Chef de Cuisine - Niri

JOB SUMMARY

Accountable for the quality, consistency, and production of Niri Beach Club & Grill’s kitchen, leading a high performing brigade through hands on excellence. Oversees menu design, purchasing, staffing, and food preparation while ensuring uncompromising food safety, sanitation, and adherence to The Ritz Carlton Gold Standards. Drives guest satisfaction, colleague development, and the outlet’s financial performance. 

About Niri:
Meaning “salt” in the Chorotega language, Niri blends the flavors and energy of the Iberian Peninsula with Costa Rican soul—grill forward cuisine, natural wines, and vibrant cocktails in an immersive seaside setting overlooking Pochote Bay. 
 

CANDIDATE PROFILE 

Education & Experience

• High school diploma/GED and 4 years in culinary/F&B or a 2 year degree in Culinary Arts/Hotel & Restaurant Management with 2 years of related experience. 

Role Specific Strengths

• Proven leadership of luxury restaurant or beach club kitchens operating with brand standards and high guest expectations. 
• Expertise in Iberian (Spanish & Portuguese) techniques—live fire/grill, seafood, tapas, rice cookery/paella—interpreted through local sourcing and sense of place. 
• Proficiency in cost control, inventory & vendor management, waste and portion controls. 
• Flawless food handling, storage, and temperature control practices. 

Key requirements

• Luxury experience (mandatory): Proven track record in 5 star luxury or ultra luxury environments (hotel/resort restaurants or premium beach clubs) delivering refined, high touch service and brand standards. 
• Iberian cuisine mastery (mandatory): Demonstrated experience in Spanish and Portuguese culinary traditions and techniques. 
• Bilingual fluency (mandatory): English and Spanish. 
• Strong grill and seafood execution suited to a premium, grill forward beach club concept. 
• Hands on team leadership with proven capability in training, coaching, and performance management.  
• Demonstrated financial acumen: costing, purchasing, scheduling, labor/productivity management.
   

CORE WORK ACTIVITIES

Ensuring Culinary Standards and Responsibilities are Met for Restaurant

• Develops, designs, or creates new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions for restaurant.
• Supervises restaurant kitchen shift operations and ensures compliance with all Food & Beverage policies, standards and procedures.
• Maintains food preparation handling and correct storage standards.
• Recognizes superior quality products, presentations and flavor.
• Plans and manages food quantities and plating requirements for the restaurant.
• Communications production needs to key personnel.
• Assists in developing daily and seasonal menu items for the restaurant.
• Ensures compliance with all applicable laws and regulations regulations.
• Follows proper handling and right temperature of all food products.
• Estimates daily restaurant production needs.
• Prepares and cooks foods of all types, either on a regular basis or for special guests or functions.
• Checks the quality of raw and cooked food products to ensure that standards are met.
• Determines how food should be presented and creates decorative food displays.

Leading Kitchen Team

• Supervises and coordinates activities of cooks and workers engaged in food preparation.
• Utilizes interpersonal and communication skills to lead, influence, and encourage others; advocates sound financial/business decision making; demonstrates honesty/integrity; leads by example.
• Leads shift teams while personally preparing food items and executing requests based on required specifications.
• Supervises and manages restaurant kitchen employees. Managing all day-to-day operations. Understanding employee positions well enough to perform duties in employees' absence.
• Encourages and builds mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
• Serving as a role model to demonstrate appropriate behaviors.
• Ensuring and maintaining the productivity level of employees.
• Ensures employees are cross-trained to support successful daily operations.
• Ensures employees understand expectations and parameters.
• Establishes and maintains open, collaborative relationships with employees and ensures employees do the same within the team.

Establishing and Maintaining Restaurant Kitchen Goals

• Sets and supports achievement of kitchen goals including performance goals, budget goals, team goals, etc.
• Developing specific guidance and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish daily kitchen operations work.
• Understands the impact of kitchen operation on the overall property financial goals and objectives and manages to achieve or exceed budgeted goals.
• Effectively investigates, reports and follows-up on employee accidents.
• Knows and implements company safety standards.

Ensuring Exceptional Customer Service

• Provides services that are above and beyond for customer satisfaction and retention.
• Manages day-to-day operations, ensuring the quality, standards and meeting the expectations of the customers on a daily basis.
• Improves service by communicating and assisting individuals to understand guest needs, providing guidance, feedback, and individual coaching when needed.
• Sets a positive example for guest relations.
• Emphasizes guest satisfaction during all departmental meetings and focuses on continuous improvement.
• Empowers employees to provide excellent customer service.
• Handles guest problems and complaints.
• Interacts with guests to obtain feedback on product quality and service levels.

Managing and Conducting Human Resource Activities 

• Identifies the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• Participates in training restaurant staff on menu items including ingredients, preparation methods and unique tastes.
• Manages employee progressive discipline procedures.
• Participates in the employee performance appraisal process, providing feedback as needed.
• Uses all available on the job training tools for employees.
• Assists as needed in the interviewing and hiring of employee team members with appropriate skills.

Additional Responsibilities 

• Provides information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Analyzes information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Attends and participates in all pertinent meetings.

At Marriott International, we are dedicated to being an equal opportunity employer, welcoming all and providing access to opportunity. We actively foster an environment where the unique backgrounds of our associates are valued and celebrated. Our greatest strength lies in the rich blend of culture, talent, and experiences of our associates. We are committed to non-discrimination on any protected basis, including disability, veteran status, or other basis protected by applicable law.

At more than 100 award-winning properties worldwide, The Ritz-Carlton Ladies and Gentlemen create experiences so exceptional that long after a guest stays with us, the experience stays with them. Attracting the world’s top hospitality professionals who curate lifelong memories, we believe that everyone succeeds when they are empowered to be creative, thoughtful and compassionate.