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Role 03

Head Chef

Arena Hall Members Club · Austin, Texas
Location
Austin, Texas — full-time, on-site
Start date
Autumn 2026 — we will move for the right person
Reports to
F&B Director
Compensation
Competitive base, performance incentive, full benefits

About Arena Hall

Arena Hall is a private members club opening in Austin in early 2027 — a space built for founders, operators, and high-caliber thinkers who show up not just to discuss the future but to build it together. A twenty-two-thousand-square-foot restored church on a fifty-thousand-square-foot campus, full member dining and bar service, an ambitious events programme, and a membership of people doing serious work in the world.

The kitchen is at the centre of the club's social life — not as a destination dining room, but as the engine of a daily food & social experience. The food philosophy is farm-to-table, local and organic wherever possible, sourced with integrity, prepared with care, and served in a way that makes people feel uplifted as well as nourished. The format is simple yet elegant.

The Role

The Head Chef leads the Arena Hall kitchen with full creative and operational ownership — within the food philosophy that defines the club. The role is responsible for menu development, kitchen culture, supplier relationships, food quality, and the daily execution of every dish that leaves the kitchen.

This is not a conventional chef role. The format is disciplined — a relatively tight menu that rotates seasonally — and the philosophy is specific. The Head Chef must believe in it, and must be the person in the building who knows the most about where the food comes from and why it matters.

The Head Chef reports to the F&B Director and works closely with the GM on the overall member experience.

What You Will Own

Menu & Concept

Sourcing & Suppliers

Operations

Team

What We Are Looking For

Experience

Character — essential

What does not fit this role

  • Someone who needs a large, complex kitchen team or a high-volume, elaborate menu to feel fulfilled
  • Someone whose identity is built on classical technique alone — this kitchen requires a specific philosophy
  • Someone who cannot articulate why the food philosophy matters beyond taste
  • Someone who has not cooked consciously — this is not a concept that can be adopted without genuine belief

Timing & the Refurbishment

Arena Hall began a major structural and design refurbishment in July 2026, transforming the existing space into the environment described above — member dining and bar service, a prep kitchen, and event spaces across 50,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space, with a target opening of February 2027.

This role will be involved in the tail end of that process and is expected to be in place by Autumn 2026 at the latest — early enough to review and sign off on kitchen equipment specification, operational flow between kitchen levels, front-of-house layout, and service infrastructure before construction is locked.

Beyond the build, the role will lead the pre-opening preparation in full: supplier sourcing, team hiring, menu development, staff training, dry runs, and the founding member experience that launches the club. Candidates who are energised by the process of building something from the ground up will thrive here.

How to Apply

Tell us how you cook,
and why.

To apply or express interest, please send a brief note describing your food philosophy and your relationship to conscious cooking, alongside your CV. A sample seasonal menu aligned to the Arena Hall food principles is welcomed but not required.

Send it to
Copy
evan@arenahall.com — Evan Baehr, Founder
Include
Your note, your CV, and optionally a sample seasonal menu