District Chef - O&B

Oliver & Bonacini · Toronto

Company Description

Founded in 1993 by Peter Oliver and Michael Bonacini, Oliver & Bonacini Hospitality is now recognized as one of Canada’s leading restaurant and event groups. With locations in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton and beyond, O&B’s diverse portfolio currently includes a collection of unique and innovative restaurants, event spaces, a bakery, and several strategic partnerships.

Oliver & Bonacini credits its success to the development of a strong corporate culture, where excellence of food quality and service are valued above all else. With even further expansion ahead, Oliver & Bonacini’s standards of food and service excellence remain the main focus of the company’s vision.

Job Description

The Executive Chef is responsible for providing strategic culinary leadership and direction across the operation, ensuring the highest standards of food quality, creativity, consistency, and execution. As the senior culinary leader, this role oversees and supports the Chef de Cuisine and culinary leadership team, driving the overall culinary vision while ensuring the business delivers an exceptional guest experience.

The Executive Chef balances creativity with strong business acumen, using thoughtful menu development, financial management, labour optimization, and operational discipline to drive the success of the culinary operation. They are responsible for building and developing high-performing culinary teams, fostering a culture of excellence and accountability, and ensuring O&B’s culinary standards, values, and philosophy are consistently represented.

Working closely with the General Manager, Front of House leadership, and broader O&B leadership team, the Executive Chef plays a key role in shaping the direction of the business and identifying opportunities to continuously elevate the guest experience, culinary offering, and financial performance.

The Day to Day:

Provides overall culinary leadership, direction, and vision for the business, ensuring the culinary offering reflects O&B’s standards, values, and commitment to excellence.
Leads, mentors, and develops the Chef de Cuisine and broader culinary leadership team, providing clear expectations, coaching, feedback, and ongoing support.
Partners with the Chef de Cuisine to ensure the successful day-to-day operation of the kitchen, maintaining the highest standards of food quality, consistency, organization, cleanliness, and execution.
Establishes culinary priorities and long-term strategies that support the overall business plan and financial objectives.
Oversees menu development and evolution, ensuring offerings are creative, relevant, commercially successful, and aligned with the restaurant’s identity and guest expectations.
Collaborates with the Chef de Cuisine and Front of House leadership to ensure a seamless connection between culinary execution and the overall guest experience.
Maintains accountability for culinary financial performance, including food cost, labour cost, purchasing, inventory, waste management, budgeting, and forecasting.
Reviews financial results and operational reporting regularly, identifying opportunities to improve profitability, productivity, and efficiency.
Develops and implements systems and processes that maximize kitchen productivity while maintaining O&B’s standards of quality and craftsmanship.
Provides oversight of purchasing, ordering, receiving, inventory, and supplier relationships to ensure quality, consistency, and cost effectiveness.
Builds strong relationships with suppliers and partners to ensure access to high-quality ingredients and products.
Leads and supports the recruitment, selection, onboarding, training, development, and performance management of culinary leadership and team members.
Creates a culture of accountability, collaboration, learning, and continuous improvement within the culinary team.
Identifies and develops high-potential culinary talent, creating opportunities for career growth and succession planning.
Ensures consistent execution of recipes, culinary standards, portioning, presentation, and food quality across all areas of the operation.
Partners with the General Manager and leadership team on business planning, forecasting, operational initiatives, and opportunities to grow the business.
Works closely with Front of House leadership to respond to guest feedback and continuously enhance the overall dining experience.
Acts as a culinary ambassador for the restaurant and O&B, representing the brand professionally both within and outside of the business.
Fosters a culture centered around the experience, enjoyment, creativity, and craftsmanship of food and cooking.
Ensures all health, safety, sanitation, food handling, and workplace standards are consistently followed.
Maintains the highest standards of personal integrity and business ethics while promoting a positive and professional work environment.
Uses strong communication, conflict resolution, and problem-solving skills to address challenges and support a high-performing team.
Stays current with culinary trends, techniques, products, and industry developments, identifying opportunities to keep the culinary offering innovative and competitive.
Participates in special events, activations, tastings, and other culinary initiatives as required.
Other duties as assigned or required.

Qualifications

Minimum 7–10 years of progressive culinary leadership experience, including experience in an Executive Chef, Chef de Cuisine, or comparable senior culinary leadership role.
Proven experience leading and developing senior culinary teams in a high-volume restaurant, hospitality, catering, or similar environment.
Demonstrated ability to lead through other leaders, with experience managing, mentoring, and developing Chef de Cuisine and/or Sous Chef-level talent.
Post-secondary education in Culinary Arts Management, Hospitality, or a related field.
Red Seal certification considered an asset.
Food Handler certification required.
Strong business and financial acumen, with demonstrated experience managing food and labour costs, budgets, forecasting, and financial performance.
Proven experience with menu development, recipe costing, purchasing, inventory management, and operational systems.
Strong understanding of current culinary trends, techniques, ingredients, and industry practices.
Demonstrated ability to balance culinary creativity with commercial and operational objectives.
Exceptional leadership, coaching, and team development capabilities.
Strong human resources experience, including recruitment, selection, training, performance management, succession planning, and employee relations.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build strong relationships across all levels of the organization.
Exceptional organizational, planning, and time management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook; experience with relevant restaurant or financial systems considered an asset.
Self-motivated, adaptable, solutions-oriented, and able to make sound decisions in a high-pressure environment.
Demonstrated commitment to hospitality, culinary excellence, and delivering an exceptional guest experience.
Available to work evenings, weekends, holidays, and other periods as required by the business.
Legally eligible to work in Canada.

Additional Information

AI Disclosure
To ensure a fair and efficient recruitment process, some aspects of candidate screening may be conducted using AI software. All assessments and outcomes are reviewed by our hiring team to provide thoughtful, personalized consideration. We are committed to transparency and respect, ensuring a welcoming experience for every candidate.

Accessibility & Accommodation
Oliver & Bonacini is committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process. If you require accommodation or support during any stage of the hiring process, please let us know. We will work with you to ensure your needs are met in a respectful and timely manner.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

We value and embrace diversity in all forms and encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply. Our recruitment practices are designed to ensure fairness, equity, and opportunity for every candidate.

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