About the Company
Nono's is dedicated to delivering exceptional culinary experiences across all its branches, fostering a culture of excellence and teamwork.
About the Role
The Executive Chef will oversee all kitchen operations across Nono's branches, ensuring excellence in food quality, cost management, and team capability. This role serves as the gatekeeper of efficiency, inventory integrity, and CGS (Cost of Goods Sold) driving both operational results and people development. You will also lead the Store Opening Team for all new branches, ensuring readiness from equipment and recipes to people and process, while mentoring store kitchen teams to live out Nono's brand of service and excellence.
Responsibilities
Culinary and Operational Leadership
- Lead all Back-of-House (BOH) operations, ensuring consistent quality, flavor, and presentation across stores.
- Innovate, refine, and standardize recipes, processes, and kitchen systems in collaboration with the brand and operations teams.
- Oversee new store openings, from menu commissioning and kitchen layout validation to training and pre-opening readiness.
Inventory and Cost Management
- Drive efficiency in inventory management and maintain integrity in stock control.
- Monitor and optimize CGS and food cost performance across stores, ensuring minimal waste and accurate yields.
- Implement kitchen KPIs and operational audits to strengthen accountability and transparency.
People Development and Leadership
- Lead, coach, and develop Head Chefs, Sous Chefs, and Store Kitchen Leads.
- Partner with the Training and Quality Team to build culinary development programs and certification pathways.
- Cultivate a high-performance, values-driven kitchen culture grounded in integrity, discipline, and teamwork.
Food Safety and Compliance
- Ensure full compliance with food safety, sanitation, and health standards in every store.
- Maintain certification and training compliance under DOH/FDA-recognized Food Safety programs.
- Partner with internal and external auditors to ensure all stores meet regulatory and company safety standards.
Qualifications
- 812 years of progressive culinary and kitchen management experience, ideally from a multi-branch or chain restaurant group.
- Strong experience in cost control, CGS optimization, and kitchen systems management.
- Proven leadership in multi-store oversight, store openings, and culinary team development.
- Excellent organizational and communication skills, with the ability to work cross-functionally.
- Creative and grounded able to balance culinary innovation with business acumen.
- Certifications required:
- Food Safety Certification Level 2 or equivalent (recognized by the DOH/FDA, TESDA-accredited, or ServSafe-certified).
- HACCP or other industry-recognized food handling certifications are a strong advantage.
- A degree or diploma in Culinary Arts, Hotel & Restaurant Management, or related field preferred.
Required Skills
- Leadership and team development
- Cost management and optimization
- Culinary innovation
- Operational efficiency
Preferred Skills
- Experience in multi-branch operations
- Strong communication skills
- Food safety compliance knowledge
