Executive Chef

Executive Chef

Harry & Fritz

Downtown Pittsburgh

The Kitchen

A 1,300 sq ft kitchen built for serious, from-scratch cooking: a 4-cook line with range, grill, flattop, double-stacked convection ovens, fryer, pizza oven, and a full garde manger station, plus a stand mixer and generous prep space. A dedicated dish pit keeps prep cooks off dish duty, a 9' 11' walk-in sits right off the prep area for daily flow, a second, larger walk-in in the basement handles overflow and bulk storage, and a dedicated dry storage room rounds it out. This is a kitchen equipped to run a broad, technique-driven menu pizza program, garde manger, full hot line without everything competing for the same station.

The Menu

Creativity is not just welcomed here, it's the point but it comes paired with real conversation. Ownership loves talking food and new ideas, and they see their role as guardians of the restaurant's tone and spirit, not architects of the menu itself. That means the latitude is real: bold ideas are encouraged, as long as they're executed with confidence and grounded in what makes a guest comfortable at the table.

Our style leans on technique and the careful building of flavor, not on exotic or unexpected ingredients for their own sake. We're after the grace of simplicity, without the austerity of minimalism. It's about food that feels considered and generous, not stripped down or precious.

This is a kitchen built for a chef who wants to make a name. Someone looking to win awards, maybe write a cookbook, and train the next generation of exceptional chefs. Ownership isn't looking to manage that ambition. They want to be the platform for it.

The Team

You'd be leading a brigade of 12: 1 sous chef, 5 line cooks, 3 prep cooks, and 3 dishwashers, reporting directly to ownership. We're building this team around people who are kind, curious, and dedicated not just skilled and you'll have real input on who joins it.

Volume & Private Events

Built to run 120+ covers a night, with two separate private dining spaces that support everything from small group dinners to full restaurant buyouts. A sales coordinator is actively booking private events, and that side of the business is growing the Executive Chef should expect private dining as a regular part of kitchen operations, from custom menus to executing at scale for buyouts.

As a new opening, we're still building toward full volume, with real room for the incoming Executive Chef to help drive that growth. Within the next 6 12 months, we plan to expand into brunch and lunch service, and to launch room service in partnership with the adjacent Courtyard Marriott both launches the incoming Executive Chef will be positioned to help shape from the ground up.

Why Harry & Fritz

Harry & Fritz is the first Pittsburgh restaurant from an independent hospitality group based in Philadelphia, with 20 years of experience across every level of dining. The restaurant is also attached to the Courtyard Marriott, giving it a built-in connection to hotel guest traffic as we grow. Backed by that track record, this is a rare opportunity: shape the identity of a new restaurant from the ground up, with the stability of an experienced ownership group behind you. The kitchen is currently being run by a chef from within our organization, working closely with our Culinary Director. The incoming Executive Chef will have the chance to work alongside both during the transition to get acclimated to the kitchen before taking full ownership of it.

What You Bring

5+ years in kitchen leadership, at the Executive Chef or Executive Sous level

A track record of building and developing menus rooted in American culinary tradition, with a clear point of view

Real experience managing, mentoring, and building a kitchen culture not just running a line

Established relationships with local farms and purveyors, and a philosophy on sourcing that goes beyond "buy local"

Financial fluency: food cost, labor cost, and budget ownership

Compensation

$80,000 $90,000 base, plus performance-based bonus. Medical, dental, and vision. PTO and dining perks.