Job Listing

Job Title: Executive Chef

Role type: Salary, Full Time, Year Round

Location: Garden Bistro at Peak Cellars, Lake Country, BC

Reports into: General Manager

Compensation: $80,000 – $100,000

The Opportunity

We’re looking for an Executive Chef who is more than a kitchen manager — we want a culinary storyteller who can look out the kitchen window at a living, breathing garden and translate what they see into a plate that stops guests in their tracks.

This isn’t a role where you’ll be working from a static menu and a Sysco order. Every week — sometimes every day — the garden and greenhouses will hand you something unexpected: a bumper crop of edible nasturtiums, the first Sungold tomatoes of the season, herbs that aren’t on any supplier list. Your job is to catch it at peak, build around it, and make it sing alongside an estate wine program that’s equally rooted in this specific piece of land.

You’ll have the creative freedom to let the harvest lead, a winemaking team as your pairing partner, and a guest base that travels to the Okanagan specifically for this kind of experience.

About O’Rourke Family Vineyards

O’Rourke Family Vineyards is a family-owned wine and hospitality group rooted in the Okanagan, bringing together premium vineyards, thoughtful wine production, and elevated guest experiences. With two distinct destination properties, the company spans both approachable and luxury expressions of wine tourism.

Peak Cellars is a welcoming winery focused on expressive wines and warm hospitality, complemented by the Garden Bistro, where seasonal cuisine and vineyard surroundings create an inviting setting for guests. O’Rourke Family Estate represents the group’s flagship vision, combining ambitious architecture, estate-driven winemaking, and refined dining experiences that showcase the estate’s culinary and wine programs.

Across the portfolio, O’Rourke Family Vineyards is deeply involved in every stage of the process — from vineyard stewardship and farming decisions through to winemaking, blending, and bottling. The company also produces a diverse calendar of events and experiences that bring together wine, food, and community, supported by close collaboration across hospitality, culinary, production, and events teams.

For prospective team members, O’Rourke Family Vineyards offers a dynamic, growth-oriented workplace that values craftsmanship, professionalism, teamwork, and pride in creating memorable experiences within one of Canada’s most exciting wine regions.

Peak Cellars & The Garden Bistro

Peak Cellars is 100% Lake Country and 100% estate grown — a winery destination rooted in place, built around people, and driven by the belief that great food and wine should be inseparable from the soil they come from.

Situated along the Scenic Sip trail, we craft cool-climate aromatic whites — Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Grüner Veltliner, and Pinot Gris — alongside Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that reflect the elegance of Okanagan terroir. Guided by minimal intervention and a deep respect for nature, every bottle is a true expression of vintage and place.

At the centre of the guest experience is our Garden Bistro — a vineyard-side dining destination overlooking Okanagan Lake and the surrounding mountains. With 80 patio seats, a secondary kitchen anchored by a forno oven, and an organic kitchen garden and two greenhouses just steps from the pass, the Bistro offers guests something you simply can’t find anywhere else: an immersive, ingredient-forward dining experience where the food is harvested the same morning it lands on the plate.

The Garden at Peak Cellars isn’t a garnish to the culinary program — it is the culinary program. From heirloom tomatoes, leafy greens, and fragrant herbs to edible flowers and specialty crops, our half-acre organic garden and two greenhouses supply the kitchen daily — hand-harvested, seasonally driven, and managed with organic practices that reflect our commitment to the land.

What You’ll Do

Culinary Vision & Menu Development

Build and evolve a seasonally-driven menu that starts in the garden — working daily with what the half-acre organic kitchen garden and two greenhouses are producing, not the other way around
Establish a morning harvest ritual with kitchen and garden staff to shape daily specials, feature dishes, and prep priorities around peak-condition ingredients
Design wine-forward pairings that complement Peak Cellars’ estate portfolio — from bright aromatic whites through to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay — with the garden as the common thread
Develop signature dishes and culinary concepts that make the farm-to-table story visible and legible on the plate — guests should feel the garden, not just read about it on the menu
Lead menu development for forno oven offerings, seasonal pastas, locally-inspired entrées, and daily specials that change as the garden does

Operations & Standards

Oversee all kitchen operations — prep, service, plating, food safety, and quality standards — across lunch, dinner, and special events
Maintain full compliance with BC Food Safe regulations, WorkSafeBC requirements, and HACCP protocols
Manage kitchen scheduling, labour deployment, and service readiness in a seasonal operation
Team Leadership
Recruit, train, mentor, and retain a high-performing kitchen brigade that shares your values around craft, collaboration, and hospitality
Foster a positive, inclusive kitchen culture built on accountability, curiosity, and continuous learning
Lead pre-service briefings, kitchen meetings, and regular performance conversations
Events & Winery Collaboration
Partner with the winemaking team to develop food and wine pairing menus for estate dinners, releases, and curated tasting experiences
Oversee culinary planning for private events, corporate bookings, wine club experiences, and seasonal promotions
Collaborate cross-functionally with hospitality, front-of-house, and marketing teams to ensure a seamless guest journey

Finance & Administration

Own kitchen P&L: manage food and labour costs, minimize waste, and optimize yield without compromising quality
Build and maintain strong vendor and supplier relationships, with a preference for local and regional producers
Oversee kitchen inventory management, and purchasing

What You Bring

7+ years of progressive culinary experience, including a minimum of 3 years in an Executive Chef or Head Chef capacity
Culinary Red Seal or equivalent professional certification (preferred)
A proven track record leading kitchen teams in winery, fine-dining, or upscale casual environments
Demonstrated ability to manage food and labour costs while maintaining exceptional guest-facing quality
Hands-on experience cooking with estate-grown, garden-supplied, or hyper-seasonal produce — you know how to build a menu around a harvest, not just accommodate one
A genuine, working relationship with the soil: you understand the rhythms of a kitchen garden, can identify what’s at peak, and get excited when the greenhouse produces something unexpected
Strong knowledge of food and wine pairing, with genuine enthusiasm for Okanagan varietals
Exceptional communication, leadership, and cross-functional collaboration skills
Comfort with the seasonal rhythms and physical demands of an outdoor-adjacent, destination winery environment

Additional Benefits

Employee Estate Wine & Hospitality Discounts
Company Health Benefits
On Site Parking

How to Apply

We’d love to hear from you. Please send your resume, a brief introduction, and any relevant menu samples or portfolio to: ian.scromeda@peakcellars.com

O’Rourke Family Vineyards adheres to employment equity and equal opportunity programs and encourages all candidates to apply. We would like to thank all applicants for submitting their resume; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

JOB LISTING

Job Title: Executive Chef

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