Lead Cook

The Yay Company•Bear, DE

9d•Onsite

About The Position

The Lead Cook is the engine of the Yay kitchen. You’re the first one in and the person the team looks to when production gets moving. This is a hands-on cooking role — you’re at the line, in the prep, making sure every meal that goes to students is on spec and on time. You also help keep the kitchen organized and set the standard for how the team works. This is the right role if you love to cook, take pride in consistency, and want to be trusted to run the kitchen when it matters.

Requirements

Current Food Handler certification (required)
Experience in a high-volume kitchen — school food service, catering, or similar
Strong knife skills and comfort with both hot line and cold prep
Detail-oriented: you follow recipes, you label correctly, you don’t cut corners
Reliable, on time, and ready to work hard from the moment you walk in

Nice To Haves

ServSafe certification

Responsibilities

Hot Food Production: Cook from recipe cards, portion correctly every time, spot check portions, verify temperatures, and keep production on schedule.
Cold Batch Production: Ensure cold items (fruit cups, veggie packs, snack packs, wraps, salads, etc.) are produced on time, portioned correctly, labeled immediately with prep date and use-by date, and stored at 41°F or below. Enforce FEFO (First-Expired, First-Out) at all times.
Kitchen Pars & Inventory: Conduct full inventory counts weekly, order based on counts and the batch schedule, enforce FEFO, receive deliveries personally, verify against invoices, log all waste daily, and review patterns weekly.
Team Development: Ensure Kitchen & Service Assistants know their roles, specs, and standards. Brief them at the start of every shift with clear assignments. Make sure everyone knows their role in the cold production process on batch day. Debrief at least twice a week. Address performance issues directly and document them.
Sales & School Happiness: Communicate proactively with school administration about menu changes, service updates, or anything affecting their day. Collect feedback from students and staff.
Complete food safety logs daily.
Keep station and shared kitchen spaces clean and organized.
Log waste accurately and flag anything that seems off.
Help receive deliveries and verify product against invoices when needed.
Set the pace and the standard for the kitchen team during your shift.
Support and lead team members.