About The Company
We are a young, fast-growing company (just recognized in the INC 5000 Fastest Growing Companies) of ambitious, mission-driven Weekenders working together to inspire personal growth through adventure, travel and exploration! We specialize in creating inspiring hotel stays for our guests in iconic destinations. 

This is a rare opportunity to be paid to learn, have an immediate and lasting impact in a young startup company and culture, and grow personally and professionally with an amazing team.

You will love it at Weekender if our core values below get you excited and inspired too!

• Embrace a Growth Mindset
• • Always be a student and always be open-minded
• Be Adventurous
• • Be excited by challenge and willing to fail-forward
• Be a Ninja
• • Commit to being world class at your job and lean-in to your superpowers
• Be a Host
• • Treat guests and teammates like you would family
• Be of Integrity
• • Own your Domain: Be accountable to your job & the greater mission
  • Embrace honesty, transparency and vulnerability
  • Follow-through and do what you say you’re going to do

Chef de Cuisine

Public House | North Creek, New York

The Opportunity

This isn’t a job listing. It’s a founding role.

The Public House Lounge is Weekender’s tavern-style restaurant in North Creek, NY, a mountain town at the base of Gore Mountain in the heart of the Adirondacks, scheduled to open mid-summer 2026. The person who takes this role won’t be inheriting someone else’s menu, someone else’s team, or someone else’s kitchen culture. They’ll be building it from scratch.

We’re looking for a Chef de Cuisine who is hungry, creative, disciplined, and ready to own

something real. Someone who has been waiting for the chance to step out of a second or third

seat and finally run the show: write the menus, build the team, set the standard, and make a

restaurant their own. If that’s you, keep reading.

The Public House will serve rustic comfort food and elevated pub fare: honest, soulful cooking

that fits the Adirondack setting without being lazy about it. Additionally, this role will oversee the Centennial Kitchen restaurant, which will focus on events but will build towards opening in late 2026 for a higher-end fine dining experience. You’ll also oversee banquet and

event operations including weddings, corporate gatherings, and social functions, which means

The role carries real revenue responsibility alongside the creative work. This role will oversee culinary operations in all three venues. 

Weekender Hotels is a fast-growing boutique hotel company with properties across the

Northeast. We promote from within, invest in the people who show up, and we’re expanding.

This role has a clear, direct path to Executive Chef as the program matures and the company

grows. We’re not offering you a ceiling. We’re offering you a launchpad.

Who We’re Looking For

You don’t need to have “Chef” in your current title. You need the instincts, the drive, and the

skills. The ideal candidate looks something like this:

• You’ve been cooking professionally for 5+ years and you are genuinely ready to lead
• You’ve run a station, a kitchen, or a shift and you know what it means to own the outcome
• You do what you said you'd do, even when no one's watching
• You care deeply about food. Not just executing it but thinking about it, improving it, making it yours
• You lead people the way you’d want to be led: with accountability, and respect
• You're energized, not intimidated, by building something from scratch.
• You understand the business side too: food cost, waste, labor, and ordering, not just the cooking
• You stay calm when it gets hard and you make the people around you better because of it
• You want to be somewhere beautiful, build something meaningful, and grow fast

What This Role Is NOT

• Not a desk job. You’ll be on the line, in the prep, and in the thick of service every day
• Not a role for someone who wants to manage from a distance. This kitchen needs a present, hands-on leader
• Not a dead end. The path to Executive Chef and beyond is real and we are actively building toward it
• Not easy. Opening a restaurant is hard, events are demanding, and we have high standards. The reward matches the challenge

What You’ll Be Responsible For

The essential functions include, but are not limited to the following:

Building and Owning the Food Program

• Develop the Public House Lounge menu from the ground up: rustic, elevated, regionally rooted, and cost-effective
• Write and maintain recipe cards, plating specs, portion guides, and allergen documentation
• Own every plate that leaves this kitchen for quality, consistency, presentation, and speed
• Introduce seasonal updates and specials that keep the menu alive and the regulars coming back
• Cost all recipes and collaborate with the GM on pricing strategy

