Kitchen Manager - Berkeley Culinary Center
About The Position
The Kitchen Manager oversees the Berkeley Culinary Center’s daily kitchen operations, ensuring the consistent delivery of high-quality food and compliance with food safety, sanitation, and regulatory standards. The role leads and develops kitchen staff and manages food preparation, inventory, purchasing, scheduling, and sanitation to support efficient, safe, and productive operations. The Kitchen Manager also optimizes food costs, labor utilization, and waste reduction while upholding Whitsons’ quality standards and fostering safety, accountability, and continuous improvement. This is a full-time exempt position. It may require extended hours, including evenings and/or weekends, travel to multiple work sites, and occasional out-of-state travel. Work is performed primarily in a manufacturing and warehouse environment, particularly packing and warehousing areas, with regular movement near storerooms, heavy machinery, and freezers.
Requirements
- High school diploma or equivalent.
- Minimum 3 years of kitchen or food service management experience.
- Experience overseeing operations using advanced cooking, chilling, and food production equipment.
- Knowledge and experience managing kitchens equipped with state-of-the-art cooking and chilling systems.
- Experience training and leading teams in the safe and effective use of advanced kitchen equipment and technologies.
- ServSafe or Local Food Handlers Ordinance certification.
- Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and X3.
- Ability to manage and train staff.
Nice To Haves
- Associate or bachelor’s degree or culinary certificate.
- HACCP certification.
- Bilingual Spanish.
Responsibilities
- Oversee daily kitchen operations to ensure timely, accurate, and efficient food production; hire staff, purchase food and stock, and ensure team members are trained in food preparation and kitchen safety.
- Ensure food is prepared according to approved recipes, batch specifications, weights, and yields, and meets Whitsons’ standards for appearance, proportion, and quality.
- Monitor cooking, cooling, and food-handling processes for consistency, quality, and food safety compliance.
- Supervise, train, and develop kitchen staff in food preparation, kitchen safety, and equipment use.
- Monitor staff performance and provide coaching, feedback, and corrective action as needed; foster accountability, safety, and continuous improvement.
- Coordinate onboarding and ongoing training to ensure staff competency, compliance with standard operating procedures, and consistent quality and productivity.
- Enforce food safety, sanitation, and regulatory standards; develop and follow a sanitation schedule and ensure proper food disposal.
- Ensure proper food handling, storage, labeling, and documentation, and maintain readiness for internal and regulatory audits.
- Ensure compliance with the facility’s HACCP/Food Safety Plan, including monitoring Critical Control Points (CCPs), allergen management, environmental monitoring, and cross-contact prevention.
- Manage food cost, waste, and labor hours; track yield, labor efficiency, and waste-reduction performance indicators.
- Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency without compromising food safety or quality, and support labor planning and staffing adjustments based on production needs.
- Monitor inventory and purchasing to minimize shortages and excess inventory while supporting production requirements.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
Education Level
High school or GED
