in a relaxed yet polished environment. The atmosphere is approachable and comfortable while still reflecting the Club’s overall hospitality standards.
Mixed Dining Restaurant and Patio (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner). The Club’s mixed dining area serves as a dining hub for members and guests, supporting a wide variety of dining occasions and member demographics. The atmosphere is approachable, energetic, and hospitality-driven, balancing casual comfort with polished service standards. Breakfast service is offered à la carte Monday through Thursday, while Fridays and Saturdays feature a more elevated breakfast experience with a buffet and omelet station. Lunch service is consistently à la carte, as is Happy Hour programming. During the season, dinner service is offered nightly. In the summer months, the Club primarily offers breakfast, lunch, and happy hour service unless a large group or special event requires evening dining.
The Turn “The Turn” functions as a convenient grab-and-go outlet designed primarily to support golf operations and active member lifestyles. The outlet focuses on speed, accessibility, and comfort-driven offerings prepared with consistency and quality. In addition to grab-and-go items, the space includes griddle and grill cooking stations, enabling fresh, quick-service menu options that complement the pace and energy of the golf experience.
Club Events & Member Programming. The Club has a private dining room with 18 Seats for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or private parties. The Club maintains an active, highly social calendar, particularly during the season, with approximately one large-scale club event each month. Programming includes golf tournament dining functions and a few member-focused social events designed to engage all membership demographics.
The culinary program focuses on approachable food prepared consistently and to a high standard, while remaining flexible to evolving member preferences and seasonal activities. The main kitchen supports both à la carte dining and banquet operations, along with limited food preparation for the Club’s Cottages, extending hospitality beyond the clubhouse itself.
EXECUTIVE CHEF JOB OVERVIEW
The Executive Chef is the management lead in the kitchen, setting and upholding the standards of quality, menu development, inventory management, budgeting, training, sanitation, and member engagement. In addition, the EC must be a visible member of the staff, supporting guests' needs as well as fellow staff members. Equally important is boosting staff morale to foster a positive work environment, which enhances productivity, motivation, and confidence. Leading by example and actively coaching the team are essential, along with demonstrating professionalism in speech and conduct. Reporting to the Executive Chef are a Sous Chef and a Pastry Chef. The Executive Chef reports directly to the General Manager and works closely with the F&B FOH Leadership team.
Leadership
- Take full ownership of the culinary team; build trust by engaging, observing, learning, and listening to their wisdom, experience, and needs.
- Earn members' trust by instilling confidence through continued enhanced operations, interaction, and visibility.
- Create a fun, collaborative work environment while being "hands-on”.
- Involve team members in the decision-making process of how "work gets done" and create a work environment of mutual respect in which people want to come to and participate every day.
- Work closely with the front of house leadership and broader club leadership team to ensure a cohesive experience that consistently exceeds expectations for Members and guests.
- Be an active and dynamic recruiter of team members and someone who inherently enjoys developing and building their team and leading them to significant, positive membership satisfaction outcomes and career growth.
- Have a passion and aptitude for teaching and training all food service personnel, working as necessary with the team directly responsible for operations to create a learning culture of development.
Operations
- Develop and maintain standard recipes and techniques for food preparation and presentation that help to ensure consistency, high-quality, and minimize food costs.
- Be well-versed in menu development and execution of various cuisine types and styles.
- Attend Food and Beverage, Leadership, and other Meetings, representing the culinary team as a senior leader at the club.
- Establish controls to minimize food and supply waste and theft. Safeguard all food-preparation employees by implementing training to increase their knowledge about safety, sanitation, and accident prevention principles.
- Lead the effort of training staff on health department standards and company standards (records to be available for all staff). Maintain safety training programs. Manages OSHA-related aspects of kitchen safety and maintains MSDSs in an easily accessible location.
- Ensure that all equipment is clean and in good working order and notify vendors and the Facility Manager when it is not.
Membership
- Have a heart of hospitality, embrace, appreciate, promote, and elevate the warmth and culture of the Club.
- Be highly visible and engaged with Membership throughout the F&B outlets and events, have an intuitive feel for where to be and when.
- 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 with a “can-do” approach
- Create seasonally appropriate craveable menu items that the Membership has a hard time choosing from, with regular features and specials.
Financial
- Perform monthly inventory and control food levels and waste; and embrace the use of systems and technology to assist in the management of the kitchen and the financial performance of the operation.
- Maintain quality and quantity control in all aspects, from portion control to the freshness of the product.
- Clearly understand the metrics for successful attainment of financial goals and objectives in F&B operations and consistently review these expectations with their direct reports to ensure understanding and ‘buy-in’ from those contributing to their attainment.
- Oversee the pricing of a la carte menus and special events. Schedule and coordinate the work of chefs, cooks, and other kitchen employees to ensure that food preparation is economical and technically correct, and within budgeted labor cost goals.
- Monitor payroll and labor resource allocations to ensure they are in line with financial forecasting and goals.
- Maintain strong relationships with local vendors and identify new vendors to ensure the best prices for the best quality products.
INITIAL PRIORITIES OF THE EXECUTIVE CHEF
- Menu & Culinary Development: Develop, document, and update creative, diverse menus that balance traditional favorites with new ideas for a la carte and special events.
- Operational Management: Manage daily, hands-on production for all food outlets (a la carte, banquets, snack bar) to ensure consistent quality, presentation, and portion control.
- Financial Accountability: Develop and monitor food and labor budgets, control costs, and participate in purchasing and inventory management.
- Leadership & Staffing: Hire, train, supervise, and mentor culinary team members; create schedules to ensure proper coverage.
- Member Engagement: Actively engage with members, solicit feedback via table visits, and adapt to member needs to improve satisfaction.
- Safety & Sanitation: Maintain strict compliance with local, state, and federal health department codes and company safety standards
CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS
- Five years’ experience in a similar role with exposure to luxury hospitality, or large multi-outlet operations with both busy a la carte and banquets.
- Experienced with and embraces new technology, including POS and Microsoft Suite.
EDUCATIONAL AND CERTIFICATION QUALIFICATIONS
- A bachelor’s degree is preferred with a focus on Hospitality Management or Culinary.
- In lieu of the degree, substantial culinary or hospitality experience will be considered.
- Has achieved or is working towards Certified Executive Chef (CEC) certification through the American Culinary Federation (ACF) or Pro Chef II certification through the Culinary Institute of America.
- Food Safety Manager Certified
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
Salary is open and commensurate with qualifications and experience. The club offers an excellent bonus and benefits package, including association membership.
INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO APPLY
Please upload your resume and cover letter, in that order, using the link below. You should have your documents ready to attach when prompted 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 the Old Memorial Golf Club search committee/Mr. Rob Anderson. Clearly articulate your alignment with this role, why you want to be considered for this position at this stage of your career, and why OMGC and the Tampa, FL area will benefit you, your family, your career, and the Club if selected.
You must apply for this role as soon as possible, but no later than June 22nd. Candidate selections will occur early July, with the first Interviews expected in July and the second interviews shortly thereafter. The successful candidate should assume their role in mid-August to the first of September.
IMPORTANT: Save your resume and letter in the following manner:
“Last Name, First Name - Resume” &
“Last Name, First Name - Cover Letter Old Memorial”
(These documents should be in Word or PDF format.)
Note: Once you complete the application process for this search, you cannot go back to 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, CCM
Search Executive
O: (833) KKW-HIRE, ext. 721
M: (561) 827-1945
annette@kkandw.com
Lawrence McFadden, CMC, ECM
Search Executive
O: (833) KKW-HIRE, ext. 715
M: (239) 963-6888
lawrence@kkandw.com