The Hunt For Seasoned Chefs Is On

The bugles have sounded and The Hunt is on for the Hunt Club Restaurant's next executive chef. Jeff Jobe, General Manager of the Sorrento Hotel, has announced a unique competition format for the hiring process. "When the opportunity arose to seek a new executive chef for the Hunt Club, we thought it was a great opportunity to make the entire hiring process a little more interesting," said Mr. Jobe. "We want to find the next great chef and conducting the search process in the form of a competition is a fun way not only to evaluate candidates, but to also involve the Seattle community, which has been so supportive of the Hunt Club Restaurant over the years," continued Mr. Jobe.

Qualified applicants must pass a rigorous application process. The semi-finalists will enter a competition round of cooking to be held at the Hunt Club restaurant. The two finalists will be judged by a panel of Seattle culinary industry luminaries at a benefit dinner before a new executive chef is named on April 30.

The Hunt executive chef competition is open to any chef with previous experience managing a full-service restaurant and a philosophy that success in the kitchen is driven by education and creativity. Chefs interested in applying should submit resumes and bios to thehunt@hotelsorrento.com by Friday, April 3. The Hunt Club is a neighborhood restaurant located inside the Sorrento Hotel that has provided hotel guests and Seattle diners with award-winning cuisine for more than 28 years.

Community Partnerships
In an effort to emphasize the importance of supporting young culinary talent in the community, The Hunt will benefit the Seattle Culinary Academy (SCA) at Seattle Central Community College (www.http://seattlecentral.edu/seattleculinary). Proceeds from dinner events will support the SCA educational partnership with Quillisascut Farm School (www.quillisascut.com) in Rice, Wa., a leader in the farm-to-table dining movement. The final competitive dinner event will be held at the SCA test kitchen on April 28 to fund scholarships for students to attend the Farm School this summer.

"We are thrilled to be able to support the Seattle Culinary Academy while searching for our new Executive Chef," said Jeff Jobe, "Given that the Hunt Club and SCA are regional culinary leaders, the partnership was a natural fit."

The Hunt Schedule of Events
April 3- Chef submission deadline. A rigorous vetting of all candidates will commence. Biographies and resumes will be reviewed, interviews will take place and selected chefs will be asked to submit a written essay and create a sample menu before the field is narrowed to four.

April 21, 22, 23 and 24-The field of four semifinalists will take to the Hunt Club Restaurant kitchen. Each chef candidate will be assigned one evening to manage the existing Hunt Club Culinary Team and be responsible for writing and preparing a prix fixe menu built to please Hunt Club diners. The Hunt's diners and restaurant management team will evaluate the four candidates over the course of the four nights, paying special attention to each chef's ability to work with the existing Culinary Team, menu creativity and general kitchen management. These special events (prix fixe dinner with wine $95per/person) are open to the public and reservations can be made on www.opentable.com.

April 28 -A benefit dinner will be held at the Seattle Culinary Academy to showcase the final round of competition. The two finalists will be required to prepare a four-course dinner comprised from select NW ingredients provided by Metropolitan Market and other local purveyors. The meal will be evaluated by the judges and guests will be encouraged to offer comments. SCA students will assist the chefs in their preparation of their final compet