Meda Agency - 4 Jobs
Vancouver, BC
Job Details:
REGIONAL CHEF – VANCOUVER
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Compensation: $110,000–$120,000 base salary
Reports To: VP, Culinary / Operations Leadership
Travel: Local/regional travel between Vancouver-area restaurants; occasional broader travel as required
ROLE PURPOSE
Lead culinary standards, execution, training and team development across the group's Vancouver market. The Regional Chef will be a hands-on culinary leader who protects the brand's food experience while building strong Executive Chef and Sous Chef teams, driving consistency, food quality, kitchen culture and financial discipline.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Own culinary execution and consistency across assigned Vancouver restaurants.
- Coach, develop and hold Executive Chefs and Sous Chefs accountable to company culinary standards.
- Lead kitchen training, recipe execution, prep standards, plating, quality control and food-safety expectations.
- Partner with Operations and Training to deliver openings, menu launches, culinary initiatives and ongoing capability development.
- Conduct regular restaurant visits and culinary audits, creating clear action plans and follow-up.
- Review food cost, waste, purchasing, portioning and production practices to protect culinary profitability.
- Identify opportunities to improve menu execution, kitchen productivity, quality and guest satisfaction.
- Build culinary bench strength through succession planning, talent reviews, development plans and internal promotion.
- Collaborate with senior culinary leadership on menu development, innovation, product standards and seasonal programming.
- Serve as a visible culture leader who creates high standards, strong kitchen teams and a positive culinary environment.
IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE
- Experienced chef and culinary operator who can lead through influence, coaching and high standards.
- Strong multi-unit or regional culinary experience in premium casual, upscale casual or high-volume full-service restaurants.
- Passionate about food quality, consistency, hospitality and developing people.
- Commercially aware and comfortable discussing food cost, labour, waste, purchasing and kitchen productivity.
- Highly organized, decisive and comfortable balancing creativity with disciplined execution.
- Strong communicator who can partner effectively with operations, training, HR and senior leadership.
- A hands-on leader who is visible in kitchens and capable of building trust with culinary teams.
REQUIRED EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS
- 8+ years of progressive culinary leadership experience, with senior chef or multi-unit culinary responsibility.
- Demonstrated experience leading Executive Chefs, Sous Chefs and kitchen leadership teams.
- Strong understanding of food cost, menu execution, kitchen labour, purchasing and food-safety systems.
- Experience with restaurant openings, menu rollouts and culinary training is strongly preferred.
- Experience in a premium casual, upscale casual or comparable high-volume restaurant environment.
- Ability to travel between Vancouver-area restaurants and work flexible restaurant operating hours when required.
- Culinary education or equivalent professional experience; Red Seal or comparable credential is an asset.
WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE
- Consistent food quality and execution across Vancouver restaurants.
- Strong, capable Executive Chef and Sous Chef teams with clear development plans.
- Improved food cost, waste control, productivity and kitchen standards.
- Successful execution of menu changes, openings and culinary initiatives.
- Healthy culinary culture with strong retention, accountability and internal promotion.