The Director, F&B Culinary (Chinese / Asian Cuisine) leads the culinary strategy across all F&B operations with a strong focus on Chinese & Asian cuisines. This role is responsible for driving profitability, operational excellence, menu innovation, food safety compliance, and talent development in a multi-outlet, high-volume environment.
Responsibilities
Culinary Strategy & Performance
- Drive overall F&B culinary strategy to achieve business performance, profitability, and brand positioning.
- Establish structured culinary systems, including recipe standardisation, menu engineering, inventory control, and food costing (theoretical vs actual).
- Identify opportunities for economies of scale across outlets and central kitchens.
Menu & Concept Development
- Lead the conceptualisation and development of Chinese and Asian-focused restaurant concepts and menus.
- Evaluate menu performance based on popularity, cost efficiency, and seasonal ingredient availability.
- Work closely with departmental Chefs to plan, implement, and support new food concepts, promotions, and programmes.
Operations & Cost Control
- Analyses strengths and weaknesses of culinary operations, including product cost, inventory par levels, productivity, and SOPs.
- Implement initiatives to maximise productivity and efficiency within the culinary teams.
- Ensure consistency in food quality, presentation, and portion control across all outlets.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Collaborate with Procurement, Marketing, Business Development, and other departments on company-wide initiatives and special projects.
- Support business growth initiatives, including new openings, rebranding, and expansion projects.
Food Safety, Hygiene & Compliance
- Ensure strict adherence to hygiene, food safety, and sanitation standards daily.
- Conduct regular hygiene training for culinary and stewarding teams.
- Perform routine inspections with Chefs and Stewarding to ensure compliance with regulatory and company standards.
- Maintain a safe, legal, and healthy work environment by enforcing F&B preparation and service standards.
Leadership & Talent Development
- Lead, mentor, and develop senior culinary leaders and teams.
- Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement within the culinary function.
- Champion best practices and professional development across the organisation.
Requirement
- Degree in Culinary Arts or equivalent professional experience with minimum 10 years of progressive culinary experience
- Large scale multi cuisine operations required
- 5-star Luxury Hotels experience is a minimum
- Michelin star experience preferred
- Strong expertise in Chinese and Asian cuisines; international culinary exposure is an advantage.
- Proven track record of successfully initiating and implementing new culinary concepts.
- Strong financial acumen with hands-on experience in food costing, budgeting, and cost control.
- Excellent interpersonal, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.
- Flexible, adaptable, and able to perform in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
