Hiring executive chefs

Executive chefs are culinary artists who draw on their imagination to plan unique menus. But for a restaurant to stay in business, the chef must use their culinary creativity while still accounting for food cost. Your candidate should be adept at sourcing in-budget ingredients, setting reasonable menu prices that maximize profitability and minimize waste.

Serving unsafe food isn’t just a health hazard — it could get a restaurant into legal trouble. Your executive chef should have in-depth knowledge of proper food preparation, cooking techniques, and temperature control. By following all food and sanitation protocols, they can maintain a clean, safe, and inviting environment for both team members and customers.

This question will test your chef’s flavor profile expertise — a must — and is also a fun way to learn about their personal taste. Your chef should be able to create a menu using flavors that pair well together, while also adding their own personal flair. A strong candidate will be able to recommend food and beverage pairings to guests.

An executive chef should be able to make strong business decisions, cultivating mutually beneficial relationships with vendors. Your chef should possess the interpersonal skills and business acumen necessary to nurture your existing vendor relationships. A strong candidate may also bring new vendors into the mix.

Professional kitchens are fast-paced, high-pressure environments. As a leader, an executive chef sets the tone when it comes to conflict. The chef should be able to stay calm and professional, even in tense situations. They should work to diffuse conflict, make compromises when necessary, and devise fair solutions.

The culinary field is competitive. You’ll want to ensure your executive chef is able to find and retain skilled sous chefs, line cooks, and other staff members. A great chef is a strong mentor and motivator who can build a team of talented employees by creating a positive and rewarding work environment.

An executive chef should be passionate about food and genuinely excited to create satisfying culinary experiences for your customers. Learning about their background and what drew them to cooking in the first place will help you get a sense of their motivations, training, enthusiasm, creativity, and career goals.

An executive chef should be able to describe crucial technical skills, such as in-depth knowledge of food preparation techniques; comfort working with a variety of equipment, cuisines, and ingredients; and a strong understanding of flavor profiles. Your candidate should also be able to articulate essential soft skills, such as a sense of creativity.

Without intimate knowledge of your kitchen, your candidate has a unique outsider’s perspective and will have to use their industry expertise to strategize broadly. They may suggest menu tweaks, service improvements, or even marketing and outreach ideas. Your candidate’s response will provide insight into the way they think, and what they might offer in terms of a wider strategy.