Executive Chef (Sommelier and Chef Jobs: Restaurants)

  Azhadi Vineyards

  Lake Country, British Columbia

Azhadi Vineyards is a new iconic winery with state of art winemaking and restaurant facilities under construction scheduled to open Fall 2025 in Kelowna, BC.  Azhadi Group is a privately held group of companies which develops and operates a selection of wineries and vineyards throughout the Okanagan Valley region, including the established Ex Nihilo Vineyards operating in Lake Country, BC.

We strive to provide best in class, beautiful experiences to our people and our guests.  Gratitude is at our core; whether it be the land, the opportunity, or the people who we work with and visit us. We are building an environment where people come together, feel valued and will grow in their respective career paths.

We seek to provide meaningful work and create meaningful relationships.  We respect people; we communicate openly; we are team players; we are accountable; and we are trustworthy.

In anticipation of the planned 2025 opening of Azhadi Vineyards, we are seeking an experienced Executive Chef to lead and grow our culinary team both at Azhadi and Ex Nihilo Vineyards.  This is an excellent unique opportunity for an established Executive Chef to develop, launch and execute the best-in-class food experience at what is anticipated to become a pre-eminent establishment with state of art kitchen and wine making facilities in the picturesque Okanagan.

The Role

The Executive Chef of Azhadi Group is an exciting new role we are seeking as we build out our core team to launch our opening in Fall 2025.  The Executive Chef will work collaboratively with the Azhadi Group management team and initially under the direction of the CEO.  With a flair for creation matched with an engaging personality and a deep desire to contribute to a results-oriented organization with a people focus, the Executive Chef will provide meaningful assistance in launching this new premier destination.  In addition, the Executive Chef will provide oversight, leadership and assistance to the culinary team at Ex Nihilo Vineyards, through its 2025 season.  In addition to your passion for creating extraordinary flavourful food to pair with wine, you are a team player willing to go the extra mile; you communicate openly with colleagues and supervisors with respect; you are accountable for yourself and your creations; and you are innovative and look for solutions. At your core, you are trustworthy, desire personal and career growth and your integrity guides your decisions. You also have proven yourself in matters requiring confidentiality and discretion and are adaptable to competing demands for your time and ability to prioritize accordingly.

Primary areas of responsibility will include:

•      Create the culinary operations plan and standard operating procedures.

•      Create menus and oversee execution to ensure excellence in taste, quality, presentation and pairings.

•      Work with the Group Winemaker and hospitality team to create exquisite food and wine pairings.

•      Lead the daily operations of the kitchen, through an active presence, with an excellence in overall guest service delivery.

•      Hire, train, motivate, and retain a large culinary team of diverse skills and abilities.

•      Establish and maintain relationships with key vendors.

•      Drive revenue and profit through development and implementation of appropriate menu design, strategies and promotions.

•      Oversee the operating costs of food program offerings including labour and food costs and assistance in budgeting/operating plan.

•      Routine maintenance of kitchen equipment and equipment maintenance program

•      Ensure a safe working environment for all team members.

•      Work with vineyard team to provide guidance on the planting of on-site gardens for culinary use.

•      Represent the culinary team externally.

Preferred education and experience:

•      Completion of an internationally recognized culinary program

•      Minimum 5 years experience as an Executive Chef of a high calibre establishment

•      Passionate about food and wine pairing, WSET Level 2 certification, preferred.

•      Creativity and experience in menu development

•      Excellent people skills and leadership experience in building and fostering a strong team including training and scheduling.

•      Demonstrated understanding of food costing and inventory controls, purchasing

•      BC Food safe Certification

•      Management and culinary leadership abilities or experience for two distinct operations

Requirements:

•      Able to work safely in busy kitchen and hospitality environment around equipment.

•      Excellent attention-to-detail and quality

•      Mechanical skills in relation to kitchen equipment and maintenance

•      Ability to lift 50 pounds and be able to be on feet for long periods of time.

•      Personal reliable transportation

•      Legally permitted and eligible to work in Canada and fluent in English; other languages are an asset.

•      Flexible scheduling. Certain periods of the year require more hours and accordingly, we request a flexible schedule from our people and ability to work longer hours and various shifts including holidays and weekends during peak periods. You can expect fair compensation for your investment.

 

 

Please send CV to [email protected].   Selected candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Location:  Kelowna, BC and Lake Country, BC

Anticipated Start Date: May 2025

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