Executive Chef – Barossa Valley

Executive Chef | The Louise, Barossa Valley, SA

About the Role

As The Louise enters its most exciting chapter yet, we are looking for an Executive Chef ready to put their name to it. With dining spaces being refreshed and new event spaces launching, you will lead Appellation, our onsite restaurant and build our events offering from a blank page, with the Barossa’s growers, winemakers and community at the heart of everything you create.

Over the coming year, our dining spaces and common areas will be gradually refurbished and reimagined spaces will open for groups, events and celebrations.

Our Culinary Ethos

Simple food. Exceptional produce. A genuine sense of place.

At The Louise, flavour comes before flourish. We cook for the guest, not for accolades, creating food guests genuinely want to eat across a three or four night stay. That means fewer elements on the plate, produce at the centre and the story of who grew it and why it belongs here. We champion local producers and we want to be remembered for signature dishes that could only come from the Barossa.

Reporting to the General Manager and working in close partnership with the Food and Beverage Manager, you will lead, mentor and inspire your team to consistently bring this ethos to life.  

Key responsibilities include:

• Delivering our culinary ethos through seasonal menus at Appellation that showcase Barossa produce and pair with the region’s wines
• Owning the culinary direction for events, celebrations and groups as our new event spaces launch
• Ensuring consistency and variety across multi-night stays, with sensible portions and a relaxed dinner pace
• Leading, training and developing a high-performing culinary team
• Building strong relationships with local growers, producers and suppliers, and sharing their stories with guests alongside our front of house team
• Managing food costs, ordering, stock control and kitchen budgets
• Overseeing rostering and labour management within the kitchen
• Ensuring full compliance with food safety, hygiene and WHS standards
• Accommodating dietary requirements and individual guest preferences with care and practicality

About You

You are an experienced Executive Chef who leads with confidence, cooks with restraint and has a deep respect for produce. You value consistency as much as creativity, and you measure success by what guests enjoy.

You will ideally have:

• Proven experience as an Executive Chef or Head Chef in a luxury hotel, lodge or produce-driven restaurant
• Experience designing and delivering event and group menus
• A strong understanding of seasonal cooking, local sourcing and food and wine pairing
• Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate and develop a kitchen team
• Sound financial acumen, including food cost control and budget management
• Excellent organisational and communication skills, including confidence speaking with guests
• Availability across a roster that includes evenings and weekends
• Current Australian working rights

About Us

Beckons is built around journeys of discovery for curious travellers seeking deeper connection to place, culture and the natural world. Through a growing collection of lodges in some of the world’s most rare and remarkable destinations, the brand is guided by a regenerative approach to luxury travel, one that goes beyond sustainability to create positive, lasting impact for landscapes, wildlife and the communities who call these places home.

The Beckons collection includes five award-winning properties in Australia: Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island, Longitude 131° at Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa, Capella Lodge on Lord Howe Island, Silky Oaks Lodge in the Daintree Rainforest and The Louise in the Barossa Valley. Across the Tasman Sea in New Zealand lies the century-young Huka Lodge in Taupō, and in the Americas, Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge in Canada, and Tierra Atacama and Tierra Patagonia in Chile.