Running the Kitchen

• Lead all daily kitchen operations: prep, line execution, expediting, and close
• Build systems, par sheets, and prep lists that make the kitchen run predictably even on your day off
• Monitor ticket times and kitchen flow; be the standard every shift, not just the good ones
• Maintain a clean, organized, inspection-ready kitchen at all times
• Uphold HACCP procedures for storage, handling, labeling, and temperature controls
• Ensure all equipment is properly maintained and flag repair needs immediately

Building and Leading the Team

• Hire, train, and develop the kitchen team, typically 2 to 4 cooks plus dishwasher, scaling for events
• Build a kitchen culture that people want to be part of: accountable, supportive, and proud of the work
• Create schedules that align with business volume, labor budgets, and event calendars
• Cross-train team members to build flexibility and depth across stations
• Identify and invest in talent with potential. We promote from within and expect you to do the same
• Hold the standard without exception, including the hard conversations when they’re needed

Owning Events and Banquets

• Lead kitchen execution for all on-property events: weddings, corporate functions, and social events
• Collaborate with the GM on BEO review, event menu planning, and production timelines
• Design event menus that are creative, practical, and profitable
• Manage event staffing, prep timelines, and kitchen logistics from start to breakdown
• Deliver every event as if it were the most important meal that group has ever eaten

Managing the Numbers

• Hit budgeted food cost and labor targets every period, not just the easy ones
• Conduct weekly inventory counts and manage ordering to minimize waste
• Track food cost variances and adjust in real time
• Approach the financial side of this role with the same seriousness as the culinary side

Collaborating Across the Property

• Work closely with the GM on menu strategy, seasonal planning, and event programming
• Communicate daily specials and menu changes to the FOH team clearly and proactively
• Participate in EOS meetings, reporting cadences, and property-wide planning
• Support deep cleans, seasonal transitions, and pre-opening preparation

How We’ll Measure Success

• Food cost and labor targets are met every period, not just when conditions are favorable
• Guest satisfaction scores of 4.5/5 or higher across dining and event feedback
• Zero critical health violations; the kitchen is inspection-ready every single day
• The team you’ve built is retained, engaged, and growing
• Events are flawless: on time, on budget, and exceeding guest expectations
• The Public House becomes a destination for locals and visitors alike, not just a hotel restaurant
• You are ready to step into an Executive Chef role within 12 to 24 months

Qualifications

We’re looking for the right person, not the right resume. That said, here’s what we’re looking for:

• Minimum of 3 years of progressive, professional kitchen experience
• At least 2 years of kitchen leadership: scheduling, ordering, team supervision, or running shifts independently
• Strong culinary skills across scratch cooking techniques that fit a comfort-forward, tavern-style menu
• A working knowledge of food costing, inventory management, and waste reduction
• Solid understanding of food safety and sanitation; ServSafe Manager certification preferred (support to obtain provided)
• Experience with banquet or event production is a plus but not a dealbreaker
• A calm, confident presence under pressure that raises the team around you
• Strong communication skills; bilingual in English and Spanish is a genuine plus
• Flexible availability including evenings, weekends, and holidays
• Physical ability to stand for extended periods and lift up to 50 lbs

Why This Role, Why Here, Why Now

We know North Creek isn’t a major metro. That’s the point.

• You’ll own something real from day one: the menu, the team, and the culture. That kind of opportunity is rare
• The Adirondacks are extraordinary. Gore Mountain skiing, Class IV whitewater, 6 million acres of wilderness, and a tight-knit mountain community that actually notices when a restaurant is great
• Weekender is growing fast with new properties, new markets, and real opportunities for people who perform
• The path to Executive Chef is near-term and concrete, not a vague someday promise
• Competitive compensation commensurate with experience
• Housing support may be available for candidates relocating to the area; ask us about it
• You’ll be part of opening something new, and that kind of experience compounds for the rest of your career

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative

of those an employee may encounter while performing the essential functions of this job.

Reasonable accommodations will be provided in accordance with applicable laws, including the

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL), to

enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

While performing the duties of this position, the employee frequently is required to use hands or

fingers; handle or feel objects, tools, or controls; walk; stand; stoop; bend; push and pull; and

reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.

The employee will regularly encounter kitchen hazards including hot surfaces, sharp equipment,

and slippery floors. The role requires the ability to work in varying temperatures, including hot

kitchen environments and walk-in coolers/freezers. Noise levels are typically moderate to high

during service.

Salary Range: $64,000 - $76,000