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The salary for this position is $125k

At Meritage Resort & Spa, our banquet culinary team creates memorable dining experiences for everything from intimate executive meetings and luxury weddings to large-scale conferences, galas, and resort celebrations. Every event is an opportunity to showcase exceptional food, thoughtful presentation, and the gracious hospitality of Napa Valley.

We’re looking for our next Banquet Chef to lead a high-volume culinary operation and a team of approximately 40 culinary professionals. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced, hands-on leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment, excels at large-scale production, and understands how to deliver exceptional quality and consistency across multiple events.

Reporting directly to the Executive Chef, the Banquet Chef will oversee the daily culinary operation for all banquet and catering events. This position is responsible for culinary execution, team leadership, production planning, financial performance, food safety, and collaboration with the Events, Banquets, Stewarding, Purchasing, and Food & Beverage leadership teams.

Who You Are

You are an experienced culinary leader who understands that successful banquet operations are built through preparation, organization, communication, and teamwork. You can see the big picture while remaining focused on the details that make each event exceptional.

You lead from the kitchen floor, remain composed when priorities shift, and bring structure to a complex, high-volume operation. You hold yourself and your team accountable for quality, timing, presentation, cleanliness, and professional conduct.

You enjoy developing people and building strong teams. You communicate expectations clearly, recognize great performance, address challenges promptly, and create an environment where employees feel supported, valued, and motivated to succeed.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the daily culinary operation for all banquet, catering, wedding, conference, meeting, and special-event functions.
• Direct, coach, schedule, and develop a banquet culinary team of approximately 40 employees, including sous chefs, supervisors, cooks, and culinary support positions.
• Partner directly with the Executive Chef to execute the resort’s culinary vision, banquet standards, financial goals, and strategic priorities.
• Oversee large-scale production and simultaneous event execution while maintaining exceptional food quality, presentation, consistency, and timeliness.
• Review banquet event orders, group resumes, diagrams, menus, timelines, and guest counts to ensure all culinary requirements are understood and properly planned.
• Lead daily banquet event order meetings, culinary production meetings, and pre-shift briefings to communicate priorities, assignments, changes, and service expectations.
• Develop comprehensive production plans, prep lists, station assignments, and execution timelines for upcoming events.
• Coordinate culinary production across multiple kitchens, event spaces, outdoor venues, and off-site or specialty locations as required.
• Ensure banquet functions are set, plated, replenished, and served according to established timelines and presentation standards.
• Collaborate closely with Banquets, Events, Conference Services, Stewarding, Purchasing, Receiving, and other operational departments to ensure seamless event execution.
• Maintain a visible presence during event preparation and service, responding quickly to changes, guest requests, and operational challenges.
• Partner with the Executive Chef on banquet menu development, seasonal offerings, customized menus, tastings, VIP events, and large-scale culinary activations.
• Lead wedding and event tastings while ensuring menu selections can be executed successfully at the contracted guest count.
• Maintain standardized recipes, plating guides, photographs, production procedures, and portion-control standards.
• Monitor food quality, seasoning, cooking temperatures, portion sizes, presentation, and service readiness throughout production and execution.
• Manage food cost through accurate forecasting, purchasing, ordering, production planning, portion control, inventory management, and waste reduction.
• Manage culinary labor through effective scheduling, productivity planning, overtime control, cross-utilization, and staffing adjustments based on business volume.
• Ensure accurate ordering, receiving, labeling, storage, rotation, and organization of all culinary products using FIFO and food safety best practices.
• Establish and maintain appropriate inventory and par levels based on forecasted event volume and operational needs.
• Review event guarantees and production quantities to minimize waste while ensuring sufficient product is available for successful execution.
• Assist with annual budgeting, forecasting, expense management, capital planning, and financial performance reviews.
• Recruit, interview, hire, onboard, train, coach, evaluate, and retain a high-performing banquet culinary team.
• Develop sous chefs, supervisors, and cooks through ongoing feedback, cross-training, succession planning, and clearly defined performance expectations.
• Ensure employees receive proper training on recipes, cooking techniques, equipment, workplace safety, sanitation, allergens, and event execution.
• Foster a positive culinary culture built on accountability, respect, communication, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Address employee performance, attendance, conduct, and workplace concerns promptly and consistently in partnership with the Executive Chef and Human Resources.
• Ensure compliance with all company policies, health department regulations, food safety requirements, sanitation standards, and HACCP procedures.
• Maintain a clean, organized, and safe culinary environment throughout all kitchens, storage areas, banquet preparation spaces, and event locations.
• Monitor kitchen equipment and facility conditions, reporting maintenance needs and safety concerns promptly.
• Participate in resort leadership meetings, event planning meetings, tastings, menu reviews, and post-event discussions as required.
• Review guest feedback, planner comments, event scores, and operational results to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Support resort-wide culinary initiatives, holiday programming, high-profile events, community partnerships, and special projects.
• Serve as a senior culinary leader and support the overall operation in the absence of the Executive Chef.
• Perform additional leadership responsibilities as assigned to support the success of the culinary department and resort.

Qualifications

• Minimum of five years of progressive culinary leadership experience in a high-volume hotel, resort, convention center, catering company, or large banquet operation.
• Previous experience leading a large culinary team, preferably 30 or more employees.
• Demonstrated experience executing multiple simultaneous events, including weddings, conferences, plated dinners, buffets, receptions, and large-scale functions.
• Strong knowledge of banquet production, large-volume cooking, event timelines, kitchen logistics, and plated-meal execution.
• Proven ability to lead high-volume culinary operations while maintaining exceptional quality, consistency, presentation, and service timing.
• Experience managing labor, scheduling, food costs, purchasing, inventory, waste, and departmental budgets.
• Strong understanding of menu development, recipe costing, production planning, portion control, and profitability.
• Excellent leadership, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to prioritize multiple events and changing demands while remaining calm and decisive under pressure.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build effective partnerships across culinary, banquet, event, and resort leadership teams.
• Experience recruiting, coaching, developing, and managing the performance of culinary employees and leaders.
• Advanced knowledge of food safety, sanitation, workplace safety, allergens, and HACCP principles.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, scheduling systems, purchasing platforms, event management systems, and culinary costing tools preferred.
• Culinary degree or formal culinary education preferred but not required.
• California Food Handler Card and ServSafe Manager Certification, or the ability to obtain required certifications within the designated timeframe.
• Must be available to work a flexible schedule, including early mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, and extended hours based on event demands.

Why Join Our Banquet Culinary Team?

At Meritage Resort & Spa, banquet dining is more than preparing food for large groups—it is an opportunity to create experiences that guests remember for years. From a couple’s wedding dinner to an executive gala or a major resort celebration, our culinary team plays a central role in bringing every event to life.

We invest in our leaders by providing opportunities to develop teams, influence menus, improve operations, and collaborate with experienced hospitality professionals. As Banquet Chef, you’ll have the opportunity to lead one of the resort’s largest culinary teams while shaping the quality, culture, and future of a dynamic banquet operation.

If you’re a passionate culinary leader who can inspire a large team, execute complex events, and deliver exceptional results in a high-volume environment, we’d love to meet you.