Head Chef

Overview

About Highland Brewing: Highland is proudly independent, deeply rooted, and generating joy for our customers and our community. As the first brewery in Asheville since Prohibition, our beer and destination brewery are authentic tastes of the heart and soul of a place that continues to captivate people. Committed to quality, sustainability, and community, Highland champions a “Thirst for Good” across the Southern Appalachians.

About Highland Brewing: Highland is proudly independent, deeply rooted, and generating joy for our customers and our community. As the first brewery in Asheville since Prohibition, our beer and destination brewery are authentic tastes of the heart and soul of a place that continues to captivate people. Committed to quality, sustainability, and community, Highland champions a “Thirst for Good” across the Southern Appalachians.

Working at Highland: We are proud to be absurdly people-focused. To support the physical, mental, and financial health of our team, we have a wide range of benefits offerings including health, dental, vision, company-paid life insurance, no-cost mental health and financial services, paid time off, paid holidays, free beer and so much more!

TITLE
:
Head Chef

STATUS
:
Full-time, salary, exempt

In collaboration with the Guest Experience Director, our Head Chef will lead the culinary vision and operations for Highland Brewing’s new pizza kitchen. This is an opportunity for a hands-on leader to build a team from the ground up and shape our kitchen culture from day one. The role combines menu development, team building, leadership, and operational excellence—delivering consistently outstanding food at scale for our brewery guests.

The ideal candidate has a passion for making extraordinary pizza plus the culinary expertise to lead a kitchen team in a high-volume setting using high-quality ingredients and equipment.

• Execute a Northeast-inspired pizza program using high-temperature electric deck ovens (e.g. Pizza master, Moretti Forni), balancing traditional artisanal pizza making practices with the demands of high-volume production.
• Work with the Guest Experience Director to refine a menu of pizza, Italian sandwiches, salads, and appetizers.
• Collaborate with Brewing and Taproom teams on beer pairings and special releases.

• Oversee the end-to-end launch of the pizza kitchen team: equipment setup, workflow design, recipe development, and staff training/coaching.
• Implement systems for high-volume production that maintain quality and consistency during peak service.
• Ensure compliance with food safety standards and health regulations.

• Recruit, train, and manage a kitchen team of 12-15 people
• Foster a positive, inclusive kitchen culture focused on quality and efficiency.
• Manage scheduling, labor planning, and cross-training.
• Set clear standards and lead with both accountability and heart

• Develop and manage food and labor budgets; maintain COGS targets.
• Source and negotiate with vendors; manage inventory and ordering.
• Engineer menus for profitability and efficiency.

• 5+ years of culinary leadership experience in high-volume kitchens; pizza or bakery expertise strongly preferred, and a passion for great pizza required.
• Familiarity with multiple pizza styles, including New Haven, New York, Tavern, and Detroit.
• Proven success in launching new concepts
• Serv Safe Manager certification (or ability to obtain within 30 days).
• Strong financial acumen and operational systems experience.
• Excellent leadership and communication skills; thrives under pressure.
• Ability to work evenings, weekends, and event-heavy periods.
• Familiarity with Toast POS is a plus

As this position is working in a kitchen/restaurant environment, the physical demands of this role include, but are not limited to:

• Standing for long periods of time.
• Bending, twisting, reaching overhead, lifting up to 30lbs frequently & up to 50lbs occasionally.
• Working with cleaning chemicals.

At-Will Employment
:
Employment with Highland Brewing Co. may be terminated by either Highland or the employee at any time with or without cause or notice.

To apply, please submit sample menus, along with your resume and a cover letter.