District Chef

SFE - Southwest Foodservice Excellence•West Windsor, NJ

About The Position

The District Chef plays a critical role in planning and executing school meal programs across multiple schools. The role includes creating balanced menus, developing recipes, maintaining food safety standards, and training kitchen teams. As a hands-on leader, the District Chef helps uphold high culinary standards while supporting operations across the region. The position involves travel to schools and company meetings as required.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED required.
At least 3 years of experience in kitchen or back-of-house operations.
Knowledge of budgeting and food cost control required.
Strong culinary skills and hands-on leadership experience.
Food safety certification, or a food handler’s card obtained within 2 weeks of hire, required.
Must be able to pass a background check, fingerprinting, and MVR audit.
Clear, professional communication skills.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office and basic computer systems.
Must be respectful, inclusive, and able to work with diverse communities.
Basic cooking and cleaning abilities required.
Must be able to stand for long periods, up to 5 hours; regularly bend, lift up to 50 pounds, reach, and move; use hands regularly; and hear and communicate clearly.
Must be able to work a full-time schedule, occasionally including 6–7 day workweeks; the typical workweek is 50–60 hours.

Nice To Haves

Associate degree in Culinary Arts or a related bachelor’s degree is strongly preferred.
Prior school food service experience is strongly desired.

Responsibilities

Prepare and cook food according to standardized recipes and production records.
Create new recipes using commodity and purchased ingredients.
Conduct taste tests and chef demonstrations with students and staff.
Design cost-effective, appealing, and nutritionally balanced student menus.
Enter menus into the nutritional analysis program.
Place food and supply orders while monitoring cost control.
Train kitchen staff on food safety, HACCP, cooking techniques, and presentation.
Collaborate with Cafeteria Managers to ensure meal quality.
Follow local health department and company safety regulations.
Supervise and evaluate kitchen team members.
Submit assigned reports and ensure timely compliance.
Support other duties as assigned to improve culinary operations.