Executive Chef

Position Description:

From Nonna’s kitchen to your table, Mia’s Italian Kitchen brings the warmth, flavor, and tradition of authentic Italian dining. Our menu is rooted in nostalgia and built around made-from-scratch family recipes designed to bring people together.

You’ll lead the culinary operation from the pass to the P&L, build a high-performing kitchen team, deliver exceptional food, protect quality and consistency, and drive profitability. You’ll set the culinary standard, develop people, and create an environment where great food and great hospitality happen every shift.

Alexandria Restaurant Partners locations include Ada’s on the River, Barca Pier & Wine Bar, Café Tu Tu Tango, Mia’s Italian Kitchen, Palette 22, Theismann’s, The Royal, and Vola’s Dockside Grill & Hi-Tide Lounge.

Position Responsibilities: Key Accountabilities include, but are not limited to:

• Lead the Kitchen: Set the pace, standards, and expectations for a high-volume culinary operation.
• Drive Culinary Excellence: Execute recipes, presentation, portioning, and quality standards with consistency and precision.
• Build Great Teams: Recruit, train, coach, develop, and retain a skilled culinary team that performs with urgency and pride.
• Control Food Costs: Manage food purchasing, inventory, portion control, waste, yields, and vendor relationships to maximize profitability.
• Own the P&L: Understand key financial drivers and use sales, labor, food cost, and productivity data to make smart business decisions.
• Lead the Rush: Plan staffing, prep, production, and execution to deliver exceptional food and ticket times during peak volume.
• Protect Food Safety: Maintain strict sanitation, food handling, storage, temperature, and safety standards at all times.
• Execute Consistently: Ensure every dish leaving the kitchen meets recipe, quality, timing, and presentation expectations.
• Plan & Prepare: Forecast business needs and build effective prep, production, ordering, and staffing plans around volume.
• Partner Across the Restaurant: Work closely with the General Manager and front-of-house leadership to create a seamless guest experience.
• Develop Future Leaders: Identify talent, provide meaningful feedback, and create clear paths for culinary team members to grow.
• Lead by Example: Create a culture of accountability, urgency, teamwork, professionalism, and continuous improvement.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Qualifications & Key Attributes -

• 5+ years of Executive Chef or comparable culinary leadership experience in a full-service, high-volume restaurant.
• Proven ability to lead and develop large culinary teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong knowledge of scratch cooking, recipe execution, food quality, and culinary standards.
• Demonstrated success managing food cost, labor, inventory, purchasing, and waste.
• Strong understanding of P&L performance and restaurant financial drivers.
• Proven ability to hire, train, coach, and retain high-performing kitchen teams.
• Strong knowledge of food safety, sanitation, HACCP principles, and health department standards.
• Ability to prioritize, problem-solve, and make confident decisions under pressure.
• Exceptional organization and communication skills with a strong sense of urgency.
• Ability to work flexible schedules, including nights, weekends, and holidays, based on business needs.
• Culinary degree or formal culinary training preferred, but proven leadership and high-volume restaurant experience matter most.
• Food safety certification required or ability to obtain within company-required timeframe.
• Must be able to speak and understand English.

Additional Information: People are the core of our business. That’s why our benefits include:

• Eligible for a monthly profit-sharing bonus.
• 401K
• Health insurance for full-time employees
• Dental, vision, and life insurance for full-time employees
• Paid time off for full-time employees (Vacation and sick)
• Complimentary dining privileges at any of our ARP locations
• Opportunity for personal and professional growth