Chef de Cuisine

Chef de Cuisine

Public House | North Creek, New York

The Opportunity

This isn’t a job listing. It’s a founding role.

The Public House Lounge is Weekender’s tavern-style restaurant in North Creek, NY, a mountain town at the base of Gore Mountain in the heart of the Adirondacks, scheduled to open mid-summer 2026. The person who takes this role won’t be inheriting someone else’s menu, someone else’s team, or someone else’s kitchen culture. They’ll be building it from scratch.

We’re looking for a Chef de Cuisine who is hungry, creative, disciplined, and ready to own

something real. Someone who has been waiting for the chance to step out of a second or third

seat and finally run the show: write the menus, build the team, set the standard, and make a

restaurant their own. If that’s you, keep reading.

The Public House will serve rustic comfort food and elevated pub fare: honest, soulful cooking

that fits the Adirondack setting without being lazy about it. Additionally, this role will oversee the Centennial Kitchen restaurant, which will focus on events but will build towards opening in late 2026 for a higher-end fine dining experience. You’ll also oversee banquet and

event operations including weddings, corporate gatherings, and social functions, which means

The role carries real revenue responsibility alongside the creative work. This role will oversee culinary operations in all three venues.

Weekender Hotels is a fast-growing boutique hotel company with properties across the

Northeast. We promote from within, invest in the people who show up, and we’re expanding.

This role has a clear, direct path to Executive Chef as the program matures and the company

grows. We’re not offering you a ceiling. We’re offering you a launchpad.

Who We’re Looking For

You don’t need to have “Chef” in your current title. You need the instincts, the drive, and the

skills. The ideal candidate looks something like this:

• You’ve been cooking professionally for 5+ years and you are genuinely ready to lead
• You’ve run a station, a kitchen, or a shift and you know what it means to own the outcome
• You do what you said you'd do, even when no one's watching
• You care deeply about food. Not just executing it but thinking about it, improving it, making it yours
• You lead people the way you’d want to be led: with accountability, and respect
• You're energized, not intimidated, by building something from scratch.
• You understand the business side too: food cost, waste, labor, and ordering, not just the cooking
• You stay calm when it gets hard and you make the people around you better because of it
• You want to be somewhere beautiful, build something meaningful, and grow fast

What This Role Is NOT

• Not a desk job. You’ll be on the line, in the prep, and in the thick of service every day
• Not a role for someone who wants to manage from a distance. This kitchen needs a present, hands-on leader
• Not a dead end. The path to Executive Chef and beyond is real and we are actively building toward it
• Not easy. Opening a restaurant is hard, events are demanding, and we have high standards. The reward matches the challenge

What You’ll Be Responsible For

The essential functions include, but are not limited to the following:

Building and Owning the Food Program

• Develop the Public House Lounge menu from the ground up: rustic, elevated, regionally rooted, and cost-effective
• Write and maintain recipe cards, plating specs, portion guides, and allergen documentation
• Own every plate that leaves this kitchen for quality, consistency, presentation, and speed
• Introduce seasonal updates and specials that keep the menu alive and the regulars coming back
• Cost all recipes and collaborate with the GM on pricing strategy

Running the Kitchen

• Lead all daily kitchen operations: prep, line execution, expediting, and close
• Build systems, par sheets, and prep lists that make the kitchen run predictably even on your day off
• Monitor ticket times and kitchen flow; be the standard every shift, not just the good ones
• Maintain a clean, organized, inspection-ready kitchen at all times
• Uphold HACCP procedures for storage, handling, labeling, and temperature controls
• Ensure all equipment is properly maintained and flag repair needs immediately

Building and Leading the Team

• Hire, train, and develop the kitchen team, typically 2 to 4 cooks plus dishwasher, scaling for events
• Build a kitchen culture that people want to be part of: accountable, supportive, and proud of the work
• Create schedules that align with business volume, labor budgets, and event calendars
• Cross-train team members to build flexibility and depth across stations
• Identify and invest in talent with potential. We promote from within and expect you to do the same
• Hold the standard without exception, including the hard conversations when they’re needed

Owning Events and Banquets

• Lead kitchen execution for all on-property events: weddings, corporate functions, and social events
• Collaborate with the GM on BEO review, event menu planning, and production timelines
• Design event menus that are creative, practical, and profitable
• Manage event staffing, prep timelines, and kitchen logistics from start to breakdown
• Deliver every event as if it were the most important meal that group has ever eaten

Managing the Numbers

• Hit budgeted food cost and labor targets every period, not just the easy ones
• Conduct weekly inventory counts and manage ordering to minimize waste
• Track food cost variances and adjust in real time
• Approach the financial side of this role with the same seriousness as the culinary side

Collaborating Across the Property

• Work closely with the GM on menu strategy, seasonal planning, and event programming
• Communicate daily specials and menu changes to the FOH team clearly and proactively
• Participate in EOS meetings, reporting cadences, and property-wide planning
• Support deep cleans, seasonal transitions, and pre-opening preparation

How We’ll Measure Success