The Nest - Chef De Cuisine

Job Details

Job Location:

OC - Ocala, FL 34481

Position Type:
Full Time

The Nest at Calesa is an open-air community gathering place where dining, live entertainment, family experiences, and memorable hospitality come together. Located across from FAST in Calesa Township, it serves residents, visitors, athletes, families, and event guests with a distinctly local sense of welcome and energy.

Our purpose is simple: create a place where good times take flight through quality food, genuine hospitality, thoughtful programming, and teams that take pride in caring for people.

At the core of our service culture is the disciplined belief that extraordinary hospitality is achieved through consistent execution of the fundamentals, attention to detail, and genuine care for people.

We are seeking a Chef de Cuisine who embodies this philosophy while building a culinary team and operating culture that is disciplined, distinctive, practical, and rooted in care for guests and team members.

The Nest is an open-air hospitality destination anchored by Cow Bird Kitchen, supported by Fare grounds, and energized by a major event lawn and amphitheater. The culinary program will include:

• Cow Bird Kitchen - a smoke-forward, family-friendly restaurant serving burgers, tacos, sandwiches, and seasonal features
• Fare grounds:
  Perch Coffee & Creamery, The Roost Bar, Cowbird Express, The Yard Pizza Bar, and Lucky Sparrow Asian Cuisine
• Concerts, community events, private celebrations, catered experiences, and high-volume festival-style activations
• Menu programming that connects food, events, residents, visitors, and the broader Calesa community
• Culinary execution will define The Nest’s identity - approachable, memorable, and consistently well-executed at every guest touchpoint.

This opening culinary leadership role will build a culture-led kitchen team, establish multi-concept systems, and deliver operational excellence as The Nest grows into a regional destination.

The Opening Chef de Cuisine is responsible for culinary leadership, food quality, financial performance, and operational execution across The Nest’s food operations.

This role reports directly to the Director of Restaurants and partners closely with the Nest General Manager, Director of Special Events, Fare grounds Manager, and restaurant leadership to ensure a cohesive guest and team experience.

The Chef de Cuisine will directly oversee the culinary teams supporting Cow Bird Kitchen, Fare grounds food concepts, catering and private events, and special culinary activations across The Nest.

• Build and develop a high-performing culinary leadership team across Cow Bird Kitchen, Fare grounds, event catering, and stewarding operations through recruitment, training, coaching, and retention.
• Establish a kitchen culture of accountability, respect, creativity, collaboration, urgency, and pride in execution.
• Model through preparation, cleanliness, consistency, service precision, communication, and operational discipline.
• Coach, recognize, and retain team members by setting clear expectations, providing meaningful development opportunities, and building a bench of future leaders.
• Lead with composure, humility, and a genuine commitment to the well-being, success, and safety of the team.

• Lead the culinary identity and execution of Cow Bird Kitchen as a smoke-forward, family-friendly neighborhood restaurant, with a strong command of burgers, tacos, sandwiches, smoked proteins, seasonal features, and approachable restaurant presentation.
• Develop and maintain recipes, plating standards, prep systems, production guides, packaging specifications, and menu standards for Cow Bird Kitchen, Fare grounds, catering, and event service.
• Ensure each Fare grounds food concept delivers clear, distinctive, fast, and consistently high-quality guest experiences while supporting cross-utilized products, efficient production, and practical execution.
• Partner with the Director of Restaurants and Director of Special Events on menu engineering, promotions, tastings, special events, concerts, themed…