Executive Chef

Executive Chef – Morrison Healthcare (Compass One Healthcare)

Location: Lexington, KY |
Salary: $80,000‑95,000 per year |
Sign‑On Bonus: $5,000 and relocation assistance.

Schedule: Monday through Friday 6 am to 4:30 pm or 5:00 pm, with manager‑on‑duty weekend rotation (currently every 10th weekend).

Morrison Healthcare is a leading national food and nutrition services company serving more than 600 hospitals and healthcare systems. Its hospital kitchens, restaurants, and cafés feature socially responsible practices and exceptional guest experiences. The company’s comprehensive Mindful Choices® wellness and sustainability platform includes the latest in healthful eating and an understanding of behavioral change in food consumption. Morrison’s alignment with the Partnership for a Healthier America’s (PHA) Hospital Healthy Food Initiative positively impacts up to 41 million patients and 500 million hospital meals annually.

Morrison has been named one of Modern Healthcare’s "Top 100 Best Places to Work in Healthcare" for the past five years and Training Magazine’s Top 125 organizations for the past six consecutive years. Morrison is a division of Compass Group and has more than 1,200 registered dietitians, 300 executive chefs, and 17,000 professional food service team members.

The Executive Chef will lead culinary operations for a 1,000‑bed patient feeding program and manage four distinct retail café operations. The role oversees all food production, ensures adherence to therapeutic diets, meets budgetary targets, and inspires a 50‑plus staff team to deliver exceptional, safe, and nutritious dining experiences 24/7.

• Menu Development: design, test, and implement innovative, cycle, and seasonal menus for both patient and retail dining, ensuring adherence to therapeutic diets, nutritional guidelines, and ingredient availability.
• Recipe Standardization: follow, establish, and maintain comprehensive recipe and plating standards to guarantee consistency, quality, and accurate nutritional analysis across all production areas.
• Cost Control and Budgeting: manage food and labor costs, monitor inventory levels, minimize waste, and work closely with purchasing to meet budgetary targets without compromising food quality.
• Food Presentation: elevate the overall quality, presentation, and taste of all prepared items, maintaining high culinary standards that compete with commercial dining establishments.

• High‑Volume Production Oversight: direct daily operations for a large‑scale, 24/7 cook‑chill and conventional production environment, including patient tray line, catering, and retail production kitchens. The daily patient meal census is 2,100, and the combined sales of our four retail outlets are $12 M annually.
• Team Leadership & Development (50+ Staff): recruit, hire, train, mentor, and performance‑manage the entire culinary, kitchen, and utility staff, fostering a culture of accountability, teamwork, and continuous skill improvement.
• Regulatory Compliance: ensure strict compliance with local, state, and federal health codes, including HACCP standards, JCAHO requirements, and all internal food‑safety protocols.
• Equipment Maintenance: oversee the proper use, maintenance, and repair of all kitchen equipment, coordinating with facilities management to maintain a safe and functional work environment.

• Café Management: direct the operational flow and culinary offerings of four distinct on‑site retail cafés, developing specials and promotions to maximize sales and customer satisfaction.
• Customer
  
  Experience:
  
  analyze retail trends and feedback (patient and guest) to continuously improve offerings and service excellence in a diverse, high‑traffic setting.

• Education:
  
  Associate's degree in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, or a related field; OR an equivalent combination of education and extensive, related professional experience.
• Certification:
  Serv Safe.
• Experience:
  
  Minimum five years of progressive culinary management experience, with at least three years in an Executive Chef or Culinary Director role managing…