Executive Chef

SADDLE & CYCLE CLUB: OVERVIEW

The Saddle & Cycle Club has enjoyed a long history of providing service to members and their families in Chicago since 1895.  The historic Club sits on 18 acres of land just off Lake Michigan and Lake Shore Drive in the Edgewater neighborhood of the city.  Unique in its offerings, the Club is part city and part country club, offering outdoor tennis, paddle tennis, pickleball, an outdoor swimming pool, a robust children’s summer camp, a three-hole golf course and bocce ball.  The Club also maintains a large ice rink for hockey and figure skating, which are prominent features of the Club during the cooler months.  The Club is considered a special outdoor oasis to the membership, many of whom are city families with children of various ages. 

The Club offers casual and inspired menus and beverage service in the Winter and Summer Casino.  Fine dining service is available in the Cycle Room and on the Clubs’ expansive Terrace.  Club events are well supported by the membership throughout the year and key to the member experience.  The Clubs’ historic Ballroom and private event spaces are important to the operation, as weddings and life celebrations are popular at the Club

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Membership

• The Club has 580 members which includes 390 Equity members, as well as Non-Resident members, Senior members, and Junior members.

Food Service Revenue

• 4M food & beverage sales of which 1.7M food sales (45% ala carte/55% catering/club events) and

700K beverage sales (48% ala carte/52% catering/club events).

Food & Beverage Operation

• Fine dining offered in our Cycle Room & Terrace.
• Contemporary and casual dining offered in our Winter and Summer Casino.
• Poolside fare offered during the summer season.
• Private events in our Ballroom, private dining areas, and Paddle House are a significant component of our food & beverage operation.
• Club events are year-round and are important to the member experience.

Reports

• The Executive Chef oversees a staff of about 20 people during peak season and 14 during off-peak.

Seasonality

• The Club is a year-round operation for member enjoyment, however, the warm months of May – October are traditionally our busiest time of the year.

SADDLE & CYCLE CLUB: EXECUTIVE CHEF

Job Summary

Responsible for all food production to include a la carte dining, banquets/events, and Club functions. He/she develops and monitors menus and development, food purchase specifications and recipes. The ideal candidate will be held responsible for supervising and leading the production team, developing, and monitoring food and labor budgets and maintaining the highest professional food quality and sanitation standards.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1. Hires, trains, supervises, and evaluates the work of all culinary team members.
2. Plans menus (with the Food and Beverage team) for all food outlets of the Club.
3. Schedules and coordinates the work of the Casino Kitchen Manager, cooks, and other kitchen employees to assure that food preparation is economical and technically correct and within budgeted labor costs goals.
4. Requisitions all food products and other necessary supplies.
5. Ensures that the highest standards of sanitation, cleanliness and safety are always maintained throughout all kitchen and applicable storage areas.
6. Establishes controls to minimize food and supply waste and theft.
7. Safeguards all food preparation employees by implementing training to increase their knowledge about safety, sanitation, and accident prevention principles.
8. Develops standard recipes and techniques for food preparation and presentation which help to assure consistently high quality and to minimize food costs; exercises portion control for all items served and assists in establishing menu selling prices.
9. Prepares necessary data for applicable parts of the budget; projects annual food, labor and other costs and monitors actual financial results; takes corrective action as necessary to help assure that financial goals are met.
10. Attends food and beverage staff and management meetings.
11. Actively collaborates with the Catering and Special Events Manager for food production aspects of special events. The Executive Chef’s creativity and experience will be key to our continued success.
12. Cooks or directly supervises the cooking of items that require skillful preparation.
13. Evaluates food products to assure that quality standards are consistently attained.
14. Interacts with applicable food and beverage managers to assure that food production consistently exceeds the expectations of members and guests.
15. Plans and manages the employee meal program.
16. Evaluates products to assure that quality, price, and related goods are consistently met.
17. Develops policies and procedures to enhance and measure quality; continually updates written policies and procedures to reflect state-of-the-art techniques, equipment, and terminology.
18. Recruits and makes selection decisions; evaluates job performance of kitchen staff; corrects, rewards and disciplines staff in a fair and legal manner.
19. Recommends compensation rates/increases for the culinary team.
20. Establishes and maintains a regular cleaning and maintenance schedule for all kitchen areas and equipment.
21. Provides training and professional development opportunities for all kitchen staff.
22. Ensures that representatives from the kitchen attend service lineups and meetings.
23. Motivates and develops staff including cross-training and promotion of personnel.
24. Is highly visible and engaging with the membership to include being present at peak times; this component with our membership is important.
25. Undertakes special projects as assigned by the General Manager.
26. Hosts taste panels to assess feasibility of proposed menu items.
27. Conducts regular meetings between all culinary staff, further building a level of teamwork and cross exposure between Casino and main kitchen culinary teams.
28. Menu development must be current, creative and member focused. Club traditional items may be updated and enhanced, and support is available for aiding the Executive Chef in his/her creative endeavors for this manner.
29. Private events are significant at the Club. Creative menus of the highest quality are required. Logistical planning, overall organizational skills, and succinct and timely execution, especially during peak season are important in regards to the overall success of the Executive Chef.
30. Club events are a significant part of the member experience at the Club. Creative and quality buffets, action stations, prix fixe menus, holiday events and summer BBQ’s are all very important to the success of the Executive Chef. The 4^th of July is our largest annual club event and typically attracts around 900 people.
31. Closely works with the Food & Beverage Committee, engaging and attending committee meetings, preparing necessary tastings, and providing necessary data for such meetings. The Executive Chef is relied upon to prepare and present information regarding usage, menu consumption/mix, food costs and other necessary data as requested.
32. Consistency is key in preparation and presentation at a high level, whether it is for more formal dining, casual dining, or private events.
33. Receiving, inspecting and properly storing food items at the Club is a top priority. Organized storage, proper rotation of perishable items in turn will reduce food costs.
34. In addition to the preparation of savory items, a candidate with a strong background in pastry is an important consideration in our search.