Wilderness Country Club Executive Chef

Wilderness Country Club Executive Chef

Job Category:Executive Chef

Club:Wilderness Country Club

Location:Naples, FL

EXECUTIVE CHEF PROFILE:

WILDERNESS COUNTRY CLUB

NAPLES, FL

EXECUTIVE CHEF OPPORTUNITY AT WILDERNESS COUNTRY CLUB

Wilderness Country Club in Naples, Florida, is seeking a dynamic and hands-on Executive Chef to lead its culinary program during an exciting phase of growth and refinement. The Club's brand-new clubhouse, opened within the last two years, features a state-of-the-art kitchen and offers an exceptional platform for a culinary leader to make their mark. The Club is looking for a chef with a high level of attention to detail and a proven ability to deliver excellence across both a la carte and banquet operations. The ideal candidate will bring a strong sense of organization, creativity, and leadership, ensuring seamless service across dining venues while elevating the overall culinary experience.

This individual will be responsible for recruiting, mentoring, and motivating a high-performing culinary team and for fostering a culture rooted in collaboration, accountability, and pride. A hands-on presence, strong communication skills, and a passion for innovation, balanced with respect for member favorites, are essential to success in this role. This is a wonderful opportunity for a thoughtful and driven Executive Chef to help define the next chapter of Wilderness Country Club's culinary program and contribute meaningfully to the continued success of this distinguished Naples community.

Click here to view a brief video about this opportunity.

ABOUT WILDERNESS COUNTRY CLUB AND COMMUNITY

Tucked just minutes from Fifth Avenue South, Waterside Shops, and the Gulf's white-sand beaches, Wilderness Country Club is a serene, private retreat that captures the spirit of "Old Florida." With only 300 exclusive residences encircling a walkable Arthur Hills-designed golf course, Wilderness offers a rare combination of tranquility, natural beauty, and understated luxury.

Dining at Wilderness is a vibrant and social experience. Members enjoy inventive cuisine across three distinct venuesfrom casual fare with a twist to elegant, themed dinners and lively holiday galas. The ever-changing menu and expertly crafted cocktails encourage connection and camaraderie, making every meal a reason to gather and celebrate.

Beyond the fairways, the club offers a rich array of lifestyle amenities. Members enjoy top-tier tennis on Har-Tru courts. Wellness is seamlessly woven into daily life with five heated saltwater pools, biweekly fitness classes, and exclusive access to the nearby Briggs Wellness Center.

Social activities flourish through bocce and croquet, both of which have become beloved fixtures of club life. With shaded lounge areas, stylish courts, and a welcoming atmosphere, these games offer members a relaxed, engaging way to stay active and connected.

At Wilderness Country Club, every detail from the walkable golf course to the vibrant social calendar reflects a commitment to refined leisure, genuine community, and effortless living. It's more than a club it's a lifestyle where every day feels like a vacation.

WILDERNESS COUNTRY CLUB BY THE NUMBERS:

300 Members

71 Average Age of Membership

F&B Minimum: $1,200

$1.1M F&B Volume ($800k food)

44% Average Food Cost

Average Labor Kitchen Cost 70%

82% a la carte 18% banquets

27,800 Covers Per Year

80 Year-Round Employees

17 Approximate Direct Culinary Employees (11 During Off-Season)

1 Kitchen

The Club uses Jonas for its Accounting & POS

The Club is organized as a 501c7

WILDERNESS COUNTRY CLUB WEBSITE: www.wildernesscc.com

EXECUTIVE CHEF POSITION OVERVIEW

The Executive Chef (EC) at Wilderness Country Club reports directly to the General Manager/COO. They are responsible for all food production, including a la carte, banquets, and other member-centric FB events. They develop daily menus, food purchase specifications, and recipes; train, mentor, and supervise the production team; monitor and manage food and labor costs for the department; and maintain the highest professional food quality and sanitation standards.

Wilderness Country Club opened a brand-new Clubhouse in 2024 and with it a new kitchen that services casual and upscale a la carte dining. The club offers Members expansive patio dining spaces, and the bar is a social hub during season. While a la carte dining is the focus of the club, the main lobby area is often used for larger Member events.

The peak season is November through April, and the club is closed on Christmas Day, Mondays year-round and Saturday and Sunday during the summer. The club is also closed for three weeks after Memorial Day and for two weeks in August.

EXECUTIVE CHEF JOB DESCRIPTION

Leadership

Be a collaborative team player who is willing to work with and train the team each day, doing whatever it takes to deliver the best Member experience.

Empower the culinary team and delegate appropriately, so they can focus on growth; be confident that the operation can run well in EC's absence.

