Belden, MS | The original golf course of Tupelo Country Club was built in 1930. It was a nine-hole golf course located in the city of Tupelo. That property served the Members until 1970. In 1970, Tupelo Country Club built a new 18-hole golf course and clubhouse at its current location in Belden, Mississippi, just outside of Tupelo. Built on a 250-acre cotton farm, the golf course was designed by John Frazier. It is a friendly member layout, making it appealing to novice golfers yet challenging and very capable of testing the best players.
Over the years, the golf course has gone through several design changes, including the 1988 redesign by golf course architect Kevin Tucker. In 1998, the greens were changed to Champions Bermuda. Among the facilities, the most notable features are its three hundred native trees planted in 2005 and 2006. To add to the picturesque setting, 10,000 summer and 8,000 fall annuals are planted each year. There are six lakes along with forty-three newly renovated greenside bunkers and twelve fairway bunkers. The course features multiple tees ranging from 4,993 to 6,887 yards.
Tupelo Country Club has played host to many state championship golf tournaments. The list includes the 1982, 1991, and 2003 Mississippi State Amateur, the 1986 and 2002 Mississippi State Open, the 2000 Mississippi State Four-Ball, the 1992 Mississippi Women's State Amateur, the 1999 Mississippi Women's Senior State Amateur, and the 2021 Mississippi Mid-Amateur.
DINING
Tupelo Country Club has a variety of dining areas to meet all needs. The pool offers two outdoor dining areas with a patio and gazebo, and indoor dining in the Teen Grill. There is casual dining available on our patio, which has a beautiful view of the golf course. The Family Grill is a popular location with great views and is popular with children. For those who prefer adult dining, the Caddy Corner lounge and the Dining Room are available. Both have views of the golf course and the Patio.
FOOD AND BEVERAGE PROGRAM
Members receive the best in service and menu options in an inviting atmosphere. Offering both casual comfort and a formal ambiance, The Club offers a variety of dining options, including casual and fine dining. Each dish is meticulously prepared by our award-winning chef using the freshest ingredients and the highest quality products.
Tupelo Country Club members receive access to amenities that the entire family can enjoy. As a family-oriented club, we offer an 18-hole first-class golf course, a practice area with a large chipping area and indoor teaching facility, putting green and bunker complex, and outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts, and a fitness center with a variety of machines and equipment.
The dining area can accommodate up to 300 guests at this classic golf and country club. Their Full Ballroom features a permanent dance floor, integrated speaker system, and a patio overlooking their picturesque golf course. The Club can offer Ballroom or meeting rooms, which are perfect for a bridal shower or engagement party, accommodating 40 guests seated, and features a beautiful view of the golf course.
CLUB EVENTS
Tupelo Country Club is a very social club. The Executive Chef will work closely with the food and beverage team to create over 40-50 signature events. The total F&B revenue throughout the year totaled over $1.7 million in revenue each year. The club strives to have great and unique brunch buffets and be the trend setters for other clubs in the area.
BANQUETS
The Executive Chef will work closely with the Director of Catering to help build and increase the banquet department’s revenue while providing first-class events to the membership and outside membership. The Executive Chef will work with the correct individuals to make sure all pricing is up to date in the Catering Guide and will provide updates to it as needed.
Title: Executive Chef
Reports to: General Manager
Supervises: Executive Sous Chef and the entire culinary team.
Position Description: The Executive Chef (EC) is a key leader within the food and beverage team who is responsible for the execution of cuisine to the club membership. This role demands seamless and consistent standards for culinary excellence.
LEADERSHIP
Be a collaborative team player who is willing to work with and train the team each day, doing whatever it takes to deliver the best Member experience.
Empower the culinary team and delegate appropriately, so they can focus on growth; be confident that the operation can run well in EC’s absence.
Be an active recruiter of team members and someone who inherently enjoys developing and building his/her team and leading them to significant, positive membership satisfaction outcomes.
Have a passion and aptitude for teaching and training all food service personnel, working, as necessary, with the staff directly responsible for operations.
