Restaurant Year jobs in Durham District, ON

Haugen’s Chicken & BBQ, part of the Circles & Squares Bakery family, is looking for a passionate and driven Head Chef to lead our kitchen team in Port Perry.

As we continue building the next chapter of Haugen’s, we’re placing a major focus on food quality, hospitality, consistency, and operational excellence while growing the restaurant into a destination known for great BBQ, comfort food, and housemade offerings.

We’re looking for a strong culinary leader who genuinely cares about food, people, and creating an excellent guest experience. The ideal candidate is hands on, organized, solution focused, and capable of leading by example in a fast paced environment. This role requires someone who can maintain high standards while mentoring and developing the current kitchen team, improving systems and organization, and helping drive the restaurant forward operationally and creatively.

The Head Chef will oversee all kitchen operations including daily service, team leadership, menu development, food quality, systems, ordering, labour management, and overall kitchen performance.

Responsibilities

Culinary Leadership & Menu Development

• Lead and oversee all day to day kitchen operations
• Collaborate with ownership and the culinary team on menu development, seasonal features, and ongoing food innovation
• Maintain high standards for food quality, consistency, presentation, and execution
• Develop and improve recipes, prep systems, kitchen organization, and operational procedures
• Continue evolving Haugen’s menu while staying true to the brand and guest expectations

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop the kitchen team through positive and hands on leadership
• Foster a culture of accountability, professionalism, teamwork, and growth
• Support training and ongoing development of cooks and kitchen leaders
• Build strong communication and collaboration between front and back of house teams
• Create a kitchen culture where people feel supported, motivated, and proud of the food being produced

Operations & Continuous Improvement

• Drive operational improvements, kitchen organization, and workflow efficiencies throughout the business
• Identify opportunities to improve systems, consistency, labour management, prep flow, and overall kitchen performance
• Manage labour, scheduling, food cost, waste, ordering, inventory, and daily production needs
• Work closely with leadership to support restaurant growth and long term operational goals
• Maintain strong awareness of sales performance, opportunities, and operational improvements

Food Safety & Standards

• Ensure all food safety, sanitation, allergen, and health standards are consistently upheld
• Maintain a clean, organized, and professional kitchen environment
• Ensure equipment is maintained properly and issues are addressed proactively
• Lead by example in cleanliness, organization, urgency, and kitchen standards

Qualifications & Skills

• Previous experience as a Head Chef, Executive Chef, or senior kitchen leader
• Strong leadership and team development skills
• Passion for BBQ, comfort food, hospitality, and quality ingredients
• Experience with menu development, costing, systems, and kitchen operations
• Strong understanding of labour management, food cost, and operational efficiency
• Ability to lead change, improve systems, and build structure within a growing kitchen
• Organized, reliable, hands on, and solution oriented
• Valid Food Handler’s Certification required
• Must be flexible and available to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as required by restaurant operations

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: From $70,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company events
• Discounted or free food
• Flexible schedule
• On-site parking
• Paid time off

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Port Perry, ON: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Experience:

• Kitchen Leadership (in high volume): 5 years (required)

Language:

• English (required)

Work Location: In person