Head Chef - French Bistro & Asian Cuisine

CONFIDENTIAL SEARCH

Head Chef — French Bistro & Asian Cuisine

Landmark Waterfront Restaurant | Toronto, Ontario

Location: Waterfront Toronto, Ontario

Employment Type: Full-Time, Permanent

Compensation: $70,000 – $80,000 per year + bonus, incentives & benefits

Reports To: Ownership / Senior Culinary Leadership

Conducted By: Mafra Talents — Confidential Client

Our client is one of Toronto’s most recognizable waterfront dining destinations, a landmark restaurant known for its setting, its energy, and its commitment to genuine hospitality. The culinary programme spans refined French bistro cooking alongside an established sushi and Asian offering, calling for a chef equally confident in classical French technique and in the precision of Asian cuisine.

The identity of our client will be shared with shortlisted candidates. This search is being conducted on a strictly confidential basis.

Mafra Talents is proud to partner with our client in the search for an exceptional Head Chef to lead its culinary operations. This is a rare opportunity for a versatile culinary leader with genuine depth in both French bistro cooking and sushi/Asian cuisine, a passion for excellence, and a commitment to delivering unforgettable guest experiences.

Our client is seeking a chef who not only inspires in the kitchen but also thrives on developing high-performing teams and driving innovation. The ideal candidate will bring refined technique across both disciplines, operational leadership, and a positive, growth-oriented mindset to a vibrant, upscale dining environment.

As Head Chef, you will be the driving force behind the kitchen’s performance, leading all culinary operations with precision, creativity, and discipline. Your mission is to deliver excellence in every dish while fostering a culture of teamwork, innovation, and continuous improvement.

You will own consistency of execution, elevate the menu, and uphold the highest standards of quality, safety, and presentation. Beyond day-to-day operations, you will play a key leadership role in shaping the culinary identity of the restaurant and pushing the location forward as a top-tier dining destination.

At the core of your success will be your ability to build, mentor, and retain a high-performing kitchen brigade that shares your passion for food and service. Together creating memorable experiences that exceed guest expectations, every single time.

Culinary Leadership & Menu

• Lead all culinary operations, setting and enforcing standards for quality, consistency, and presentation.

• Develop and evolve menus across both French bistro and sushi/Asian offerings, balancing authentic technique with commercial appeal.

• Maintain distinct integrity in each cuisine while ensuring a coherent overall guest experience.

• Drive seasonal menu updates, specials, and culinary innovation aligned with the restaurant’s direction.

• Support menu development for private events, group dining, and catering.

Operations & Financial Performance

• Manage food cost, purchasing, inventory, and waste using Optimum Control (OC).

• Use Silverware POS data to analyze sales mix, menu engineering, and item-level profitability.

• Manage kitchen labour, scheduling, and productivity against budget.

• Apply AI tools to streamline menu costing, forecasting, scheduling, documentation, and reporting.

Team Leadership

• Recruit, train, coach, and retain a high-performing kitchen brigade.

• Build a culture of accountability, cleanliness, organization, and continuous improvement.

• Communicate clearly and consistently with management, kitchen, and front-of-house teams.

Health, Safety & Compliance

• Ensure full compliance with food safety, sanitation, and health regulations at all times.

• Maintain rigorous standards of workplace safety and lead corrective actions where required.

• 7+ years of hands-on experience as a Head Chef or Executive Chef in high-volume environments.

• Demonstrated French bistro experience — strong command of classical French technique and bistro cuisine.

• Proven sushi and Asian cuisine experience, with the technical skill to uphold authenticity and consistency.

• Hands-on proficiency with Optimum Control (OC) for inventory, recipe costing, and food cost management.

• Working experience with Silverware POS.

• Comfortable and confident using AI tools to improve kitchen efficiency, costing, and administration.

• Strong leadership skills with a proven track record of supervising and coaching kitchen teams.

• Solid understanding of labour management best practices.

• Excellent communication skills across kitchen, management, and dining room teams.

• Food Handler Certificate required; First Aid Certificate preferred.

• Health and Safety Level 1 & 2 certifications an asset.

• A diploma or degree in culinary studies is a definite asset.

• Base salary of $70,000 – $80,000 plus bonus and incentive program.

• Comprehensive benefits plan.

• RRSP contribution.

• Three weeks of vacation.

• Industry-leading training and development programs.

• Rapid career advancement opportunities within a growing hospitality group.

• An unparalleled family-oriented culture.

Mafra Talents Inc. is conducting this search on a strictly confidential basis. All applications and conversations are handled in complete confidence, and only candidates selected for interview will be contacted.

Qualified candidates are invited to send their resume in confidence to Jose Mafra at jose.mafra@mafratalents.com, or apply through www.mafratalents.com.

Mafra Talents is a boutique Canadian recruitment firm with global reach, dedicated to hand-picking top-tier international talent tailored to our clients’ unique hiring needs. We are an inclusive recruitment partner and welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of background or identity. Accommodations are available on request throughout the selection process.