Boston, we’re hiring a chef who wants to run a kitchen — really run it.
Who We Are
Johnny Burke Catering & Events is one of Greater Boston’s fastest-growing high-end catering companies. From our West Roxbury commissary, we produce hundreds of events a year: polished weddings and corporate galas, private dinners in the Harvard world, sunset events aboard the Charles River fleet, a bustling summer club, and a brand-new corporate dining operation launching this winter. We are a food-first company that moves with urgency, talks straight, and takes care of the people who take care of us.
The Role
We recently brought on a VP of Culinary to lead culinary strategy across our whole group — menus, new ventures, the big picture. Now we need an Executive Chef to own the engine that powers all of it: the catering kitchen.
This is a true kitchen-leadership job, not a title. You are fully accountable for running the JBCE catering kitchen: production, prep, purchasing, quality, food safety, and the culinary team. From the first prep list of the week to the last van packed on Saturday. The VP of Culinary sets the direction; you make it happen, every day, at volume, without dropping a detail. In off-premise catering there are no do-overs: once the truck leaves (or the boat sails), the event is only as good as what your kitchen sent out.
What You’ll Own
- Production & event readiness. Run daily production across simultaneous events — accurate prep lists posted and touched every day, mise en place complete, and tomorrow’s game plan locked before you leave at night.
- Packing & load-outs. Own the packing standard. Every event that leaves the building is checked, complete, and signed off — because on-site, missing items can’t be fixed.
- Your team. Lead the sous chefs, line cooks, and prep team: hire, train, coach, and build schedules two weeks out. Managers close the kitchen, and you build a crew that runs clean without you standing over it.
- Purchasing & inventory. Order to a weekly purchasing budget, cross-check every delivery, and keep walk-ins organized, labeled, and rotated. Know what’s in the building before anything gets bought.
- Food & labor cost. Hit food-cost targets, manage in-shop hours, and catch overtime before it posts — through smart scheduling, never shortcuts.
- Quality control. Set and enforce plating and execution standards with our event chefs. Be present at key events and run debriefs that make next weekend better than last.
- The weekly rhythm. Run the weekly culinary/sales BEO meetings, align the kitchen to every event two weeks out, and communicate changes fast and clearly.
- Food safety. Uphold sanitation, allergen, and food-safety protocols without exception — daily walkthroughs, clean closes, zero surprises.
Who You Are
- 5 years of kitchen leadership (Executive Chef, Executive Sous, or Chef de Cuisine) in a high-volume operation — catering, banquets, hotels, or a multi-unit group.
- Off-premise catering experience strongly preferred — you understand food that gets packed, transported, and finished on site.
- A systems builder: prep lists, ordering, schedules, and checklists that hold up on the busiest Saturday of the year.
- Proven command of food cost and labor management — you know your numbers and act on them.
- A teacher and a leader — calm under pressure, direct, and respected by cooks because you’re in it with them.
- ServSafe Manager certified (or able to obtain within 30 days) and available for a peak-season schedule that includes weekends.
Compensation & Benefits
- $90,000–$100,000 salary, depending on experience (paid weekly pay via direct deposit)
- Health insurance (eligible after 60 days)
- 401(k) with company match up to 3% (eligible after 60 days)
- Paid time off, plus Massachusetts earned sick time
- Real growth: you’ll report to our VP of Culinary in a company opening new operations every year — chefs who deliver here get bigger jobs, fast
