Chef Manager
About The Position
The Chef Manager at The Fortune Society plays a critical leadership role within the Fortune Fresh team, overseeing culinary operations while advancing community wellness, workforce development, and nutrition education initiatives. This position combines high-level food service management with community-centered culinary programming designed to support formerly incarcerated individuals, low-income communities, and diverse populations across New York City. The Chef Manager is responsible for the comprehensive execution of daily culinary production, food safety compliance, staff supervision, menu development, and multi-site food service operations. In addition, this role serves as a culinary educator and mentor by supporting teaching kitchens, cooking demonstrations, nutrition-focused workshops, produce distribution activities, and culinary workforce development initiatives. This position requires a dynamic culinary professional who can lead kitchen operations while fostering an inclusive, equity-focused, and mission-driven food environment that promotes health, dignity, empowerment, and second chances.
Requirements
- Culinary degree or relevant certification from a recognized culinary institution
- NYC Food Handlers required
- ServSafe certification preferred, but not required
- In-depth knowledge of various cooking techniques, ingredients, and cuisines
- Strong leadership and managerial abilities to oversee kitchen operations effectively
- 3–5 years' experience in supervising and leading a team of culinary professionals
- Excellent communication skills to interact with kitchen staff, management, and other team members
- Ability to convey instructions clearly and foster a positive work environment
- Comfortable using Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.)
- Strong organizational skills to manage kitchen logistics, including ordering, scheduling, and distribution
- Commitment to maintaining exceptional standards of food quality, cleanliness, and safety including strong knowledge of NYCDOMH standards
- Experience in training and mentoring culinary staff to enhance their skills and performance
- Knowledge of budgeting processes and cost control measures to ensure financial objectives are met
- Travel across the five boroughs is required for supervision of meal programs at residential locations.
Responsibilities
- Oversee daily food service operations across multiple locations, ensuring efficiency, consistency, food quality, and compliance with all NYC DOHMH food safety regulations and NYC Food Standards.
- Manage food production, inventory, ordering, vendor coordination, kitchen organization, and distribution activities to support seamless culinary operations.
- Recruit, supervise, train, mentor, and evaluate kitchen staff, interns, fellows, and volunteers participating in Food and Nutrition programs.
- Develop and maintain standardized recipes, production procedures, and portion controls to support quality assurance, operational consistency, and waste reduction.
- Collaborate with the Food and Nutrition team to design culturally relevant, nutritious, and budget-conscious menus that accommodate diverse dietary needs and preferences.
- Lead and support nutrition-focused culinary programming including teaching kitchens, cooking demonstrations, workshops, and community engagement activities.
- Promote health and wellness through culturally responsive culinary education, nutrition messaging, and participant-centered food experiences.
- Support workforce development initiatives by mentoring formerly incarcerated individuals and other program participants pursuing culinary and food service career pathways.
- Coordinate and support produce distribution activities, special events, catering functions, and cross-departmental Food and Nutrition initiatives.
- Maintain accurate operational and compliance documentation including HACCP logs, inventory records, production records, scheduling, and other administrative responsibilities as required.
- Perform other duties as assigned
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
Education Level
Associate degree
