Who We Are & About This Role

Since 1946, Blake’s Orchard & Cider Mill has been a cornerstone of Michigan agriculture and agritourism — an 80-year family operation with deep roots in Armada and a genuine growth ambition. We make world-class hard and sweet cider, operate tasting rooms and restaurants across four locations, and host thousands of guests a year.

The Head Chef & Kitchen Manager owns the back of house — its people, culinary identity, cost performance, and daily execution. This is a role for a creative, guest-aware culinarian who leads with both passion and precision. You’ll bring fresh ideas to the menu, build a kitchen team that’s proud of the food they put out, and hold an uncompromising standard for quality, safety, and development — day in, day out.

This role is central to delivering a consistent and distinctive guest experience across restaurant service, special events, and seasonal outposts.

If you’ve run a kitchen, led cooks through hard service, and made great food work with the resources you had — we want to hear from you.

Your Role With Blake’s — Key Responsibilities

Culinary Vision & Creativity

You set the culinary identity. The menu, the standards, the craft — that’s yours to own.

• Drive the culinary identity of the restaurant with a creative, guest-informed perspective on food
• Develop menus, specials, and seasonal offerings in partnership with leadership — with a focus on originality, local and seasonal sourcing, and evolving guest tastes
• Stay current on food trends, regional influences, and emerging techniques that elevate the guest experience
• Lead all food production and kitchen execution to ensure consistency, quality, taste, and presentation
• Standardize recipes, portions, plating, and prep procedures
• Conduct regular line checks and taste tests to maintain quality standards

Guest Connection & Experience

Great food is part of a bigger picture. You understand the guest and use that to shape everything that comes out of the kitchen.

• Maintain a strong understanding of who our guests are and what they value — let that shape menus and specials
• Collaborate with front-of-house leadership to ensure seamless communication and a unified guest experience
• Represent the kitchen’s culture and craft with pride — be a visible, positive presence across the broader team
• Incorporate guest feedback into ongoing menu and process improvements

Team Leadership & Culture

You recruit, train, coach, and develop. Your job is to build a kitchen people want to work in and grow through.

• Recruit, hire, train, schedule, and develop kitchen staff
• Build a kitchen culture rooted in accountability, teamwork, urgency, and pride in the work
• Invest in mentorship and career development to retain strong talent and grow future leaders
• Conduct performance reviews and corrective action when necessary
• Ensure proper onboarding and training for all new BOH employees

Financial & Operational Performance

You’re not just cooking — you’re running a business within a business. Food cost, labor, and efficiency are yours to manage.

• Manage food cost, labor cost, waste control, and inventory accuracy
• Forecast purchasing needs based on business volume and seasonality
• Order food, beverage, and kitchen supplies within budget parameters
• Improve kitchen productivity, prep systems, and ticket times

Safety & Sanitation (Non-Negotiable)

Every guest trusts us with their safety. This doesn’t require a credential — it requires someone who takes it seriously every single day.

• Maintain full compliance with health department, food safety, and sanitation standards — no exceptions
• Train staff on rotation, labeling, chemical safety, knife safety, and safe work practices
• Ensure daily and weekly cleaning schedules are completed without fail

Facilities, Equipment & Additional

• Monitor kitchen equipment condition and coordinate repairs and maintenance as needed
• Maintain organized storage, receiving, and product handling procedures
• Lead kitchen execution for special events, festivals, and high-volume seasonal operations — including 6-day weeks during peak September–October season
• Document and continuously improve SOPs for consistency and scalability
• Step into any kitchen function needed during peak business periods — leadership by example

What Great Looks Like — Qualifications

Backgrounds that succeed here look different: fine dining, volume production, catering, seasonal operations. Credentials matter less than what you’ve built and how you’ve led.

Required

• 5+ years of experience in a senior kitchen management role
• Proven ability to lead and coordinate a kitchen team of 10 or more
• Documented experience with menu development, including seasonal and special menus
• Demonstrated record of running a comparable operation efficiently and profitably
• Strong organizational and systems-thinking skills; you build structure where there isn’t any
• Excellent knowledge of industry trends and guest expectations
• Effective communicator in English — verbal and written — with FOH leadership and vendor partners
• Proficiency in food cost math, pricing, and routine kitchen financials
• Ability to lift and move at least 100 lbs regularly; ability to stand for an entire 8–12 hour shift
• Regular, predictable, full attendance is an essential function of this role

Preferred

• ServSafe certification or equivalent food safety credential
• Culinary degree or formal culinary training
• Experience working in seasonal or event-driven restaurant environments

How You’re Rewarded — Compensation & Benefits

Competitive base salary, performance-based incentive, 401(k) with match, full health/dental/vision benefits, PTO, and all the perks of working at one of Michigan’s most beloved farms. Full details shared during the interview process.

Blake’s Orchard & Cider Mill is an equal opportunity employer.