Executive Chef

Neos Americana and Café Neos | Conshohocken, PA

We are seeking an Executive Chef to lead the culinary program across both of our concepts. Neos Americana is a full-service Mediterranean-American restaurant drawing from five culinary traditions: Spain, France, Italy, Greece, and Turkey. Café Neos is its upscale specialty café counterpart, with a daytime menu, an in-house pastry program, and a growing catering business. Across both, we host a private events program built for the most refined occasions, where bespoke menus and flawless execution are the expectation.

This is a career position for a chef with genuine command of Mediterranean cooking, a defined creative voice, and the discipline to build a kitchen that performs to the same standard every service. We are not looking for someone to maintain a menu. We are looking for the chef who will shape what this restaurant becomes.

The Executive Chef holds full responsibility for the culinary identity, execution, and financial performance of both kitchens, across three areas of equal weight: the Neos Americana à la carte program, our upscale private events program, and Café Neos culinary operations and catering. This is a salaried leadership position reporting to ownership, requiring a minimum of 50 hours per week and a consistent presence on the line during service.

The right candidate brings a strong foundation in classical technique, real fluency in the regional cooking of the Mediterranean, and the creative range to translate those traditions into a modern, cohesive menu. Equally important is the ability to lead: to hire well, train relentlessly, hold a team to a high standard, and develop the next generation of cooks into leaders.

Consistency is the primary measure of success in this role. A dish should arrive identical in portion, seasoning, temperature, and presentation on a Tuesday lunch, a Saturday at full capacity, and a sixty-guest private dinner, regardless of who is working the station. We judge the kitchen by its worst plate of the night, and the Executive Chef builds the systems and the discipline that make that plate indistinguishable from its best.

Desserts, pastry, and breads are the creative domain of our Pastry Chef, who holds full creative control of that program across both concepts. The Executive Chef works in close partnership with the pastry program on menu flow, service timing, and event planning, but does not direct it.

Our hospitality is rooted in an old-world belief that the table is an act of welcome. The kitchen is where that belief either holds or fails, and the Executive Chef is its steward. We take great pride in our culinary team and want to have a great relationship with our team. 

• Own the culinary direction of both concepts, interpreting the traditions of Spain, France, Italy, Greece, and Turkey through a cohesive, technique-driven menu with a clear point of view.
• Lead seasonal menu development for the Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter changeovers, from concept and R&D through recipe testing, costing, staff tastings, and launch.
• Create specials, chef's tastings, and regional dinner programming that deepen guest loyalty and showcase the range of the kitchen.
• Support the Pastry Chef, who holds creative control of all desserts, pastry, and breads, by coordinating on menu flow, service timing, and event planning so the savory and pastry programs operate as one.
• Build and refine a sourcing program grounded in quality and provenance, including the seafood and whole fish program, specialty Mediterranean products, and seasonal produce.

• Design bespoke, multi-course menus from intimate dinners to full-restaurant celebrations, in collaboration with hosts and ownership.
• Lead pre-event tastings and menu consultations with clients, presenting the kitchen with the polish and confidence expected at the highest level of entertaining.
• Execute plated, shared-course, and passed formats to an exacting standard, with every guest receiving the same quality of plate from first course to last.
• Plan prep, staffing, and production timelines so that private events and à la carte service run simultaneously without compromise to either.
• Coordinate with the Pastry Chef on event desserts and custom cakes, and with front-of-house leadership on pacing, service flow, and guest requests.
• Cost every event menu to protect margin while delivering an experience worthy of the occasion.

• Deliver every dish to specification in portion, seasoning, temperature, and presentation, every service, across every station and both concepts.
• Build and enforce the systems that make consistency possible: plating standards, line checks, pre-service tastings, and station setups that leave no room for interpretation.
• Taste constantly, correct immediately, and hold every cook to the specification as written.
• Train the team so that execution does not depend on any one person, including the Executive Chef.

• Hire, train, develop, and hold accountable the full back-of-house team, including the Sous Chef, line cooks, prep cooks, and the Café Neos kitchen lead.
• Develop the Sous Chef and senior cooks as a leadership bench, with clear expectations and a path for growth.
• Run the line and expedite during peak service, leading calmly and decisively under pressure.
• Partner with front-of-house leadership on staff education, providing dish specifications, menu tastings, and the culinary knowledge servers need to sell with confidence.
• Uphold a culture of professionalism, urgency, and pride in every aspect of BOH operations, and in every interaction with the FOH team.

• Own food cost and labor cost targets for both kitchens, with regular reporting to ownership and corrective action when numbers move.
• Manage purchasing, vendor relationships, inventory, and par levels with precision to control cost and prevent waste.
• Write and manage BOH schedules to maintain proper coverage across both concepts while protecting labor targets.
• Maintain complete, current recipe documentation and dish specification sheets so every plate is executed consistently, regardless of who is on the station.
• Oversee production for the Café Neos catering program.
• Oversee the daily staff meal program.

• Maintain strict adherence to food safety standards, including temperature control, labeling, storage, and hygiene, and lead the kitchen through all health inspections.
• Ensure immaculate organization and sanitation of all kitchen areas, and the proper care and maintenance of equipment, including the open-fire cooking setup.
• Respond to email and business communications promptly and professionally, maintaining clear and respectful correspondence with ownership, vendors, and the team.

• Minimum of five years in culinary leadership, including at least two years as Executive Chef or Chef de Cuisine in a full-service, scratch kitchen.
• Demonstrated depth in Mediterranean cuisine is required. Candidates should bring working knowledge of the regional cooking of Spain, France, Italy, Greece, and Turkey, including meze and small plates, whole fish and crudo, braises and grilled proteins, grains, pastas, and the spice and herb traditions that define the region.
• Experience with open-fire and solid fuel cooking is required; candidates must demonstrate safety, precision, and control over flame-based cooking.
• Expert protein fabrication, including whole fish, poultry, beef, lamb, and pork, with a firm understanding of yields, quality indicators, and proper storage.
• A track record of original menu development, with the ability to cost recipes, build specifications, and manage a kitchen P&L.
• Proven ability to lead a team calmly and efficiently through high-volume service, and to build a kitchen culture that retains strong cooks. A demonstrated record of consistent execution across high-volume service and large events is essential.
• Extensive experience designing and executing high-end private events, with the presence to work directly with discerning clients. Off-premise catering experience is a plus.
• ServSafe Food Protection Manager certification, or the ability to obtain it within 30 days of hire.
• Exemplary punctuality, reliability, and work ethic. This role demands a consistent presence and a commitment to leading by example.
• A defined culinary point of view, matched by curiosity, humility, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

• Competitive salary, commensurate with experience.
• Genuine creative authority over the menu, working directly with an engaged ownership team invested in the culinary program.
• A serious, professional environment where discipline, talent, and drive are recognized and rewarded.
• Two concepts, a private events program, and a corporate catering operation that offer real range and room to grow.
• Paid Time Off
• Health Insurance, including Dental and Vision
• Paid Parking