Chef Manager

Martha's Table•Washington, DC

4h•$65,000 - $75,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Chef Manager is expected to be an experienced, passionate, and highly organized individual responsible for recipe and menu development in service of the safe and efficient production of all meals prepared in-house at Martha’s Table (MT). A key responsibility will be the implementation of MT’s Children’s Meals program, including day-to-day meal preparation and team management. This program serves healthy, daily meals to students aged 6-weeks to 5-years old enrolled in MT’s high-quality Early Childhood Education Center. In addition to overall management of operations at The Commons, this role will support in-house catering and events for MT program participants. This role requires a strong focus on food-safety, hygiene, teamwork, and continuous improvement. While this post will be based primarily at Martha’s Table at The Commons, occasional travelling to The Maycroft to provide program coverage and support will be required on an as needed basis. About MT’s Children’s Meals Program: MT is committed to serving healthy, delicious, and nutritionally sound meals to children enrolled in our Early Childhood Education program. Menus and recipes must comply with Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) guidelines, should expose children to new foods, and are intended to help children develop healthy eating habits.

Requirements

Extensive culinary/cooking skills including but not limited to: food safety, handling, storage, and sanitation, food prep, knife skills, and high-volume cooking.
Expertise in various cooking techniques, culinary traditions,regions, ingredients, equipment and procedures.
Knowledge of food safety regulations, sanitation practices, and HACCP principles.
Passion for the culinary arts field and for making a difference with respect to nutrition, while having a great knowledge of food accessibility and healthy food choices.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to work with partners and kitchen team members.
Adaptability and flexibility to work in various kitchen environments and with different types of clients.
Ability to supervise using strong communication skills, team building and team member development.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Proficiency in multiple software applications including most Google Suite products.
2 year degree from an accredited university in Culinary Arts or related major.
5 + years experience in the culinary, food and beverage, or related professional area.
District of Columbia Food Protection Manager Certificate required within the first 4 months of employment.
ServSafe Food Safety Management Certification and DC Health-issued Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) Certification required within the first 90 days of employment.
Valid driver license required.
2 doses of either Pfizer or Moderna administered before April 18, 2023; 1 dose of Johnson & Johnson's Janssen administered before May 22, 2023; 2 doses of Novavax COVID-19 vaccine, Adjuvinated; or 1 updated dose of either Pfizer or Moderna administered after April 18, 2023.
Completion of a satisfactory background check.

Nice To Haves

Proficient in verbal/written Spanish, preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

Leads the development of innovative seasonal menus and the preparation of meals for MT’s program participants, with a specific focus on daily production of children’s meals that meet MT’s quality standards and comply with all applicable regulations and nutritional guidelines.
Supports MT programs by providing meals as requested.
Develops, implements, and documents standard operating procedures to maintain and enhance culinary and presentation standards, food quality, standardized recipes, and portioning control.
Ensures compliance with all federal and local health and sanitation and safety regulations as evidenced through internal, local health department agencies’, and third-party entities’ audits and records.
Conducts daily inspections to ensure all equipment and utilities are in safe working order; coordinates scheduled maintenance and repairs as needed.
Creates and maintains production sheets, kitchen logs, and back of the house managerial documentation including but not limited to: temperature logs, hold/cold, cooling, waste, cleaning schedule, and small-wares/food inventory.
Supports menu development and execution of in-house catering for regular org-wide and program specific events.
Performs other duties as required in support of MT’s programs.
Supervises and coaches kitchen team members, food entrepreneurs, contractors, and interns/volunteers.
Recruits, selects, trains, and retains high performing and productive kitchen team members.
Maintains optimal staffing and scheduling while being responsive to organizational needs.
Communicates goals and provides leadership to team members to inspire team commitment to organizational objectives and values. Provides effective performance-based coaching, including recognition and constructive feedback to support the long-term development of team members. Supports development opportunities for team members that support organizational growth.
Supports team members to develop personal and professional goals in line with departmental and organizational goals and strategies. Tracks, evaluates, and conducts performance evaluations for team members in line with individual, departmental, and organizational goals.
Organizes and tracks team members’ schedules, tracks and approves payroll, time off and related HR tasks. Communicates and ensures compliance with MT’s policies and procedures.
Fosters teamwork and collaboration with team members for all Health & Wellness programs and across the organization.
Collaborates with the Director of Healthy Foods, Director of Culinary Services, and Community Nutritionist on operational logistics for food nutrition activities, such as family cooking workshops or chef-led cooking demonstrations.
Builds and manages relationships with service providers/contractors, community partners, and community members.
Trains volunteers on kitchen safety, rules, and regulations.
Communicates effectively and efficiently across the organization to maximize impact.
Attends and provides support as needed at MT events.
Communicates MT’s mission to program participants and neighbors, and represents MT at relevant conferences, meetings, kitchen and market tours, and other outreach events.
Attends at least one MT anchor event annually.
Embodies and serves as a model for “The Martha's Table Experience” and our organization’s core values.
Performs other duties as assigned.