About the Role
A private family in Westchester County, NY, is seeking a talented and adaptable private chef to provide full-time culinary leadership for two principals and their two young adult children. This position oversees the complete culinary program across multiple residences and a private aircraft, preparing healthy, family-friendly meals. The ideal candidate is passionate about nutritious cooking, highly organized, service-oriented, and adept at adjusting to varied environments, requiring flexibility, strong communication, hospitality, and event planning skills.
Responsibilities
- Design and prepare daily meals tailored to the principals' preferences, dietary needs, and restrictions, drawing on a broad range of culinary styles.
- Maintain menu variety and seasonality through structured, forward-looking menu planning and ingredients procurement.
- Execute daily multi-course dinners for the family and prepare healthy snacks and meals.
- Scale confidently and consistently across occasions from an intimate family dinner for two to a full reception for up to eighty guests.
- Oversee all elements of food and beverage hospitality for the NY residence daily, plus the private aircraft and secondary residences as needed.
- Collaborate with household and support staff to plan and execute family gatherings, business dinners, and special events.
- Own all food sourcing, purchasing, and related inventory management with emphasis on quality, seasonality, and sustainability.
- Maintain organized inventory inspections and procurement schedules that prevent both shortages and waste.
- Track food costs and kitchen budgets; provide regular, accurate reporting to the family office.
- Ensure the high-quality kitchen equipment and household interiors are maintained in pristine condition.
- Lead and mentor a culinary team member who provides kitchen and procurement support, family meals service, and serves as the on-board hospitality person for the private aircraft.
- Set the tone for professionalism, reliability, and a positive attitude toward the demands of household service, including weekend and holiday work.
- Communicate proactively with principals and colleagues.
- Respond constructively to feedback and adjust performance, menus, or approach accordingly.
Requirements
- Formal training including completion of a reputable culinary school program.
- 5+ years of recent, full-time experience as Head Chef in a single private residence.
- 5+ years of leadership experience as an Executive Chef in fine dining, private clubs, luxury hospitality, or Michelin-caliber restaurants.
- Demonstrated range across cuisines and dietary protocols (e.g., Kosher, pescatarian).
- Current food safety certification (e.g., ServSafe or equivalent).
- Proven ability to scale seamlessly from an intimate dinner to a reception for eighty.
- Willingness and ability to travel domestically as needed to secondary homes.
- Strong, structured organizational skills across menu planning, time management, inventory management, procurement, and budgeting, with the ability to run these systems independently.
- A demonstrated long-term commitment to private chef work as a career, with references that can speak to tenure, reliability, and intent to stay.
- A track record of receiving feedback and adjusting performance in response.
- Flexibility and genuine willingness to work evenings and weekends as needed, with a consistently positive attitude that sets an example for any supporting staff.
- Able to work legally in the US.
Skills
- Culinary leadership
- Healthy cooking
- Family-friendly meals
- Menu planning
- Ingredients procurement
- Event planning
- Hospitality
- Service-oriented
- Flexibility
- Strong communication
- Organization
- Budget management
- Inventory management
- Team leadership
- Proactive communication
- Constructive feedback response
Location
- Westchester County, NY
Work Type
- Full-time
- Regular flexibility to work weekends
Experience Level
- 5+ years of recent, full-time experience as Head Chef in a single private residence
- 5+ years of leadership experience as an Executive Chef in fine dining, private clubs, luxury hospitality, or Michelin-caliber restaurants
Education Level
- Reputable culinary school program
Salary/Compensations
- Competitive salary, commensurate with experience and qualifications.
Benefits
- Annual discretionary bonus
- Fully paid health insurance
- Generous PTO
About the Company
- A private family based in Westchester County, NY.
