Head Chef

Position Overview

Carmine’s Gourmet Market & Trattoria / Big Mamma Group is seeking an experienced Head Chef to lead daily kitchen operations at its Palm Beach Gardens, FL location. Reporting to the Culinary Director, the Head Chef is responsible for kitchen performance, food quality and consistency, team leadership, cost management, and execution of established culinary standards. This role oversees kitchen personnel and operations, ensuring efficient service, effective cost controls, and consistent execution of Carmine’s menu while maintaining high standards for food safety and guest satisfaction.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee daily kitchen operations, ensuring consistent food quality, presentation, portion control, and timely service.
• Provide hands-on leadership during service, overseeing kitchen stations and ensuring consistent execution.
• Recruit, train, schedule, supervise, and develop kitchen staff while maintaining clear performance expectations and accountability.
• Execute established menus, recipes, and preparation standards in alignment with Carmine’s culinary direction.
• Collaborate with the Culinary Director on menu implementation, recipe standards, seasonal offerings, and culinary improvements.
• Manage food and labor costs, purchasing, inventory, portion control, and waste to meet established budgets and profitability targets.
• Oversee ordering, receiving, storage, product rotation, and inventory controls to maintain product quality and appropriate stock levels.
• Take ownership of kitchen performance, productivity, food quality, staffing, and operational efficiency; identify issues and implement corrective actions.
• Maintain kitchen cleanliness, organization, equipment readiness, and efficient workflow.
• Ensure compliance with food safety, sanitation, allergen management, and applicable health regulations.
• Coordinate with restaurant management and front-of-house leadership to support service execution and resolve operational issues.
• Communicate staffing, supply, equipment, and operational needs to the Culinary Director and restaurant management.
• Implement company policies, procedures, and culinary standards while maintaining a professional, organized, and accountable kitchen environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of professional culinary experience, including at least 3 years of progressive leadership experience in a high-volume restaurant environment.
• Previous experience as a Head Chef, Executive Chef, Chef de Cuisine, or in a comparable senior kitchen leadership role.
• Professional experience with Italian cuisine required, including traditional cooking techniques, pasta, sauces, seafood, and meat preparations.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, train, and develop kitchen teams in a fast-paced restaurant environment.
• Experience managing food and labor costs, budgets, purchasing, inventory, and waste control.
• Strong knowledge of menu execution, recipe consistency, portion control, and food quality standards.
• Knowledge of food safety, sanitation, allergen management, and applicable health regulations.
• Strong organizational, communication, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to manage competing priorities while maintaining kitchen standards, team performance, and service quality.

Benefits

• Employee discount
• Health insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan with employer matching
• Paid Time Off