Job Opportunity: Executive Chef at St Clair Country Club

EXECUTIVE CHEF PROFILE: ST. CLAIR COUNTRY CLUB UPPER ST. CLAIR, PA

St. Clair Country Club, a prestigious and family-focused club located in Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania, is searching for a hands-on executive chef to lead and continue to grow its active culinary program. The next executive chef will join a high-performing, professional team and serve a club that is considered one of the finest in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. He or she will be following an exceptional executive chef and will inherit a strong team of culinarians.

Successful candidates have experience positively leading active a la carte dining programs as well as banquet events simultaneously. If you have a track record of leading high quality, creative and consistent operations, as well as a passion for hospitality and training and mentoring future culinarians, look no further than this executive chef opportunity at St. Clair Country Club.

ST. CLAIR COUNTRY CLUB

Located eight miles from downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the heart of the South Hills, St. Clair Country Club is committed to providing the highest quality dining, social, entertainment and recreational experiences to its members and their families and guests. Opening in 1916, St. Clair was a merger of two clubs: Castle Shannon Golf Club and Mt. Lebanon Country Club. It has grown since then to encompass 265 acres.

St. Clair’s golf facilities include an 18-hole Dick Wilson-designed Championship golf course that was renovated in 2007, and a 9-hole Terrace golf course. The club has a state-of-the-art short game practice facility, separate driving range, year-round Golf Shop, and an active Junior golf program.

The aquatic center includes a heated pool, separate children’s pool, full-service snack bar, fully equipped bath house, and diving area. It is busy in the summer months hosting swim and dive teams and popular poolside social events.

Fitness facilities include cardio machines, universal weight training machines, and personal training. Four on-site paddle tennis courts are also available for members

ST CLAIR COUNTRY CLUB BY THE NUMBERS

90,000-square-foot clubhouse
870 members in all categories
$44,000 initiation fee
$8,728 annual dues
$3.5M F&B volume (60% a la carte)
250 employees in-season
35 kitchen employees
4 kitchens
25,000 rounds of golf played annually
57 is the average age of members

ST. CLAIR COUNTRY CLUB WEBSITE: www.stclaircc.org

ST CLAIR COUNTRY CLUB MISSION

“St. Clair Country Club is one of the finest private clubs in the nation that provides its members, their families, and guests with a premier golf experience, exceptional social, dining and recreational services, and a proud tradition of excellence with an unparalleled member experience.”

ST CLAIR VISION “To be one of the finest family-friendly golf and country clubs in the nation by consistently exceeding our members’ expectations, while providing exceptional member experience and value.”

FOOD & BEVERAGE OPERATIONS:

Dining is integral to the fabric of St. Clair Country Club. The club offers several a la carte and private dining venues, both indoor and al fresco. The venues are open Tuesday through Sunday in season from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. On Friday and Saturday, the venues are open until 10:00 p.m.

Named after General Arthur St. Clair, Arthur’s Grill is a casual, family-friendly venue that offers everything from hamburgers to seafood. The Thursday night pasta bar and Sunday brunch are especially popular at Arthur’s Grill. This restaurant seats up to 86 people.

Bistro 1916 is an upscale dining venue that seats up to 84 people. Members of the club’s Wine Society have wine lockers located in Bistro 1916. Both Bistro 1916 and Arthur’s Grill share the same menu.

The St. Clair Room is the club’s fine dining venue. It is an oasis of elegance and offers a different menu than can be found at Arthur’s Grill and Bistro 1916. The St. Clair Room seats up to 42 people.

Dining is also available in the Men’s Grill (including breakfast) and Ladies Grill located in their respective Locker Room facilities. Both venues have access to an outdoor patio.

The Terrace Bar seats 40 people and is a great place for members to unwind after a challenging round of golf. The Veranda, located outside the Terrace Bar, is a favorite al fresco spot in season and seats up to 54 people.

The pool Snack Bar is a popular summertime venue that offers a variety of options such as salads, sandwiches, and ahi tuna bowls.

The club also has a Halfway House located between the #1 and #10 tee boxes, that offers soup, hotdogs, sandwiches, and lighter fare to hungry golfers. The “Back Nine Bar”, a house-made granola bar, is a club favorite.

