Chef de Cuisine

Chef de Cuisine

King William Wine Co. is seeking a Chef de Cuisine to lead the day-to-day operation of our small European-inspired kitchen.

Recently recognized as one of San Antonio Magazine’s Best New Restaurants and named to the San Antonio Express-News Top 50 Restaurants, King William Wine Co. is an intimate, highly personal restaurant built around beautiful food, extraordinary wine, and genuine hospitality.

This is not a high-volume kitchen—and we do not want it to become one.

Our focus is perfect execution, every plate and every service. We serve a limited number of guests each evening, giving the kitchen and service teams the opportunity to know our members and returning guests, understand their preferences, and create experiences that feel personal. Guests may spend the evening over Champagne, caviar, rare Burgundy, mature Bordeaux, or another exceptional bottle, and the food must meet that same standard.

The Role:

Working closely with Chef/Owner Jill Arreguin, the Chef de Cuisine will take ownership of the restaurant’s daily kitchen operations, including:

* Leading preparation and dinner service with calm, precise execution

* Maintaining absolute consistency in seasoning, temperature, timing, and presentation

* Managing kitchen scheduling and daily labor

* Placing orders, maintaining pars, and managing inventory, waste, and food costs

* Creating prep lists and ensuring every station is completely ready for service

* Receiving and organizing product

* Training, developing, and holding a small kitchen team accountable

* Maintaining sanitation, organization, and closing standards

* Communicating closely with the front-of-house team throughout service

* Learning the preferences of our members and regular guests

* Protecting the restaurant’s culinary standards while continuing to improve its systems

This is a hands-on leadership position. The Chef de Cuisine must be comfortable managing every operational detail while also working on the line and leading service when execution matters most.

The Kitchen

Our food is grounded in classic European technique, with a particular affection for France, Spain, and Italy, and informed by the seasons and the ingredients of South Texas.

The kitchen is small by design. We are looking for a chef who understands that a compact team can produce extraordinary work when it is organized, prepared, and led well.

Success here is not measured by how many covers we push through the dining room. It is measured by whether every guest receives the best version of every dish, every time.

The Opportunity

Our à la carte menu changes seasonally, allowing the Chef de Cuisine to participate meaningfully in its evolution. We also develop a new eight-course tasting experience approximately every three weeks, along with intimate wine dinners, chef’s tables, member experiences, and occasional special events.

The wine program is central to the restaurant. Our guests come to enjoy special bottles and thoughtful pairings, and the kitchen must understand how food supports the entire evening. This is an opportunity for a chef who is excited by the relationship between food and wine and wants to cook for guests who genuinely appreciate both.

There is room for creativity—but it must be supported by discipline, repeatability, and flawless execution.

We are looking for a chef who:

* Has leadership experience in an upscale, chef-driven, or fine-dining kitchen

* Understands the precision required for intimate, multi-course dining

* Can independently manage scheduling, ordering, inventory, prep, and daily execution

* Has strong classical technique and refined plating skills

* Leads a small team calmly, clearly, and by example

* Is willing to work beside the team rather than manage from a distance

* Values consistency as much as creativity

* Understands that hospitality begins in the kitchen

* Enjoys getting to know members, regulars, and returning guests

* Can execute an established culinary vision while contributing thoughtful new ideas

* Takes pride in the details that turn an excellent dinner into a memorable one

* Experience with tasting menus, seafood, pasta, pastry, butchery, luxury ingredients, or wine-driven dining is especially valuable.

The Schedule

King William operates on a focused and consistent weekly schedule:

* Three to four dinner services per week

* Dedicated preparation days

* Consistent operating hours

* Occasional private dinners, wine events, or special services on normally closed days

Special events are planned intentionally. They are not treated as a permanent state of emergency.

Why This Role Is Different

This is an opportunity to take real ownership of an ambitious, recognized restaurant without stepping into a high-volume operation or an oversized brigade.

You will lead a small kitchen serving a limited number of guests at a very high level. You will work with exceptional ingredients, an extraordinary wine program, a loyal membership, and guests who value personal hospitality as much as technical excellence.

We are looking for someone who wants to know the people they are cooking for, take pride in consistently beautiful execution, and lead the kitchen into its next chapter—not simply hold the title of Chef de Cuisine.

Pay: $18.00 - $28.00 per hour

Work Location: In person