Belle Âme Estate General Manager, Culinary & Catering Lead
Belle Ame Estate
Position Summary
Belle Ame Estate is seeking a highly capable, hands-on hospitality leader to oversee the Estate's day-to-day operations while taking direct ownership of culinary execution, catering, weddings, private events, and the overall guest experience.
This is a unique leadership role combining the responsibilities of a General Manager, Lead Chef, and Catering Manager. The ideal candidate is equally comfortable leading a kitchen, managing a wedding timeline, coaching staff, reviewing labor and food costs, solving an operational problem, and stepping onto the floor to ensure guests are receiving exceptional service.
This person will serve as the operational heartbeat of Belle Ame Estate, bringing together our restaurant, bar, kitchen, catering, events, facilities, and service teams into one cohesive hospitality operation.
We are looking for someone who sees what needs to happen before being asked, creates structure, communicates clearly, leads from the front, protects profitability, and takes genuine ownership of the guest experience.
Key ResponsibilitiesEstate Operations & General Management
- Oversee daily operations across the restaurant, bar, kitchen, catering, events, and guest-facing areas of the Estate.
- Work with logistics to make sure the property is consistently clean, organized, prepared, staffed, and guest-ready.
- Build and maintain operating procedures, checklists, communication systems, and accountability standards.
- Coordinate teams so the Estate operates as one team rather than as separate functions.
- Identify operational issues with food delivery, catering, and back of house operations early and implement practical solutions before they affect guests, staff, or events.
- Maintain a visible leadership presence during service, weddings, private events, and peak operating periods.
Culinary Leadership
- Lead culinary operations for restaurant service, weddings, private events, and in-house catering.
- Develop seasonal restaurant and catering menus that are creative, approachable, visually appealing, operationally executable, and financially sound.
- Maintain high standards for food quality, flavor, presentation, consistency, timing, and sanitation.
- Create standardized recipes, plating specifications, prep procedures, production plans, and kitchen systems.
- Manage food ordering, receiving, inventory, storage, prep, production, kitchen organization, and waste reduction.
- Maintain appropriate food and labor costs while protecting quality and the guest experience.
- Ensure compliance with applicable food safety, sanitation, and health requirements.
- Lead from the front during high-volume service and major events.
Catering, Weddings & Private Events
- Own catering operations from initial planning through final execution for weddings, corporate events, private parties, celebrations, and Belle Ame-hosted events.
- Serve as a primary point of contact for catering-related client communication when appropriate.
- Guide clients through menu selections, service styles, beverage needs, upgrades, dietary requirements, tastings, and other catering decisions.
- Maintain accurate event details including guest counts, timelines, menus, dietary restrictions, rentals, staffing, service requirements, and final changes.
- Build event production plans that align the kitchen, service staff, bar, venue team, and outside partners.
- Oversee event setup, meal service, timing, staffing, guest experience, and breakdown.
- Anticipate challenges and resolve them calmly without unnecessarily involving the client.
- Conduct post-event reviews and continually improve systems and execution.
Sales & Revenue Growth
- Support the conversion of catering and event inquiries into booked business.
- Present catering packages, enhancements, and upgrades confidently and professionally.
- Identify opportunities to increase restaurant, catering, and event revenue while improving the guest experience.
- Collaborate with ownership on pricing, packages, special dinners, seasonal experiences, and new revenue opportunities.
- Develop relationships that encourage repeat corporate, private, and referral business.
Leadership, Staffing & Culture
- Recruit, interview, onboard, train, schedule, coach, and manage culinary, catering, banquet, and hospitality staff.
- Build a reliable, cross-trained team capable of supporting restaurant service and large events.
- Establish clear expectations around professionalism, communication, appearance, punctuality, hospitality, and performance.
- Conduct pre-shift and pre-event meetings so employees understand assignments, timelines, standards, and priorities.
- Create a culture that is respectful, accountable, solutions-oriented, and genuinely hospitable.
- Provide consistent coaching and performance feedback.
Guest Experience
- Own the overall Belle Ame guest experience across restaurant service, weddings, private events, and special programming.
- Handle guest concerns professionally, calmly, and decisively.
- Ensure every department understands how its work contributes to the guest experience.
- Maintain high standards for service, presentation, cleanliness, food quality, timing, and professionalism.
- Look for opportunities to surprise and delight guests while maintaining operational discipline.
Financial & Business Management
- Manage labor, food cost, purchasing, inventory, waste, vendor expenses, and other controllable operating costs.
- Monitor restaurant, catering, and event profitability.
- Take ownership of budgets, forecasts, staffing models, pricing, and operating plans for kitchen staff and catering operations.
- Identify opportunities to improve margins without compromising quality or hospitality.
- Maintain disciplined inventory and purchasing practices.
- Ensure operational decisions are made with an understanding of their financial impact.
Facilities & Property Standards
- Maintain exceptionally high standards throughout the Estate.
- Identify kitchen and catering equipment repair and replacement needs promptly.
- Build preventative systems rather than relying on last-minute fixes.
What We're Looking For
- Significant hospitality leadership experience in restaurants, catering, weddings, events, wineries, resorts, hotels, or other multi-faceted hospitality environments.
- Strong culinary experience with the ability to lead both restaurant and high-volume event food execution.
- Experience managing weddings, catering, banquets, or large private events.
- Strong understanding of food cost, labor management, inventory, purchasing, pricing, and operational profitability.
- Exceptional organization and attention to detail.
- Strong client-facing communication and hospitality skills.
- Proven ability to recruit, train, motivate, and hold teams accountable.
- Ability to manage multiple departments, deadlines, and priorities simultaneously.
- Calm, solutions-oriented leadership style under pressure.
- Strong business judgment combined with creativity and hospitality instincts.
- Ability to make decisions independently and communicate effectively with ownership.
- Willingness to be hands-on and step into any area of the operation when needed.
Schedule Expectations
Belle Ame Estate is an event-driven hospitality business, and this leadership role requires flexibility. Evening, weekend, wedding, special-event, and peak-season availability is essential.
The successful candidate understands that leadership presence during major services, weddings, tastings, private events, and other key functions is a core part of the role.
Success in This Role
Success means Belle Ame feels effortless to the guest because the operation behind it is exceptionally well run.
The kitchen is prepared. Events run on time. Food is memorable. Staff knows what is expected. Clients feel confident and cared for. Costs are controlled. Problems are anticipated. Departments communicate. Details do not fall through the cracks.
Most importantly, the successful candidate takes true ownership of the operation and helps build Belle Ame into a hospitality experience known for exceptional food, thoughtful service, beautiful events, and consistent execution.
Pay: $60,000.00 - $65,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Employee discount
- Health insurance
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
