From time to time our head chef’s position becomes available. It’s life. People move on, people have lives that need living. We find it wise to collect demonstrations of interest so we’re not caught off guard. Consequently, we’re posting the general thrust of the position though we expect the position to be in part defined by the applicant. Here’s the bulk of it.

Opened in 2012, Popolo is a community restaurant serving Italian-inspired farm-to-table cuisine. Started with many small shareholders we consider among our goals the rejuvenation of the village and the improvement of the region’s dining options. Employee-friendly and socially conscious we initiated our Living Wage policy in 2016 to guarantee everyone on our team at least $15/hour. We currently have around 20 employees and serve more than 20,000 meals annually.

We always want to work with an inspired and experienced professional, someone who is anxious to make a mark on the culinary culture of the area. With a reasonable understanding of the market that person will be given broad creative control of the menu but you’ll be asked to participate in the health of the restaurant by strict adherence to cost of goods, kitchen staff management, waste, and the sanitary maintenance of our kitchen. Ownership opportunities may be available for the right person. But mostly you need to enjoy what you’re doing, work well with others, and expect to make us the best restaurant in the area – and that’s a tough job.

We’ll work to your strengths and hope you will work with ours. Conceived as an events driven experience, we enjoy special menus, locally-sourced ingredients, the engagement of local artisans, farmers, and brewers, and a real flair for the beauty of presentation and the wonder of flavor. We’ve made real progress in building good will in our community and believe our audience has come to expect consistency in the quality of our food and service.

We’re looking for a career-minded person for whom this is a life-style, not a job, and we hope to find someone who enjoys contributing his or her talent to an ongoing enterprise. The potential for growth is based on your willingness to participate in the possibilities. You should have significant experience in fine dining and a true affinity for hospitality and service. Confidence but not braggadocio, congeniality with humility, and, for crying out loud, we believe this can be serious and fun at the same time. We’re anything but stuffy but equally we expect to hold our heads high.

The full scope of the position can be assessed in an interview – even if we’re not hiring at the moment. We ask that you demonstrate your qualifications with a cover letter and resumé that show us why you’d be a good fit here. You can learn about Popolo by reviewing our website and our Facebook page.

We believe our salaries are competitive with executive chefs at much fancier and faster paced restaurants in much bigger cities.

There’s a longer, bullet-pointed set of responsibilities we can supply if you’re truly interested.