LaCo is a family-owned and operated restaurant, bar, grill and venue located in the heart of the historic El Presidio neighborhood in downtown Tucson, Arizona.
 

For nearly four decades our family has been running restaurants and cafes, as well as producing community-minded art and cultural events. Our aim is to make our services and food affordable, sustainable, accessible and comfortable for anyone finding their way to our space.
 

Our restaurant’s property and six surrounding retail shops encompass an entire city block that sits kitty-corner to the Tucson Museum of Art. The compound that hosts Old Town Artisans was built in 1885. Honoring this historic structure and creative legacy has always been a central element of our business model.
 

Taking advantage of Tucson’s charitable weather, our casual dining service is set up in our central courtyard and surrounding patios that can accommodate around 250 guests. We have a stage in this courtyard that hosts live musicians on a daily and nightly basis. And our kitchen is equipped to support our high-volume service and commissary needs. We’re especially excited about the new additions of a smoker and renovated grill.
 

A LaCo we strive above all else to be a “restaurant with heart,” one that lives up to the values we uphold: kindness, consideration, mutual respect, and consciousness of who we are and the role we play in our greater Tucson community.

We are looking to hire a Culinary Director to partner with us as we reopen our restaurant this fall. You will be collaborating with us to create a menu that is new and exciting, yet informed by our prior food program (what worked and what did not).
 

Together we will create a program that incorporates and uses all of our kitchen’s capabilities (experience with a grill and smoker is a big plus). You will work with us to train and manage a supporting kitchen staff by creating an environment where learning and sharing of culinary knowledge is valued. 
 

We are looking for:

• Someone who has experience running a large, high-volume kitchen
• A highly-organized individual with incredible management skills
• Someone with a new culinary vision that will excite our local community
• A leader who will create and maintain a safe work environment (both mentally and physically)
• An individual who can establish healthy kitchen communication that flows in all directions
• Someone who can run a kitchen by teaching and demonstrating, rather than dominating
• Someone who is honest, very hardworking, and dedicated with endless curiosity to keep exploring and learning about food, as well as themselves

Closing the restaurant for almost a year due to COVID-19 has made us reevaluate everything, in a good way.

Now we’re ready to bring new vision and new energy into the mix. We want to improve upon what makes this beautiful, historic place so special. This is a moment to grow from the foundation we’ve built: a unique, vibrant gathering place where great people, great ideas, great music, and great food all contribute to a truly personal and memorable experience.

Important Note: management will assist with relocation costs for a hire currently living outside of Tucson, AZ.