Be a focused and consistent evaluator of personnel, ensuring that standards of conduct and delivery are met; this includes oversight of high standards of appearance, hospitality, service, and cleanliness of the kitchen facilities.
Maintain existing operating standards for personnel in areas of responsibility and consistently evaluate knowledge, understanding, and execution of these high standards.
Work closely with the front-of-house food and beverage managers to ensure a cohesive experience that continually exceeds the expectations of Members and guests.
Engage with, observe, learn, and listen to the Members and staff. Earn Member trust by instilling confidence through continued enhanced operations, interaction, visibility, and consistency.
Remain current and continue education regarding diverse and new culinary trends and cuisines.
Maintain physical presence during times of high business volume.
Create a welcoming, approachable, and inclusive kitchen atmosphere for all club staff based on mutual respect.
OPERATIONS
Maintain existing standard recipes and techniques for food preparation and presentation that help to ensure consistent high-quality food.
Evaluate food products to ensure that quality standards are always attained.
Maintain opening and closing cleaning checklists for each area/station within the kitchen and develop a weekly/monthly cleaning checklist.
Safeguard all food-preparation employees by implementing training to increase their knowledge about safety, sanitation, and accident-prevention principles.
Maintain safety training programs; manage OSHA-related aspects of kitchen safety and maintain MSDSs in an easily accessible location.
FINANCIAL
Plan menus for all food outlets in the Club and special occasions and events.
Schedule and coordinate the work of chefs, cooks, and other kitchen employees to ensure that food preparation is economical and technically correct, and within budgeted labor cost goals.
Consistently monitoring payroll and labor resource allocations to ensure they are in line with financial forecasting and goals; the Club has a strong finance department that provides monthly and bimonthly updates to the EC.
Prepare necessary data for applicable parts of the budget; project annual food, labor, and other costs, and monitor actual financial results; take corrective action as necessary to help assure that financial goals are met.
Review and approve product purchase specifications.
Strong Inventory Management.
Including, but not limited to, the following:
Has a proven track record of high-level restaurants, resort, hotel, or country club dining expertise.
Successful experience in both a la carte and banquet operations in previous hotels, clubs, or resorts.
Are a strong and passionate leader and culinary professional with a proven track record of providing high-level services. The EC must be passionate about their craft and inspire those around them.
The EC is a lifelong learner and instills that characteristic into his or her team.
It is extremely organized to successfully manage and lead multiple a la carte and banquet venues simultaneously, as well as prepare for and execute successful banquet events.
Has a successful track record of controlling costs, standardizing recipes, and planning budgets, and has the skills necessary to perform all kitchen tasks and train those to properly execute those tasks. The EC leads by example.
It is a visionary and trendsetter yet understands and respects the club’s long-standing culinary traditions and can balance both in creating menus, specials, and banquet offerings.
Must have computer skills, including but not limited to Microsoft, experience with Club essential POS is a plus. Knowledge of Inventory Software is a plus.
A strong relationship builder with a history of collaboration with their GM, Assistant GM, Food and Beverage Manager, and other departmental leaders.
Acutely aware of the delicate menu balance that exists between offering traditional club fares for tenured members and providing innovative options for members that belong to a different demographic.
Educational & Certification Qualifications
A culinary arts degree from an accredited school is preferred.
Certified Executive Chef (ACF) or Pro Chef (CIA) certification is preferred.
Certification in food safety is mandatory.
Employment Eligibility Verification
In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.
The club will provide a compensation and benefits package commensurate with experience and qualifications.
All applications MUST be submitted through the PGA of America's Career Services Department as described below.
Resume deadline is July 1, 2026 at 11:59 pm Eastern Time
Combine your cover letter, resume, references, and any supporting documents into one (1) PDF document with the following file naming convention: Last Name, First Name, Tupelo Country Club, Executive Chef
Please address all correspondence to - Mr. Justin Flaherty | General Manager | Tupelo Country Club
Kevin Walls, PGA is the lead consultant for this search, please contact him with any questions.
Email: kwalls@pgahq.com
The employer does not wish to be contacted at this time
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