Executive Chef
Shoals Club – Bald Head Island, North Carolina
Inspire Exceptional Dining Experiences on the Carolina Coast
The Shoals Club, part of The Clubs on Bald Head Island, is a Distinguished Club and premier private beach club located on Bald Head Island, North Carolina. Set in one of the most beautiful coastal settings in the Southeast, the Club provides a highly personal, member-focused experience centered around oceanfront dining, family recreation, special events, and exceptional hospitality.
The Club serves approximately 800 memberships, an additional 800 extended family pass holders, and approximately 7,000 guest pass holders annually. Shoals Club operates a significant food and beverage program with approximately $2.3 million in annual F&B revenue and approximately 51,000 annual covers across multiple dining venues.
Shoals Club is seeking an experienced, polished, and highly motivated Executive Chef to lead its culinary operation and continue elevating the dining experience to reflect the standards of a Platinum-level private club. This position requires a hands-on culinary leader who can balance creativity, consistency, financial discipline, team development, and exceptional member service.
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Dining Operation
Shoals Club offers a diverse culinary program across multiple outlets:
Aqua is the Club's fine dining venue, serving approximately 10,000 covers annually and primarily focused on dinner service.
Latitudes is a tapas-style bar and dining venue, serving approximately 9,500 covers annually and also primarily dinner-driven.
Sandbar Grille is the Club's poolside casual restaurant, serving approximately 31,500 covers annually and primarily focused on lunch service, supporting the Club's pool, beach, and daytime member experience.
The culinary operation is supported by two primary kitchens and a dedicated prep kitchen. One kitchen supports Aqua and Latitudes, while a separate kitchen supports Sandbar Grille. The current culinary team includes a Chef de Cuisine, two Sous Chefs, eight full-time culinary staff, and ten part-time culinary staff.
Position Summary
The Executive Chef reports directly to the General Manager and serves as a key member of the Club's leadership team. This role oversees all culinary operations, including menu development, food quality, kitchen culture, staff training, purchasing, inventory, sanitation, financial performance, and event execution.
The ideal candidate will understand that private club dining is built on consistency, relationships, member recognition, creativity, and trust. This leader must be comfortable moving between fine dining, high-volume casual lunch service, member events, weddings, and seasonal banquet execution while maintaining the highest standards of professionalism.
Key Responsibilities
• Lead all culinary operations for Shoals Club dining outlets, events, weddings, and member functions.
• Develop menus that reflect the Club's coastal setting, member preferences, seasonal ingredients, and current culinary trends.
• Maintain exceptional standards for food quality, flavor, consistency, presentation, and execution.
• Elevate the fine dining experience at Aqua while maintaining efficient, high-quality execution at Latitudes and Sandbar Grille.
• Lead, mentor, train, and develop the culinary team.
• Build a positive, respectful, accountable, and professional kitchen culture.
• Manage food cost, labor cost, purchasing, inventory, production, and waste control.
• Collaborate with front-of-house leadership, events, purchasing, accounting, HR, and senior Club leadership.
• Ensure banquet and event menus are properly planned, costed, staffed, prepped, and executed.
• Maintain cleanliness, organization, food safety, and sanitation standards throughout all culinary areas.
• Support the continued advancement of the Club toward a Platinum-level private club dining experience.
Qualifications
Required
• Prior Executive Chef or senior culinary leadership experience in a high-volume hospitality environment.
• Fine dining and/or private club culinary experience required.
• Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, or related degree required.
• Strong leadership, coaching, training, and team development skills.
• Proven experience managing food cost, labor budgets, purchasing, inventory, and waste controls.
• Ability to lead multiple dining outlets with different service styles and volume demands.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and leadership skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, seasonal, service-oriented hospitality environment.
Preferred
• Experience in private clubs, luxury resorts, upscale restaurants, or high-end coastal hospitality operations.
• Experience leading both fine dining and high-volume casual dining operations.
• Experience with banquets, weddings, member events, and seasonal club programming.
• Familiarity with island, resort, seasonal, or remote-location logistics.
Compensation and Benefits
• Competitive salary based on experience.
• Monthly and annual bonus potential based on performance and operational goals.
• Temporary housing assistance may be available.
• Health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Paid Time Off.
• 401(k) with company match.
• Club perks and employee dining privileges.
• Professional development opportunities.
• Employee Assistance Program.
• Beautiful coastal work environment on Bald Head Island.
Our Culture
At Shoals Club, we believe in creating memorable experiences through genuine hospitality. Every team member is expected to embody our core values:
• Smile
• Be Nice
• Say Yes
• Solve Problems
The right candidate will be passionate about culinary excellence, mentorship, organization, creativity, and delivering unforgettable dining experiences in a premier private club setting.
Join the Shoals Club and help Inspire Happiness for our members, guests, and fellow team members every day.