St. Clair Country Club offers multiple private dining and reception areas including the Ballroom that seats up to 240 people, the Crossroads Room which seats up to 100 people, the Alibi Room which seats up to 50 people and the Library that seats up to 30 people.

The club’s biggest member event takes place on the Fourth of July – when it hosts 1,200 members and guests.

St. Clair Country Club currently hosts approximately 12-14 outside golf outings a year on Mondays. The club typically hosts seven weddings a year.

St. Clair Country Club’s busiest months are May, June, July and December. In season, the club is closed on Mondays and in the off-season, the club is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. The club is also closed for Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve and is open a half day on Christmas Eve.

There are four kitchens at St. Clair Country Club. Three kitchens are in the clubhouse. The main kitchen, on the upper level, has an a la carte and banquet line. It was last upgraded in 2018. The pastry kitchen and banquet prep kitchens are located on the lower level of the clubhouse. The fourth kitchen is located at the Snack Bar adjacent to the pool.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

St. Clair Country Club operates under the GM/COO organizational structure. The executive chef reports directly to the GM/COO and interfaces with the House and Social committees.

The kitchen staff totals 35 team members including an executive sous chef, a banquet chef, AM and PM sous chefs, and a pastry chef.

EXECUTIVE CHEF JOB DESCRIPTION

The executive chef (EC) at St. Clair Country Club is responsible for all food production including a la carte, banquets, and other outlets. He or she develops menus, food purchase specifications and recipes; trains, mentors, and supervises production staff; monitors and manages food and labor costs for the department; and maintains the highest professional food quality and sanitation standards.

The EC leads, manages, motivates and directs kitchen staff to achieve the objectives set by the GM/COO, and EC. The EC creates the standards for kitchen policies and procedures, communicates these policies, and ensures that the policies are adhered to by all BOH staff. The EC leads by example and is very hands-on in all aspects of the operation.

The EC is responsible for ensuring that all food is consistently outstanding – from traditional St. Clair Country Club favorites to innovative offerings and special events throughout all dining venues. The EC understands that quality and consistency in producing and delivering the SCCC Sandpoint Sandwich is just as important to the member experience as producing a five-course wine dinner for its active Wine Society. The EC is responsible to ensure that the culinary team takes pride in the meals that they produce and approaches each item on the plate with equal focus.

The EC creates and updates menus often, incorporates daily features, and develops and documents recipes and controls to ensure consistency. Creativity and innovation, not just variety, is essential in planning menus and events for the members of St. Clair Country Club. Creativity in presentation is also important – plate presentation as well as how food is presented on buffets.

The EC stays current on all culinary trends and is well-versed in accommodating a wide variety of food allergies and intolerances. The EC incorporates gluten-free items on the menu and trains all staff in the proper handling of gluten- free dishes and requests.

The EC is the face of culinary operations and needs to be comfortable conversing and interacting in both the kitchen and dining rooms as he or she interfaces with multiple and diverse constituencies (members, staff, vendors, etc.) throughout the day. The EC is visible and approachable.

The EC is responsive to club member and team member requests and strives to find creative ways to accommodate reasonable requests. He or she believes in the service philosophy: “the answer is ‘yes,’ what is the question?”

The EC leads the BOH initiative relative to accident prevention, training and retention of staff, and sanitation and safety standards. The EC pays sharp attention to detail, enforces the highest standards of sanitation and safety, and ensures that all BOH staff approach the standards with the same level of focus.

The EC is a team builder who mentors kitchen staff and develops a pipeline of talented and creative individuals by building on its reputation as an excellent learning and training ground for up and coming culinarians. The EC treats all staff with respect and, in return, requires that of the team. The EC works to ensure that a positive working atmosphere is maintained throughout all F&B operations.

The EC has a proven track record of controlling food and labor costs. He or she is adept at creating and managing a budget and provides food purchase specifications to control food quality and costs.

The EC is responsible for leading the product knowledge training for FOH personnel through daily pre-meal meetings and special food knowledge training programs.

The EC works as a strategic and operational partner with the managers, staff, House and Social committees of St. Clair Country Club to develop information sharing, good communication, superior internal and external customer relationships and high-performance teamwork in order to achieve club objectives.

The EC is responsible for providing quality and healthy employee “family” meals for up to 250 team members.

