Executive Chef Jobs in Florida
Executive Chef jobs in Florida are among the most active in the country, concentrated in hospitality, resort dining, cruise line operations, and upscale hotel food and beverage programs across every level from sous chef-to-chef transitions through corporate executive positions. The heaviest hiring is in Miami, Orlando, and Tampa, where major operators like Walt Disney World, Marriott International, and Ritz-Carlton maintain large culinary teams. The most sought-after specialties are fine dining, large-scale banquet and event cuisine, and Latin-influenced menus reflecting South Florida's guest demographics. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
Find Executive Chef JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 132+ Executive Chef jobs
Job Overview
As an Executive Sous Chef, you’ll help lead daily kitchen operations and deliver memorable dining experiences. You’ll guide food production and preparation, support menu planning, and coordinate service across restaurant, banquet, and catering settings. This role suits a hands-on culinary leader who can balance quality, food safety, team development, and cost control in a fast-paced hospitality environment.
Responsibilities
- Lead kitchen teams through daily service, shift management, and food preparation.
- Coordinate food production for restaurant, fine dining, banquet, and catering service.
- Support menu planning and maintain consistent food quality and presentation.
- Manage inventory, purchasing needs, and inventory control to support cost control.
- Follow food safety and sanitizing procedures, including safe food handling.
Skills
- Experience in culinary operations, food service management, kitchen management, or restaurant management; dietary department experience is a plus.
- Supervising experience, team management, and leadership, including managing teams as a chef.
- Knowledge of cooking, food management, food preparation, and food service; serving and hospitality experience are helpful.
- Familiarity with inventory management, cost control, and food safety practices.
- Kitchen, restaurant, food industry, or broader food service experience; banquet, catering, and fine dining experience are valued.
Pay: $64,800.00 - $78,200.00 per year
Work Location: In person
See All 132+ Executive Chef Jobs in Florida
Find roles in Florida that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Executive Chef JobsExecutive Chef Jobs by City in Florida
Where Florida roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Executive Chef Job Market in Florida
A snapshot from current Florida openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Food & Beverage
- Hospitality & Tourism
What Florida Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in executive chef jobs across Florida.
- Culinary degree from an accredited institution or equivalent documented professional training required
- Minimum of five years progressive culinary leadership experience in a high-volume operation
- ServSafe Manager certification or equivalent Florida-recognized food safety credential required
- Demonstrated experience managing food cost, labor cost, and full kitchen P&L
- Proficiency developing seasonal menus that reflect regional Florida ingredients and guest preferences
- Strong record of hiring, training, and retaining kitchen staff in a competitive labor market
Executive Chef Jobs in Florida: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a executive chef in Florida?
The concrete path in Florida starts with a culinary degree or formal apprenticeship, followed by progressive kitchen experience moving from line cook through sous chef roles. Florida does not issue a state executive chef license, but food service managers working in Florida must hold a valid food manager certification from a program approved by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, such as ServSafe. Most Florida employers also expect demonstrated experience managing multi-outlet or high-volume operations before promoting to an executive level.
How much do executive chefs make in Florida?
Executive chefs in Florida earn a median of about $58,240 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $31,920 for the lowest 10% to over $92,300 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire executive chefs in Florida?
Employers hiring executive chefs in Florida right now include American Cruise Lines, Marriott International, and Morrison Healthcare, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Florida's dense concentration of resort hotels, theme park operators, and cruise port facilities means demand is spread across both independent restaurants and large hospitality corporations with permanent culinary leadership needs.
Which Florida cities have the most executive chef jobs?
Miami, Orlando, and Naples have the most executive chef openings in Florida. Miami leads because of its world-class hotel corridor, cruise industry headquarters, and high concentration of fine dining, while Orlando's volume is driven by its theme park resort ecosystem and convention center hotels, and Tampa anchors demand through its growing downtown dining scene and waterfront hospitality developments.
Are there remote executive chef jobs in Florida?
Yes, but they're rare. Executive chef work is inherently hands-on, requiring direct kitchen oversight, and most openings are fully on-site. About 9% of executive chef openings tied to Florida are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, and those positions are almost exclusively corporate or consulting roles covering menu development, food program strategy, or multi-unit brand oversight rather than day-to-day kitchen leadership.
How can I get hired as a executive chef in Florida with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is through a line cook or junior sous chef role at a large Florida hospitality operator, where structured culinary development programs exist. Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, and major Marriott properties in South Florida run formal kitchen training and internal promotion tracks that move motivated candidates into leadership roles. Holding a Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation-approved food manager certification and completing a culinary apprenticeship through the American Culinary Federation's Florida chapters both give entry-level candidates a measurable edge with hiring managers.
Where can I find and apply to executive chef jobs in Florida?
You can find and apply to executive chef jobs in Florida on Migrate Mate, which lists current Florida openings updated regularly. Find roles that match your experience level and preferred location, then apply directly to the employers posting them. No signup is required to search and apply.
See All 132+ Executive Chef Jobs in Florida
Find roles in Florida that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Executive Chef Jobs