Lead Cook

Rate of Pay: $22.50 – $24.50 / hour (Dependent on Experience)

Schedule: Full-Time | 40 hours per week | 8–9 hour shifts scheduled between 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM

About the Role & Workplace

Do you love to cook and create nutritious, memorable meals for young people? As a Lead Cook on our team, you’ll help bring recipes to life, flex your culinary creativity, and nourish 50–70 boarding students daily. Surrounded by fresh, high-quality ingredients sourced from local suppliers and modern equipment, you will experiment with a dynamic variety of global cuisines, flavors, and cooking styles in a supportive, high-energy environment.

Simply put, we are a high energy, supportive and compassionate team, and our kitchen is a truly warm and engaging place to spend 8 hours a day. We are deeply committed to fostering a welcoming, kind, inclusive, and professional workplace where every team member feels valued, supported, and empowered to succeed.

Job Responsibilities

• Cook and prepare balanced, high-quality lunch and dinner for 50–70 boarding students using fresh ingredients from local suppliers, following established production guidelines and a 3-week recipe rotation featuring diverse global cuisines.
• Set up workstations with necessary ingredients and equipment. Measure, chop, trim, and peel ingredients safely using proper knife skills and culinary equipment (ovens, stoves, slicers, mixers).
• Bake, roast, broil, steam, and execute diverse cooking techniques across various international cuisines. Arrange, garnish, and portion food consistent with portion-control standards.
• Provide daily oversight and guidance to kitchen support staff (e.g., prep cooks, dishwashers, servers) during shift operations. Foster a positive, supportive work environment, ensure tasks are completed efficiently, and help onboard or train new team members.
• Allergy Management & Menu Awareness:
  • Strictly adhere to the school’s allergy management plan and cross-contamination protocols.
  • Identify major allergens in menu items, ingredients, and recipes to ensure safe preparation for students with specific dietary restrictions or food allergies.
  • Clearly label allergen-free dishes and maintain transparent communication with the team regarding allergen safety.
• Model strong professionalism, a collaborative mindset, and bring contagious, positive energy to the culinary team and student body while promoting a kind and inclusive environment.
• Adhere to all food safety guidelines, proper food storage, and kitchen sanitation practices. Clean and sanitize workstations, tools, and equipment throughout and after service shifts.
• Assist team members during peak service hours, maintain excellent customer service toward students and staff, and safeguard kitchen assets.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of experience in high-volume cooking, institutional dining, or a related culinary role.
• Experience or demonstrated capability in providing guidance, daily oversight, and onboarding to kitchen support staff.
• Strong understanding of standard food preparation principles, diverse global cooking techniques, and strict food safety handling/storage practices.
• Knowledge of food allergens, safe handling procedures to prevent cross-contact, and experience working within a formal food allergy plan.
• Valid Food Safety Certification (or ability to acquire upon hire).

Education