Ultimately, the executive chef of St. Clair Country Club is an important and positive face of culinary operations. He or she is an integral part of the overall success of the operation. The responsibility to lead this facet of the organization from a passionate, creative, supportive, progressive, and team-focused perspective is of critical importance for long- term success.

INITIAL PRIORITIES OF THE EXECUTIVE CHEF

Evaluate current operations and set appropriate and necessary standards of operation, processes, execution and delivery within the culinary operation, taking ownership for the entire experience from production to final delivery of the end product, while working closely and positively with the FOH team.
Focus on delivering consistency and the highest quality in a la carte and banquet operations.
Earn the staff’s trust, as well as evaluate and continue to develop, train and mentor the culinary team while promoting fairness and consistency within.
Find and maintain a menu balance focused on meeting and exceeding member dining expectations, from classic country club fare to new, innovative dining options. The executive chef will need to offer menu options that appeal to tenured members as well as newer, more active, younger members and provide creative plate, buffet and action station presentations as well as provide value to the membership.
Engage with, observe, learn, and listen to the members and staff. Learn members’ names and culinary and dining preferences. Listen to the members to meet their requirements and learn what matters most to them. Earn member trust by instilling confidence through continued enhanced operations and visibility. Being visible and approachable is an important aspect to this position.
Write fall and winter menus with the culinary team for casual dining, fine dining, wine society dinners and chef’s tables, and member events. The menus at St. Clair Country Club change at least four times a year with the seasons. Ideally the menus should be updated every two to three months.
Meet budgeted food and labor cost goals by proactively monitoring and controlling food and labor costs.

CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS

The successful candidate:

Is an effective and passionate, hands-on leader and culinary professional with a proven track record of providing high-level services with a personality that is commensurately appropriate to St. Clair Country Club.
Has successfully led dynamic culinary operations. Additionally, those with a proclivity for healthy, seasonally driven menus will be favored.
Has exceptionally strong culinary credentials, and most importantly, the ability to consistently define and achieve goals and objectives. This includes proven and verifiable leadership qualities with a demonstrated ability to direct, coordinate and control all facets of an active food and beverage operation. The EC has verifiable strengths in inspirational leadership, financial performance, and people skills.
Is a confident, proactive team builder who has a history of attracting, developing, and retaining high performing staff.
Takes tremendous pride in making members happy and exceeding their expectations and fosters that accountability among the team – both BOH and FOH.
Possesses strong written and oral communications skills.
Is organized as well as flexible. He or she proactively leads a la carte and banquet operations simultaneously and is also able to execute pop-up member events successfully. The number of covers fluctuates depending on the night and event so the executive chef must be flexible, organized and an exceptional planner.
Is knowledgeable about wine and wine and food pairings. He or she should also be comfortable with beer and spirits pairings.
Has solid computer skills including but not limited to Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel. This position also requires technical skills to effectively manage multiple restaurants in multiple locations. Experience with Jonas POS software and ChefTec software is a plus.
Has a successful track record of proactively managing food and labor costs, inventory, waste, etc.
Has a positive disposition and a sense of humor.

EDUCATIONAL AND CERTIFICATION QUALIFICATIONS

The successful candidate:

Has a Culinary Arts degree from an accredited school or apprenticeship program or equivalent experience.
Has a minimum of five years’ prior management experience as an executive chef and at least eight years of diversified kitchen and hospitality industry experience including banquet and a la carte operations. Executive sous chefs with successful track record at larger F&B programs and that are ready for their first executive chef opportunity may be considered.
Must be certified in food safety.

SALARY & BENEFITS

Salary is open and commensurate with qualifications and experience. The club offers an excellent benefits package including professional development.

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.

Your letter should clearly articulate why you want to be considered for this position at this stage of your career and why St. Clair Country Club and the Pittsburgh area will likely be a “fit” for you, your family and the club if selected.

IMPORTANT: Save your resume and letter in the following manner: “Last Name, First Name Resume” & “Last Name, First Name Letter BBCC” (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.

If you have any questions, please email Nan Fisher: nan@kkandw.com

LEAD SEARCH EXECUTIVE:

Lisa Carroll lisa@kkandw.com 561-596-1123

APPLY HERE