Culinary Production Coordinator

DREAMING OUT LOUD INC • DC

105d • $24

About The Position

Dreaming Out Loud’s mission is to create economic opportunities for the DC metro region’s marginalized communities through building a healthy, equitable food system. We are rebuilding urban, community-based food systems through cooperative social enterprise: increasing access to healthy food, improving community health, supporting entrepreneurs and cooperatives from low-income communities, and creating opportunities for at-risk residents to earn sustainable, family-supporting wages and build wealth. We believe that all communities deserve equal access to fresh, healthy food choices, but that achieving this requires moving beyond the “access” paradigm to a focus on community self-determination and food sovereignty. Utilizing the food system as a catalyst, we are working to create an integrated pipeline to jobs, economic opportunity, and community wealth-building for our most marginalized communities. The Culinary Program continuously vets community partners for culinary opportunities in catering, pop-ups, and community outreach. The program also supports Dreaming Out Loud’s ecosystem in creating value-added products for distribution via the Food Hub and other retail and wholesale markets. The value-added work includes new product development, manufacturing and production, testing, packaging, and scaling.

Requirements

• 3 or more years of relevant experience in food service, food production, and high-volume catering
• 3 or more years of experience in running food distribution at events or festivals
• Working knowledge of the fundamentals of cooking
• ServSafe certified
• Adaptability
• Dependability
• Ability to work in various weather conditions
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds
• Availability on evenings and weekends
• Demonstrated ability to engage in creative problem solving
• Driver license
• Computer skills and experience with database entry

Responsibilities

• Obtains daily production schedule and preparation requirements from the Culinary Production Manager
• Oversees the product kitchen operations as needed
• Work in a high-volume kitchen pushing out thousands of pounds of produce and package goods
• Oversee the consistency of various preparations within the kitchen to ensure quality products and adherence to standard recipes
• Tastes competed meals to ensure quality
• Operates and cleans equipment per department procedures after each use
• Completes all required documentation, reports, and logs as required
• Contributes to the development of processes that enhance kitchen safety and elevate food quality
• Complies with federal, state, and local health and sanitation regulations and department sanitation procedures
• Uses approved food recipes and production standards to ensure proper quality, serving temperatures, and standard portion control
• Monitors waste and overproduction and utilizes leftovers, ensuring proper rotation and quality control
• Stores, labels, and dates all food items according to policy
• Follows HACCP guidelines to ensure the quality and safety of the food supply
• Support the planning and execution of community outreach and events
• Work with the team to seek and curate relationships that lead to additional sustainable business
• Identify the client’s requirements and expectations for each event
• Liaise with vendors, exhibitors, and stakeholders to ensure everything is in order during the event planning process
• Resolve customer concerns
• Load and unload a van/truck and set up an event kitchen
• Set up event displays
• Maintain equipment and keep track of equipment inventory
• Manage set-up, tear-down, and follow-up processes at events

Benefits

• Generous Paid Time Off
• Health and Dental Insurance
• Monthly Cell Phone Stipend
• Flexible Spending Accounts for Transit, Parking, and Healthcare
• Transit Assistance through SmartBenefits
• 401(k) match up to 5%
• 100% Employer Paid Life Insurance
• 100% Employer Paid Short and Long-Term Disability

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees