About The Club: The Country Club of Buffalo, a “Platinum Club®” has been an important part of the history of Buffalo as its members have provided civic and business leadership throughout the community. The present location of the Country Club of Buffalo is actually its third. The Club was incorporated on February 11, 1889, and its first clubhouse, designed by E.B. Green, was opened in August of that year. Three of the founders of the Country Club were among the founders of the Buffalo Polo Club in 1878. Polo continued to be played on the Club grounds until 1935.
In 1894, Club members placed an empty tomato can in the ground, and thus was born the first golf hole in Western New York. The Club moved from its city location at Elmwood and Nottingham in 1899 to make way for the lavish Pan American Exposition. During this time, the clubhouse became the Women’s Building and the center for all women’s activities. The Club acquired land on the city line at Main and Bailey in 1900 and had the new course ready for play in 1902.
During 1910 and 1911, Walter J. Travis revamped the course in anticipation of attracting a major tournament, which turned out to be the 1912 U.S. Open. Acquisition of property in Williamsville began in 1922, and the Donald Ross designed course opened in 1926. The clubhouse, designed by Duane Lyman, opened in 1927. The United States Women’s Amateur Championship was played on the new course in 1931, and the Curtis Cup was contested in 1950, with the American women defeating the British. The Carling Cup Matches between pro-amateur teams from the U.S. and Canada were held in 1960, and in 1962, the National Junior Girls Championship was played at the Country Club of Buffalo. In 2014, the Club celebrated its 125th anniversary. With significant renovations and improvements made to the golf course and facilities, the Country Club of Buffalo is proud to offer an unparalleled blend of traditional elegance and modern luxury to members for generations to come.
Position Specific: CCB is a traditional club with a respected culinary reputation featuring a number of popular traditional dishes and preparations. The need is to balance the menu to accomodate the tried & true for the tenured members that dine regularly, and simultaneously offer modern casual fare to capture a younger, more dynamic, more social set in order to make the Club their destination of choice as well.
The newly constructed “Club Room” lounge bar and renovated Terrace Dining room opens in May 2017. The Club desires a new shared plates menu, with flatbread pizza, cheese/charcuterie, creative & trendy sharable warm appetizers, etc. The ideal candidate will be up-to-date in cooking abilities and have a proven track record at a first class facility. A formal culinary education and training, e.g. CIA, JW, etc. is preferred. ACF Certification or on path to certification is desirable.
Job Requirements:
- The Executive Chef has a strong work ethic and will be actively engaged in banquet operations and expediting on busy a la carte evenings.
- Organized and detail-oriented without an ego driven approach.
- The ability to lead, motivate and mentor aspiring individuals throughout the organization. Have the ability to train staff.
- Recruit’s and develops management staff and line employees in food production. Makes kitchen staff selection decisions.
- Must be a team player who leads by example.
- Implements safety training programs and related aspects of kitchen safety.
- An Executive Chef that displays character, integrity, honesty and trustworthiness.
- Develops recipes, standards and techniques for food preparation and presentation that will assure a consistently high quality product.
Key Expectations and Goals:
- The successful candidate will be a leader committed to educate and train the culinary team members; both the formally trained and locally developed.
- With this hire, the Club is looking for an improved food cost and departmental margins; however maintaining high quality, consistency and timely a la carte delivery are key goals.
- The membership enjoys interacting with the Chef when appropriate. The Chef is expected to contribute to the newsletter 6-9 times annually, host cooking classes in the off-season as a membership relationship tool, and walk the floor during dining or events when time and workload allows.
- The Executive Chef will attend all House Committee and Executive Staff meetings and is expected to maintain a professional relationship with all employees.
- The EC is actively engaged in the line by line development of a zero based budget annually. Particular focus is on creating a detailed labor forecasting/model.
- Ensures that high standards of sanitation, cleanliness, and safety are maintained throughout all kitchen areas at all times. This includes daily site visits to all outlets.
Additional Information:
- Annual food sales at $1.5M; total F&B Sales $2.2M.
- The Food cost is currently 45.4% with a goal of 42%. Sales mix of 40% a la carte, 40% banquet and 20% member events. The F&B operation loss ($35,800) FY 16
- There are 20 plus kitchen employees supported by a $590,000 labor budget.
- The Executive Chef is supported by a Sous Chef (Currently position is vacant); a Purchasing Manager and Pastry Chef.
- The Club maintains two kitchens: Main Kitchen (5,000 sq. ft.) renovated in 2002, Grille Kitchen on lower level for staging and light a la carte service as needed when large banquets are on main level.
- The Clubhouse is 50,000 sq. ft. and is supported by 500 members whose average age is 59.
- The Club operates twelve (12) months annually. The majority of members use the club May – Oct; December.
- The Executive Chef reports to the General Manager and works directly with Assistant Managers, Banquet Manager and Dining Room Manager all very strong and well-respected in their positions.
Dining Facilities: (Four ala carte dining venues)
- North Terrace an upscale casual area with its beautiful view, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner six days per week. 90 seat indoor capacity. And/or, an open-air outdoor setting.
- Pine Room is a wood-paneled cozy casual room that is busy for banquets and serves dinner only as needed, 50 seat capacity.
- Club Room/Bar is the perfect place for a pre-dinner cocktail, or dinner itself with 32 seats.(Opens May 2017)
- The First Tee (outdoors) is a casual 80 seat capacity area serving lunch and dinner daily during the active summer season.
- The Dining Room is the ideal formal setting for any special occasion. With six private party rooms having a serving capacity of 12 to 150 guests and 400 in tents; the Club is versatile.
The Club offers a competitive compensation package including a base salary based on experience and skill, ACF dues and Convention, dining allowance, health & life insurance, 401k, relocation allowance and other standard perks. Interested individuals should send resumes, a well-conceived cover letter, and supporting information. (A Personal Portfolio is encouraged) in strict confidence. Click Here to upload your information.