Lead Cook/Kitchen Manager

Lead Cook / Kitchen Manager

Chattanooga Driving Club | Chattanooga, Tennessee
Full-Time | On-Site

About Chattanooga Driving Club

Chattanooga Driving Club is a new, private membership club created for driving enthusiasts and their guests. Our club brings members together through great food, social events, motorsports, and genuine camaraderie.

We are a small, personable club where members and employees know one another by name. Our food and beverage program is an important part of the member experience, with an emphasis on quality, consistency, creativity, and warm hospitality.

The Opportunity

We are looking for a talented, creative, and easygoing Head Cook/Kitchen Manager to help build the culinary identity of Chattanooga Driving Club.

This is a hands-on position for someone who takes pride in their food, knows their way around a grill and smoker, and enjoys having the freedom to contribute ideas. Our menu will feature approachable, high-quality food prepared with care—including grilled meats, smoked specialties, sandwiches, salads, shareable dishes, and club favorites.

Because we are a small club, this position is about more than working behind the line. The right person will enjoy getting to know our members, listening to their feedback, and occasionally stepping out of the kitchen to talk about a dish or make someone feel especially welcome.

We are looking for someone confident but flexible—a dependable team player who can lead the kitchen while maintaining a relaxed, positive atmosphere.

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare and execute high-quality food consistently for lunch, dinner, happy hours, member events, and private gatherings.
• Confidently operate a grill and smoker, including preparing meats, managing temperatures, and producing consistent results.
• Contribute creative ideas for menus, weekly specials, seasonal dishes, and member events.
• Help establish recipes, portions, plating standards, and kitchen procedures.
• Lead by example while supervising, training, and supporting other kitchen employees.
• Coordinate closely with club management and the front-of-house team to ensure smooth, timely service.
• Maintain food quality, freshness, presentation, and consistency.
• Assist with ordering, receiving, inventory control, waste reduction, and food-cost management.
• Keep the kitchen clean, organized, safe, and ready for service.
• Follow all health, sanitation, food-handling, and workplace-safety requirements.
• Accommodate member preferences and dietary needs whenever reasonably possible.
• Build positive relationships with members and contribute to the club's welcoming atmosphere.

Qualifications

• Previous experience as a lead cook, line cook, sous chef, or similar kitchen professional.
• Strong grilling skills and hands-on experience using a smoker.
• Solid understanding of food preparation, cooking techniques, seasoning, timing, and presentation.
• Creativity and enthusiasm for developing specials and improving menu offerings.
• Ability to organize a kitchen and remain calm and efficient during busy service periods.
• Dependable, personable, and comfortable working as part of a small team.
• Strong communication skills and a positive, easygoing attitude.
• Knowledge of food safety, sanitation standards, inventory practices, and basic food-cost control.
• Willingness to work evenings, weekends, holidays, and special events based on the club’s schedule.

Formal culinary training and previous club or banquet experience are helpful but not required. We care most about experience, attitude, consistency, creativity, and pride in your work.

The Right Fit

This position is ideal for someone who wants more than just another kitchen job. You will have the opportunity to help shape a new club’s food program, contribute your own ideas, and become an important part of a close-knit community. While fostering a vibrant kitchen culture!

If you enjoy cooking great food, working with good people, having an unheard-of schedule in the hospitality industry, and creating an experience that keeps members coming back, we would like to meet you.

To apply, please submit your résumé and a brief introduction describing your experience with grilling, smoking meats, and menu development.

Pay: $55,000.00 - $65,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Flexible schedule
• Food provided
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person