Chef / Kitchen Lead

Park Avenue Coffee•Saint Louis, MO

2h•Onsite

About The Position

For more than 20 years, Park Avenue Coffee has been part of the St. Louis coffee community, serving locally roasted coffee, scratch-made food, and our signature gooey butter cake. As our food program continues to grow, we're looking for a Kitchen Lead who can take ownership of the day-to-day execution of our café kitchen. This is a hands-on position. You'll be prepping, cooking, assembling, organizing, cleaning, and keeping the kitchen moving. Just as importantly, you'll help us build the systems and standards that make great food repeatable every day. The Kitchen Lead is responsible for the daily operation and organization of our kitchen and lunch program. You'll make sure prep gets done, recipes are followed, food looks and tastes the way it should, inventory stays organized, and the kitchen is clean and ready for service. This is a working lead position. We're looking for someone who leads by example, takes ownership of their space, and notices what needs to be done without waiting to be told. You'll work closely with café and operations leadership to continue developing our food program, improve kitchen systems, and introduce seasonal menu items and specials.

Requirements

2+ years of kitchen, prep, café, deli, bakery, catering, or other food-service experience
Strong knowledge of basic food safety and sanitation
Solid knife skills and familiarity with standard commercial kitchen equipment
Experience with food prep, portioning, labeling, storage, and inventory rotation
The ability to follow recipes accurately and consistently
Strong organizational and time-management skills
The ability to prioritize when several things need attention at once
Good communication and follow-through
Comfort working independently without constant supervision
A willingness to clean, organize, and maintain the kitchen as part of the job, not as somebody else's responsibility
Takes ownership: notices when something is running low, speaks up if a prep process isn't working, ensures the kitchen is ready for the next day.

Nice To Haves

Lead or supervisory experience preferred, but not required for the right candidate

Responsibilities

Lead daily kitchen prep and food production
Execute sandwiches, salads, wraps, sides, and other menu items consistently and efficiently
Maintain high standards for food quality, portioning, presentation, and recipe execution
Organize daily and weekly prep based on expected sales and inventory
Maintain a clean, organized, and service-ready kitchen
Follow and reinforce food safety, sanitation, labeling, storage, and temperature-control standards
Receive, organize, rotate, and properly store food deliveries
Perform inventory counts and help maintain appropriate par levels
Identify low-stock items and communicate ordering needs before they become problems
Monitor product rotation and waste using FIFO and established kitchen procedures
Help reduce unnecessary food waste while maintaining product availability
Train and support team members on recipes, prep procedures, equipment, food safety, and kitchen standards
Help maintain recipes, prep sheets, build guides, and other kitchen documentation
Provide feedback on kitchen workflow, equipment, ingredients, and procedures
Work with leadership on seasonal menu items, specials, and improvements to the food program
Keep equipment, work surfaces, storage areas, refrigeration, and the overall kitchen clean and properly maintained
Communicate problems early and help find practical solutions