Executive Chef

Posted by Messina Social Club (and the team behind Tulip Pasta & Wine)

Messina Social Club is seeking an Executive Chef to bring a fresh, creative vision to our project in West Chester at the Turks Head Wines Tasting Room—an opportunity to run your own wine-focused culinary program.

This is a hands-on leadership role built for a chef who wants real ownership over a menu—while working alongside an ownership team that's genuinely passionate about wine and hospitality.

Our focus is California wine and a culinary program designed to match: thoughtful, seasonal food that pairs intentionally, tells a story, and creates an experience guests come back for. There's room here to build tasting menus, lead wine dinners, and expand a strong private events offering.

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  Create and execute a wine-forward culinary program: core menu + rotating seasonal features

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  Develop tasting menus, wine dinners, and private event menus that pair seamlessly with the wine program

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  Own the day-to-day kitchen: standards, prep systems, cleanliness, ordering, and service execution

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  Build and manage a team: hiring, training, coaching, and accountability

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  Schedule smart and sustainably to hit labor goals without sacrificing culture or consistency

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  Partner with ownership/management on goals, execution, and growth of the program

We're looking for a chef who can create great food and run a profitable kitchen. You should be confident in:

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  Recipe and plate costing (yields, waste, portioning, vendor pricing)

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  Food cost control (pars, ordering, inventory, waste tracking)

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  Labor costing + scheduling with targets in mind

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  Pricing dishes correctly to support margins while delivering value

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  Building simple systems that make cost and execution easy to track and repeat

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  Proven leadership in a quality-driven kitchen (CDC / Sous / Exec level)

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  A creative approach with strong fundamentals and consistent execution

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  Ability to build structure: recipes, prep lists, pars, station systems, and training tools

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  Strong people skills: you can retain talent and build a kitchen culture that lasts

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  Comfort in an event-driven environment (weekends, private events, wine dinners)

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  Real opportunity to own a program and put your name on it

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  Wine-first concept with room to create experiences (tasting menus, pairings, dinners)

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  Support from an experienced hospitality team (Tulip / Messina)

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  Competitive compensation based on experience