Palm Springs has developed into one of California’s most exciting hospitality markets, attracting ambitious new concepts alongside an increasingly sophisticated local dining scene.
Recently, Hastings People partnered with a newly opened restaurant in Palm Springs to appoint an Executive Chef.
The venue had quickly established itself as a strong performer, combining a serious culinary offering with a high-volume restaurant and bar operation.
The brief called for an Executive Chef who could take ownership of the kitchen, lead and develop the team and bring strong commercial discipline to an already successful operation, while continuing to evolve the food offering.
The Challenge
Finding an Executive Chef for a high-volume restaurant requires a careful balance of culinary and commercial capability.
The successful candidate needed to be comfortable leading a substantial kitchen operation, managing food and labor costs and implementing strong back-of-house systems, without losing sight of the quality of the food.
There was also the Palm Springs market itself to consider.
Seasonality can create significant fluctuations in restaurant volumes and staffing requirements, making experience navigating the local market particularly valuable
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Rather than simply finding a strong chef, the search was about identifying someone who understood the realities of operating successfully in Palm Springs and could bring both stability and new ideas to the kitchen.
The Search
With those requirements in mind, Ben Fitzgerald focused the search on experienced culinary leaders already operating within the broader Palm Springs market.
The priority was to identify chefs who understood the local customer base and seasonal trading patterns, but who also brought experience from sophisticated, high-volume restaurant environments outside the region.
That approach led Ben to an established local Executive Chef who had previously spent several years building their career in New York before relocating to California.
Importantly, the candidate was not simply looking for another Executive Chef title. They had reached a point where their current operation was performing well but offered limited opportunity for further challenge or creative development.
The new opportunity offered both: a growing restaurant with a strong existing trade and the scope to influence its next stage.
The Hire
The candidate brought a strong combination of local knowledge, high-volume experience and commercial kitchen leadership.
In their current Executive Chef position, they lead a team of more than 15 and hold responsibility for hiring, training, performance management, ordering, inventory and kitchen P&L. They had also introduced operational systems that reduced waste and food cost while maintaining strong guest satisfaction.
Their experience was particularly relevant to the Palm Springs market. During peak season, their current restaurant regularly serves 450–600 covers per night and can reach as many as 700, requiring significant adjustments to staffing and operations as volumes change throughout the year.
Before relocating to California, the candidate developed their career in New York, including leadership experience within a high-volume restaurant where they managed teams, service execution, inventory and food and labour costs.
That combination gave the client an Executive Chef who understood both the commercial realities of the local market and the standards of a demanding metropolitan restaurant environment.
The Outcome
The result was the appointment of an Executive Chef with the experience to take ownership of a busy kitchen while continuing to develop its culinary direction.
For the candidate, the role provided the challenge they had been looking for: an opportunity to step into a newer concept where there was greater scope for creativity, development and impact.
For the client, the appointment brought together several elements that can be difficult to find in one candidate: high-volume leadership, strong cost control, established back-of-house systems, culinary creativity and direct knowledge of the Palm Springs market.