Be an active recruiter of team members and someone who inherently enjoys developing and building his/her team and leading them to significant, positive membership satisfaction outcomes, as well as an engaged team of staff members.

Have a passion and aptitude for teaching and training all food service personnel, working, as necessary, with the staff directly responsible for operations.

Be a focused and consistent evaluator of personnel, ensuring that standards of conduct and delivery are met; this includes an oversight of high standards of appearance, hospitality, service, & cleanliness of the kitchen facilities.

Maintain existing operating standards for personnel in areas of responsibility and consistently evaluate knowledge, understanding, and execution of these high standards.

Work closely with the front-of-house food and beverage managers to ensure a cohesive experience that continually exceeds the expectations of Members and guests.

Engage with, observe, learn, and listen to the Members and staff. Earn Member trust by instilling confidence through continued enhanced operations, interaction, visibility, and consistency.

Remain current and continue education regarding diverse and new culinary trends and cuisines.

Maintain physical presence during times of high business volume.

Create a welcoming, approachable, and inclusive kitchen atmosphere for all club staff based on mutual respect.

Operations

Maintain existing standard recipes and techniques for food preparation and presentation that help to ensure consistent, high-quality food.

Maintain a rotation of varied food offerings that feature global cuisines. Evaluate food products to ensure that quality standards are always attained.

Maintain opening and closing cleaning checklists for each area/station within the kitchen and develop a weekly/monthly cleaning checklist.

Safeguard all food-preparation employees by implementing training to increase their knowledge about safety, sanitation, and accident-prevention principles.

Maintain safety training programs; manage OSHA-related aspects of kitchen safety and maintains MSDSs in an easily accessible location.

Financial

Plan menus for all food outlets in the club and special occasions and events. Schedule and coordinate the work of chefs, cooks, and other kitchen employees to ensure that food preparation is economically and technically correct and within budgeted labor cost goals.

Consistently monitoring payroll and labor resource allocations to ensure they are in line with financial forecasting and goals.

Embrace the use of systems (including regular inventory processes) and technology to assist in the management of the kitchen and the financial performance of the operation.

Prepare necessary data for applicable parts of the budget; project annual food, labor, and other costs and monitor actual financial results; take corrective action as necessary to help ensure that financial goals are met.

Review and approve product purchase specifications.

Set the direction of capital improvements with proper execution & planning in partnership with the Chief Financial Officer.

CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS

5+ years of luxury Executive Chef or Executive Sous Chef experience within a seasonal operation.

Exposure to a private club or 4-star/5-star hotel/resort experience is preferred.

Strong and passionate leader and culinary professional with a proven track record of providing high-level services. The EC must be passionate about their craft and inspire those around them.

The EC is a lifelong learner and instills that characteristic into his or her team.

Has meticulous attention to detail and is extremely organized to successfully manage and lead a la carte and banquet venues.

Has a successful track record of controlling costs, standardizing recipes, planning budgets, and has the skills necessary to perform all kitchen tasks and train others to properly execute those tasks.

Is a visionary and trendsetter yet understands and respects the club's Culinary traditions and can balance both in creating menus, specials, and banquet offerings.

Must have computer skills, including but not limited to Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel.

Is a well-respected member of the leadership team and community team.

EDUCATIONAL & CERTIFICATION QUALIFICATIONS

A culinary arts degree from an accredited school is preferred.

Certified Executive Chef (ACF) or Pro Chef (CIA) certification is preferred.

Certification in food safety is mandatory.

EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

SALARY AND BENEFITS

Salary is open and commensurate with qualifications and experience. The club offers an excellent bonus and benefits package, including association membership.

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO APPLY

Please upload your resume and cover letter in the order listed using the link below. When prompted, you should have your documents fully prepared to attach. Please be sure your image is not on your resume or cover letter; it should be used on your LinkedIn Profile.

Prepare a thoughtful cover letter addressed to the Alan Raulerson GM/COO Wilderness Country Club and Clearly articulate your alignment with this role, why you want to be considered for this position at this stage of your career, and why WCC and the Naples, FL area will benefit you, your family, your career, and the Club if selected.

You must apply for this role as soon as possible, but no later than Tuesday, September 9th, 2025. Candidate selections will mid-September, with the first Interviews expected in early October and the second interviews a short time later. The successful candidate should assume his/her role in late October.

IMPORTANT: Save your resume and letter in the following manner: (Saved in Word or PDF format.)

Last Name, First Name - Resume &

Last Name, First Name - Cover Letter - Wilderness

Note: Once you complete the application process for this search, you are not able to go back in and add additional documents.

Click here to upload your resume and cover letter.

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