Executive Chef

EXECUTIVE CHEF
Elsewhere Wine Bar & Lounge | St. Helena, CA

Reports to: Elliot Bell
Status: Full-time, salaried (exempt)
Pay: $115,000-$130,000 per year
Start date: November 1, 2026

ABOUT US
Elsewhere Wine Bar & Lounge is a new wine-focused hospitality project from Nick Kokonas and Chef Elliot Bell in St. Helena, built around discovery, generosity, and a slightly unreasonable love of great bottles. Our wine program is broad, ambitious, and personal, spanning benchmark producers, rare bottles, and idiosyncratic wines with stories worth telling. Elsewhere is designed to feel polished but never stiff, deeply knowledgeable without being performative, and welcoming enough that collectors, winemakers, locals, travelers, and the wine-curious all want to return often.

THE ROLE
The Executive Chef leads Elsewhere's kitchen and builds a menu that complements the wine program. They own food quality, kitchen operations, food cost, and the development of the back-of-house team, and work closely with ownership, the General Manager, and the Beverage Director.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Develop the menu with the Beverage Director so food and wine work together
• Set and maintain recipes, plating standards, and prep systems
• Recruit, hire, train, and develop the kitchen team
• Build kitchen schedules within labor targets, including meal and rest breaks
• Manage food cost, ordering, vendor relationships, and inventory
• Conduct performance reviews and document performance issues in partnership with the GM
• Maintain food safety and sanitation standards and lead health inspections
• Plan menus for private events and special occasions
• Lead kitchen setup during pre-opening, including equipment, systems, and opening menu development

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
• 5+ years of kitchen leadership experience, including at least 2 years as an executive chef or chef de cuisine
• A strong point of view on food and an understanding of how it works with wine
• Proven food cost and labor management
• Experience hiring, training, and leading a kitchen team

PREFERRED
• Restaurant opening experience
• Relationships with Northern California farms and purveyors

CERTIFICATIONS
• California Food Protection Manager certification (such as ServSafe Manager), or obtain within 30 days of hire

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT
• Stand and walk for extended periods
• Lift and carry up to 50 pounds
• Work in a hot kitchen near open flames, sharp tools, and heavy equipment

SCHEDULE
Full-time, typically 5 shifts per week, including evenings, weekends, and holidays. Schedules may shift with the needs of the business, especially during pre-opening.

BENEFITS
All employees are eligible for healthcare. Elsewhere also offers a 401(k) match, paid time off, holidays, and a dining discount.

HOW TO APPLY
Apply through Culinary Agents with your resume and a short note. We look forward to hearing from you.

Elsewhere is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race (including traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles), color, religion, creed, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions, reproductive health decision-making, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law. We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with the California Fair Chance Act.