Job: Executive Chef/Food & Beverage Director

Job Description

Job Type: Full time, Salaried

Wage: $130,000-$150,000/yr.

Location: Canon City, CO.

Job Description:

COMPENSATION PACKAGE

Starting Salary: $130,000 – $150,000 annually, commensurate with experience.

Performance Bonus: Up to 10% of base salary annually, tied to food cost control, labor targets, revenue milestones, and guest experience metrics.

Our benefits package is built to support you and your family from the day you start:

•    Full coverage, day one.  Fully paid health, dental, vision, and life insurance for employee and immediate family — effective on your start date

•    401(k).  Up to 8% employer match

•    PTO.  Generous paid time off to rest and recharge

•    Relocation support.  Initial short-term housing available; potential relocation assistance

•    Equity in the future.  Long-term growth and potential profit participation

THE OPPORTUNITY

Build something extraordinary from day one.

Antithesis is a brand-new restaurant opening in 2026 inside the historic Robison Mansion — an 1880s estate set on four pristine acres at the mouth of the Royal Gorge canyon. Eighty-plus mature trees. A circa-1880 iron fence. A historic fountain ringed by firepits, with the Colorado sky overhead. It is the kind of setting chefs dream about, and we are looking for the leader who will define what comes out of the kitchen.

This is a founding role. You will shape the concept, build the team, write the menus, and set the standard for a destination program that spans an upscale-casual restaurant, weddings, private events, and the culinary identity of the Royal Gorge Route Railroad and Caboose Café.

A historic mansion. A 50-seat scratch kitchen. A wedding and events stream. Two additional outlets. One leader to bring it all together.

ABOUT THE PROPERTY

The Royal Gorge Mansion sits in Cañon City, Colorado — north of Westcliffe and east of Salida — at the entrance to one of the state’s most iconic landscapes. We are committed owners investing in quality, building a destination where history, natural beauty, and elevated hospitality meet, and where the culinary program is the heart of it all.

Antithesis is open for lunch and dinner. The property runs year-round alongside the Royal Gorge Route Railroad and Caboose Café, including nights, weekends, and holidays.

WHAT YOU’LL OWN

•    The kitchen.  A 50-seat upscale-casual restaurant, plus banquets, private events, and menu leadership across the Railroad and Caboose Café.

•    The menu.  Seasonal, scratch-made, driven by Colorado producers. Yours to create.

•    The team.  Hire, train, and develop your Chef de Cuisine, sous chefs, and BOH staff.

•    The numbers.  Food cost, labor, vendor relationships, inventory — the operational backbone that keeps a destination running.

•    The standards.  Sanitation, safety, consistency, and the kind of hospitality that makes guests come back.

You will report to ownership and the General Manager, and partner closely with F&B and Events leadership.

WHO YOU ARE

•    10+ years as an Executive Chef or Chef de Cuisine

•    Culinary school graduate preferred; ServSafe certified

•    A proven menu developer with a feel for seasonality and current trends

•    Disciplined on cost control, labor, and vendor management

•    A real leader — you build teams people want to stay on

•    Calm under pressure, organized on paper, and gracious in person

•    Comfortable with Microsoft Office and data-driven decisions

•    Energized by opening something new

You live our values:

Collaborative.  Gracious.  Passionate.  Trustworthy.

POSITION SCOPE

The Executive Chef / Food & Beverage Director is responsible for all aspects of culinary operations — food production in the restaurant, banquet functions, and other outlets — in collaboration with the RGRR Train and Caboose F&B Director and Events leadership. Core responsibilities include:

•    Oversee all food production across Antithesis, banquets, and additional outlets

•    Develop unique, cuisine-appropriate menus, food purchase specifications, and standardized recipes

•    Collaborate with the Director of F&B and General Manager on menu pricing and concept direction

•    Recruit, train, schedule, and supervise BOH staff to ensure economical, technically correct food preparation within budgeted labor goals

•    Develop and monitor food and labor budgets; establish controls to minimize waste and theft

•    Maintain the highest standards of sanitation, cleanliness, and safety throughout all kitchen areas at all times

•    Manage inventory and purchasing through approved vendors

•    Provide ongoing training and professional development opportunities for the kitchen team

•    Stay current on developing trends in the restaurant and hospitality industry

•    Attend F&B staff and management meetings; ensure kitchen representation at service lineups

•    Periodically visit the dining room to welcome guests and maintain a visible leadership presence

•    Lead menu development across Royal Gorge Route Railroad and Caboose Café dining experiences

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS

•    High school diploma or GED required; culinary school or culinary arts graduate preferred

•    10+ years minimum as Executive Chef or Chef de Cuisine

•    Expansive food and beverage knowledge with the ability to develop seasonal menus that offer variety and consistent guest satisfaction

•    Extensive market and industry awareness of current and future trends

•    Demonstrated experience maintaining sanitation standards, adhering to local food codes, and managing food and labor cost performance

•    Strong leadership skills and proven ability to build effective teams

•    Strong written and verbal communication; ability to analyze data and develop action plans

•    Proficient in Microsoft Word and Excel

•    ServSafe certified

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

•    Work performed both indoors and outdoors in extreme heat and cold

•    Ability to stand and walk for up to 12 hours

•    Must be able to lift up to 50 lbs

•    Ability to move with a well-paced pace between outlets and departments

•    Requires grasping, writing, standing, sitting, walking, repetitive motions, bending, climbing, listening, and visual acuity

REPORTING STRUCTURE

Reports to: Ownership and General Manager

Manages and supervises: Chef de Cuisine — Antithesis, Sous Chefs, and BOH staff

THE INVITATION

If you have been waiting for the right opening to put your name on something — to shape a destination from its first service forward — this is it. We are looking for a culinary leader with creativity, operational discipline, and a collaborative spirit, energized by building a program from the ground up and shaping a guest experience rooted in quality, authenticity, and gracious hospitality.

Welcome to old-world grandeur with comfy, sumptuous updates that celebrate the spirit of good times, delicious food, and great friends.

**Disclaimer: The duties and responsibilities described above are not a comprehensive list and additional tasks may be assigned to the employee, time to time; the scope of the job may change as necessitated by business demands. Click “View Application” below for more detail on this specific job.