Hospitality Culinary Director

This is a Full Time Job

Join the most fun team in town! This role would encompass oversight of all premium hospitality areas and gameday and non-gameday catered events held by the Chattanooga Lookouts at Erlanger Park. This position would design and execute creative menus that elevate the ballpark experience, while partnering closely with the Lookouts Food & Beverage (''F&B'') leadership and service teams to deliver consistent, high-quality food with efficient execution.
• Plan and execute food service for all Erlanger Park premium hospitality areas including suites, clubs, and special event spaces.
• Lead prep, production, and event-day execution to ensure on-time and accurate service.
• Maintain consistent food presentation, portioning, and quality across all outlets under scope.
• Partner with F&B concessions teams to ensure alignment of premium and general concession areas and collaborate on a shared mission for quality, creative menus, and service.
• Develop recipes, build standardized specs, and maintain recipe books for core items.
• Collaborate with the F&B team on concepts for special theme nights, premium club and suite spaces, sponsor activations, and high-volume game day service needs.
• Support staffing plans for events and gamedays including scheduling inputs and labor planning.
• Train culinary staff on recipes, station setups, timing, sanitation, and speed-of-service.
• Set expectations and continually manage for professionalism, teamwork, and a guest-first execution.
• Partner with hospitality and service leaders at Erlanger Park to align service flow, timing, and presentation.
• Attend pre-event meetings, conduct lineups, and coordinate with event managers on menus and guest counts.
• Maintain full compliance with local health department's standards and company food safety policies in addition to compliance with City of Chattanooga and compliance regulations.
• Ensure safe food handling, labeling, storage, cooling/reheating, and allergen awareness.
• Lead kitchen organization, cleanliness, and equipment care.

Qualifications
• Proven ability to manage food cost, and inventory with consistent results.
• Experience leading, coaching, and training kitchen teams.
• Strong knowledge of food safety, sanitation, and allergen best practices.
• Comfortable working nights, weekends, and holidays aligned to the baseball season and other special events throughout the calendar year.

Preferred experience
• Experience in sports and entertainment venues, large-scale events, hotels, restaurants, convention catering, or related fields.
• Familiarity with premium hospitality operations (I.e. suites, clubs, buffets, plated service, and action stations).
• ServSafe Manager Certification (or ability to obtain within a defined timeframe).

Must be willing to work nights, weekends and holidays as required in the sport industry. Strong interpersonal skills are mandatory to interact and solve problems with customers, co-workers, employees and vendors.

The applicant should be a self-motivator who thrives in a team environment; possesses good analytical, interpersonal, and excellent customer service skills; ability to communicate clearly and resolve guest conflicts; goal oriented; quick learner; proficient in Microsoft Office, and able to lift up to fifty (50)

Job Questions:
• Please list any relevant experience in kitchen management operations or banquet service.
• What skills and strengths will you bring to this position?
• List the three (3) largest events you have been responsible for.
• When can you start?