Executive Chef

The role

We’re seeking a hands-on Executive Chef to lead the Flagship’s culinary team. Much of the foundational kitchen design, operating systems, and core recipes will be developed before you join. You’ll turn that foundation into a consistently excellent operation by hiring and developing the team, delivering exceptional food and hospitality, and strengthening systems as the business grows.

You’ll combine culinary judgment, operational discipline, and warmth, making thoughtful decisions in an evolving environment and developing leaders who can execute independently. As an ambassador for the Flagship, you’ll also engage with guests, host culinary partners, facilitate events, and build relationships within New York’s food and hospitality community.

Responsibilities

Opening and Operational Readiness

• Partner with the General Manager, CookUnity teams, and opening partners to translate established recipes, equipment, and systems into a working culinary operation.
• Recruit and train the opening team, establishing clear roles, standards, communication, and accountability.
• Lead recipe testing, production rehearsals, and service simulations, identifying readiness gaps and driving resolution.
• Establish production plans, staffing, pars, receiving, storage, inventory, and sanitation routines, coordinating with supporting CookUnity production kitchens as needed.

Culinary Execution and Business Performance

• Lead back-of-house operations across café service, dine-in, takeaway, retail, digital orders, and events, maintaining quality, freshness, presentation, consistency, and speed.
• Curate and adapt CookUnity chefs’ dishes while preserving their culinary intent and contributing original dishes and creative ideas.
• Manage food and labor costs through scheduling, purchasing, production planning, yield management, portion control, and waste reduction.
• Use guest feedback, sales mix, quality measures, and financial results to diagnose issues, prioritize improvements, and verify results.
• Build repeatable workflows, training, and controls, partnering with the General Manager on targets and decisions that balance hospitality, quality, capacity, and profitability.

Team Leadership and Culture

• Attract, develop, and retain a strong culinary team in a respectful, inclusive, and accountable environment.
• Develop Sous Chefs and emerging leaders through clear expectations, direct feedback, coaching, and meaningful ownership.
• Maintain a visible, approachable presence, stay calm under pressure, address conflict constructively, and uphold high standards.
• Build a team that anticipates needs, supports colleagues, and solves problems independently.
• Collaborate across departments, communicate risks early, and follow commitments through to completion.

Culinary Standards and Program Development

• Consistently execute approved recipes, ingredient specifications, weights, portions, and presentation.
• Contribute to seasonal menus and program improvements, balancing creativity with guest appeal, operational practicality, and financial discipline.
• Document approved changes and train the team to ensure consistent execution.
• Collaborate with Culinary, Brand, Marketing, Operations, suppliers, and visiting chefs on the Flagship’s culinary program.

Food Safety and Workplace Standards

• Own kitchen food safety, sanitation, allergen controls, and workplace safety, including required certifications and regulatory compliance.
• Maintain required receiving, storage, labeling, temperature, and other records, verify compliance, and promptly correct deviations.
• Embed cleanliness, organization, and safe handling into daily work through training, verification, and accountability.

Events and Community Engagement

• Partner with the General Manager and CookUnity teams on tastings, demonstrations, chef collaborations, and experiential events.
• Engage with guests, host visiting culinary partners, and communicate the Flagship’s food and philosophy.
• Build relationships with local chefs, producers, and hospitality communities, representing CookUnity at relevant events.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive culinary leadership experience, including Executive Chef, Chef de Cuisine, or comparable responsibility.
• Demonstrated success leading high-volume, quality-driven culinary operations and developing strong teams.
• Strong command of production planning, food and labor costs, purchasing, inventory, yields, and waste management.
• Experience diagnosing operational problems, building practical systems, and delivering measurable improvements.
• Sound judgment, initiative, and adaptability in an opening, startup, or evolving hospitality environment.
• Clear communication, collaborative leadership, receptiveness to feedback, and confidence engaging with guests and hosting events.
• Strong food-safety knowledge and NYC food-safety certification, or ability to obtain the required certification before opening.

Preferred Qualifications

• Pre-opening leadership experience in New York City.
• Experience combining multiple service formats in café, premium fast-casual, market, or all-day dining operations.
• Experience with culinary events, guest-chef collaborations, and community partnerships.
• Experience coordinating central-kitchen production with on-site preparation and service.

Benefits

🩺 Health insurance coverage

🌅 401(k) plan

💰 Eligibility for a biannual performance bonus

🌴 PTO and paid sick days

🗓️ Four-week paid sabbatical after five years with CookUnity

👶 Paid family leave

🕯️ Compassionate leave

🥘 Monthly CookUnity meal credits

🧘 Wellness perks, including fitness subsidies

👩🏾‍🏫 Personalized Spanish coach

🚀 Opportunity to help change how we eat and how chefs work