Job Details

Executive Sous Chef

Kohanaiki is currently accepting resumes for the Executive Sous Chef position at its invitation-only private club community in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

A world-class private residential community carefully crafted on 450 oceanfront acres and 1 ½ miles of coastline. Member amenities include an 18-hole Rees Jones designed golf course, 17 private luxury bungalow style accommodations, a beach club, sports complex, ocean activities, health and wellness programming, a 67,000 square foot clubhouse that includes a world class spa and boutique, member retail shop,pool, locker rooms, fitness facilities, two private dining rooms, a wine room, a cigar and card lounge, a 21-seat movie theater, a brewery, and a game room with a four-lane bowling alley. Dining options range from casual poolside fare to exquisite five-star dining.

The Executive Sous Chef (ESC) at Kohanaiki is responsible for all food production, including 2 on-property restaurants, a pizzeria providing à la carte, banquets, and other special events. The ESC develops daily menus, recipes, trains, mentors, and supervises the production team. In addition, he or she will monitor and manage food and labor costs for the department and maintain the highest standards of food quality and sanitation. This position is an integral part of the culinary leadership team.

Essential Job Functions:

• Work with leadership and hourly team members to gain respect and trust within the department, all the while evaluating and continuing to develop, train, and mentor the staff, while promoting fairness and consistency within the department.
• Collaborate with the culinary team, driving exceptional and elevated results for member dining and event functions.
• Inventory management through daily control and a monthly process.
• Evaluate food products to ensure the quality standards are consistently executed, supervise production, execution, and presentation for all events, and a la carte service.
• Continue to focus on delivering consistency and the highest quality in a la carte and event operations.
• Create in partnership with EC and CDC, innovative and exciting culinary experiences for Kohanaiki members and guests in a la carte and member and private dining events.
• Partner with EC on the culinary dining preferences of the membership.
• Learn from local vendors, farmers, etc., to continue the strong tradition of locally sourced, quality ingredients.
• After observing and understanding member and team member needs, support EC's culinary direction, evaluate and update menus, and deliver new and creative dining concepts and menu options.
• Become familiar with the culinary labor, food cost, and expense budgets for 2026.

Leadership:

• Takes an active role in shaping kitchen culture under the direction of the Executive Chef.
• Take full ownership of trust with them by engaging, observing, learning, and listening to their wisdom, experience, and needs.
• Complies with departmental policies as well as club rules, regulations, and policies set forth in the employee handbook.
• Create a fun collaborative work environment while being "hands-on" when necessary, but understanding when to step back and lead the team.
• Proactive, creative, and flexible when it comes to problem-solving.
• Involve the team in the decision-making process of how "work gets done" and create a work environment of mutual respect in which people want to come and participate every day.
• Be a focused and consistent evaluator of personnel, ensuring that standards of conduct and delivery are met; this includes oversight of exacting standards of appearance, hospitality, service, and cleanliness of the kitchen facilities.
• Be an active and dynamic recruiter of team members and someone who inherently enjoys developing and building his/her team and leading them to significant, positive membership satisfaction outcomes.
• Work closely with the front-of-house food and beverage managers to ensure a cohesive experience that consistently exceeds the expectations of members and guests.
• Hold daily/weekly team member briefings and line-ups with direct reports to keep them informed of necessary and relevant activities and expectations at the Club. Assist in planning and be responsible for ensuring special Club events are well-conceived and executed.

Operations:

• Plan, organize, and run a banquet operation with multiple simultaneous events across multiple locations, as well as à la carte dining.
• Learns, understands, and executes all stations, including but not limited to sauté, grill, pantry, sides/pizza, and pastries at all food outlets.
• Develop and maintain standard recipes and techniques for food preparation and presentation that help ensure consistency and quality and minimize food costs; exercise portion control for all items served and assist in establishing menu selling prices.
• Organizes and prioritizes multiple projects to meet deadlines as assigned by the Executive Chef
• Assist with employee café menu development, helping ensure a high daily standard of quality, cleanliness, and overall guest experience.
• Evaluate food products to ensure that the highest quality standards are consistently attained.
• Ensure that exacting standards of sanitation, cleanliness, and safety are always maintained throughout all kitchen areas. Establish controls to minimize food and supply waste and theft.
• Safeguard all food-preparation team members by implementing training to increase their knowledge about safety, sanitation, and accident-prevention principles.

Membership:

• Have a passion for hospitality, embracing, promoting, and elevating the warmth and culture of Kohanaiki
• Earn members' trust by instilling confidence through continued enhancements in operations, interactions, and visibility.
• Welcome, encourage, and engage in regular feedback from members.
• Be responsive to members' requests for menu selections, event planning, etc., and strive to find creative ways to accommodate reasonable requests. Kohanaiki prides itself on having a "say yes" culture.

Financial Acumen:

• Clearly understand the metrics for successful attainment of financial goals and objectives in F&B operations and consistently review these expectations with his or her direct reports to ensure understanding and 'buy-in' from those contributing to their attainment.
• Consistently monitor payroll and labor resource allocations to ensure they are in line with financial forecasting and goals. Produce variance reports for monthly financial statements.
• Ensure effective and efficient staffing and scheduling for all facilities and functions while balancing financial objectives with member satisfaction goals.
• Embrace the use of systems (including regular inventory processes) and technology to assist in the management of the kitchen and the financial performance of the operation.
• Review and approve product purchase specifications and maintain excellent vendor relationships.

Candidate Qualifications:

• Is an effective and enthusiastic leader and culinary professional with a proven track record of providing high-level services with a personality that is commensurately appropriate to Kohanaiki.
• Has exceptionally strong culinary credentials, good tenure in previous roles, and most importantly, the ability to consistently define and achieve goals and objectives.
• Proficient in MS Office, including Outlook, Word Excel, and other PC programs.
• Has strong management skills with verifiable strengths in inspirational, hands-on leadership, financial performance, and people skills.
• Has strong knowledge of various cooking methods, preparation of soups, sauces, and stocks; butchering; product identification; food purchasing functions; garde manger; exposure to pastry and baking; and can perform all functions of the cooks, leading and training by example.
• Has strong administrative and organizational skills, with the ability to meet tight deadlines and manage multiple food outlets.

Experience, Educational, and Certification Qualifications:

• Has a minimum of 6 years of prior culinary management experience at luxury resorts, hotels, and/or clubs.
• 3-5 years at Sous Chef – leadership level
• Culinary/Hospitality Degree is a plus (Associate or Bachelor's)
• Must be certified in food safety

Compensation:

The Executive Sous Chef role is a Salaried, Exempt, Full-Time Position with benefits. As remuneration for such performance, compensation is open and commensurate with qualifications.

To Apply:

Send a thoughtful cover letter detailing your interest in the position and in Kona, along with your resume, to Samantha Donato, Human Resources at: sdonato@kohanaiki.com