Summary of Position:

The Area Chef plays a vital role in ensuring exceptional culinary standards and customer satisfaction across school cafeteria operations within an assigned region. This position provides hands-on culinary leadership, operational support, and strategic guidance to deliver high-quality, nutritious, and compliant meals that meet organizational standards. As a key member of the Culinary & Organizational Excellence Team, the Area Chef collaborates closely with site teams to strengthen performance, elevate service, and maintain consistency across locations. This role requires flexibility and a proactive approach, stepping into facilities as needed to provide supervision, operational support, and culinary expertise.

Responsibilities:

Establish annual operational plans and goals; implement initiatives across locations using internal and external resources.
Develop, implement, and monitor culinary concepts, menu programs, and product enhancements at regional and national levels.
Ensure compliance with corporate standards, including food safety, risk management, purchasing, cost controls, and ordering systems.
Oversee training execution for recipes, menu changes, food safety standards, and culinary procedures; conduct audits to verify adherence.
Support business operations through performance evaluations, staffing support, event execution, sales proposal input, and cost/quality improvement programs.

Qualifications:

Culinary degree preferred or equivalent experience; minimum 7 years in food service and fresh food production, including hands-on chef experience.

2–3 years of multi-unit culinary management or supervisory experience in restaurant or food service operations.
Experience in high-volume batch cooking, complex food service environments, and catering operations.
Knowledge of food safety, sanitation standards, cost controls, and recipe/production execution, including ability to follow production sheets and standardized processes.
SERV Safe certification (or ability to obtain within 6 months), valid driver’s license, ability to pass background check, proficiency in MS Office (Excel, Adobe), and ability to travel up to 80% including overnight stay.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, Gender/Minority/Veterans/Disabled and participates with E-Verify Employment Eligibility Program.

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