About the Club: “The Forest Club is a Home Away from Home” Situated on more than six wooded acres, deep in the heart of Houston just off Memorial Drive, the Club is a rare gem in the bustling City of Houston. Founded in 1946, by some of Houston’s oldest and finest families, The Forest Club’s guiding principle has always been to create a comfortable environment where friends and family can gather, dine and enjoy recreational activities; a place where the staff knows your name and greets you warmly each visit.
Job Requirements:
- Someone who understands the private club sector and is driven by pride, member satisfaction and teamwork.
- Ability to handle pressure, creativity to offer a diversity of items and an approach that facilitates communication and a sense of unity.
- Sets the example for professionalism when working and communicating with the service and catering staff.
- This individual will have great cooking skills, an uplifting personality and willing to work with and mentor staff to help them improve in their profession.
- Excellent written and verbal skills for effective communication, the ability to facilitate small group presentations, and the skills to be an effective listener are all sought after skills
- The ability to demonstrate good judgment, problem solving, and decision-making skills. The chef is responsible for leading the product knowledge training for all positions. The chef has a leading role in the vision and marketing of the culinary operation.
- Interacts enthusiastically with, and is visible to, the membership.
The Position: The Forest Club has a long-standing tradition of excellent food and beverage service. The Club is looking for the perfect combination of a passionate Restaurant Chef and the ability to Wow! a small but exclusive membership by delivering outstanding Club events and member private parties. This individual should have previous experience having worked in high-end Private Clubs and/or exclusive resorts/hotels. The Club is receptive to hiring a Sous Chef taking on their first Executive Chef position.
Management is looking for a partner that together will continue the culinary standards in place and provide Members and their guests an exceptional experience by delivering a high-quality product on a consistent basis. The members enjoy a menu composed of traditional favorites focused on Gulf Seafoods coupled with a variety of daily trendy creations.
The Chef needs to work well with both the front and back of the house staff; enjoys being out front promoting and communicating culinary insights with the membership He/she is energized and not afraid to work; has a good understanding of administation including payroll, food cost and human resource issues.
The chef is responsible to maintain a reasonable cost of goods while using only the finest of ingredients. The chef must be attuned to market demands to create a “food” buzz around the club matching its overall facilities. It is expected that the chef be well-spoken, regularly visible in member areas and comfortable in social settings speaking to member groups. The chef’s professional demeanor should match today’s culinary standards and trends. This is a working position requiring a hands-on approach towards mentoring staff, fortifying their skills/efficiencies, and further elevating variety and presentations.
Primary Responsibilities: Responsible for all food and pastry production including that used for restaurants, banquet functions and other outlets. Develops menus, food purchase specifications and recipes. Supervises production and pastry staff. Develops and monitors food and labor budget for the department. Maintains the highest professional food quality and sanitation standards.
Key Expectations and Goals:
- The chef is expected to be a very public figure within the management team. The Chef is expected to be visual before dinners, after dinners, during buffets and involved with the caterer to assist in developing menus for the events/private parties.
- Ensures that high standards of sanitation, cleanliness, and safety are maintained throughout all kitchen areas at all times.
- Proposes new ideas to promote and generate Food & Beverage revenue and member usage.
- Operates within all mandatory guidelines, policies and standards of operations as they relate to Food & Beverage.
- Participates in on-going facility inspections throughout Club to assure that the cleanliness, safety and other standards are consistently maintained
- Participates in Food and Beverage Committee meetings.
Additional Information:
- Annual food sales at $ 1,800,000; total F&B Sales $2,375,000.
- The desired Food cost is 33% with a sales mix of 45% a la carte and 55% Club events and private parties.
- There are 16 total kitchen employees supported by a $574,000 labor budget.
- There are two (2) Sous Chefs, a Baker/Pastry Assistant.
- The Chef does the purchasing.
- The (1) Kitchen has Walk-in refrig, Walk-in freezer, ample storage, bakery/pastry area, full hot line, separate pantry and space with appripriate equipment to execute banquets.
- The Clubhouse is 17,000 sq. ft. and supported by 430 members.
- The Club operates 12 months with steady business throughout the year.
- The Executive Chef reports to the General Manager and works with Sommelier, Private Events Director and other key staff.
- The previous chef was with the Club for (5) five years.
The Club is open Tuesday through Sunday with the exception of certain scheduled club events and activities. Closed on Mondays.
- Grill Room – A formal dining area with 65 seats. The average lunch service is 25 and the average dinner is 50.
- Family Dining Room – A casual family dining area with 75 seats. The average lunch service is 20 and the average dinner is 30.
- Forester Lounge – A upscale casual dining area with 60 seats. The average lunch service is 25 and the average dinner is 40.
- Patio (Weather Permitting) – A upscale casual dining area with 120 seats. The average lunch service is 15 and the average dinner is 50.
- Private Member & Club Events – Serving banquets up to 400 guests.
The Forest Club is the ideal location for a wedding, reception or rehearsal dinner. In addition, the Club offers Family Holiday Parties, Wild Game Dinner, Patio Music Series, Middle School Party, Christmas Bazaar and much more…
The Club offers a competitive compensation plan including a competitive base salary based on experience and skill, ACF dues and Convention, dining
allowance, dental, health & life insurance, 401k 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.