Lead Cook

Concordia College • Bemidji, MN

28d • $17 - $19 • Onsite

About The Position

As a Lead Cook with Concordia Language Villages in Bemidji, Minnesota, you'll help bring cultures to life through food. Working alongside the Culinary Arts team, you'll prepare high-quality, culturally authentic meals while helping coordinate daily kitchen operations, guide fellow team members, and ensure a safe, efficient, and welcoming dining experience for participants, guests, and staff. This year-round, full-time position offers an opportunity to combine hands-on culinary work with practical leadership in a collaborative environment where food is an important part of the language and cultural learning experience.

Requirements

• Must be at least 18 years old.
• Relevant professional food service experience involving hands-on food preparation and production in a commercial, institutional, or similar kitchen environment.
• Prior experience providing work direction, training, or leadership to others in a food service environment.
• Availability to work a varied schedule, including early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays, based on program needs.
• ServSafe certification or a comparable food safety course certificate, or the ability to pass the ServSafe exam within the first 12 months of employment.
• Ability to perform calculations related to food production, portions, quantities, and recipe scaling.
• Ability to follow recipes, menus, production schedules, food safety procedures, and written instructions while maintaining required operational records.
• Ability to use email and basic computer applications for communication, scheduling, and recordkeeping.
• Ability to provide direction, guidance, and support to other culinary staff while maintaining operational standards.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks and adapt to changing operational needs.
• Effective oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
• Commitment to cultural authenticity, participant experience, continuous improvement, staff development, and high-quality culinary operations.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with quantity cooking, institutional food production, or other high-volume food service operations.

Responsibilities

• Prepare, cook, and serve culturally authentic meals for Village programs and special events, following established recipes, menus, and production schedules.
• Lead food production during assigned shifts, coordinating tasks, guiding culinary staff, and monitoring workflow to ensure meals are prepared safely, efficiently, and on time.
• Provide direction and support to Assistant Cooks, seasonal and part-time culinary staff, and volunteers, helping maintain consistent operational standards.
• Assist with menu planning, recipe development, cooking demonstrations, and culturally authentic food experiences as assigned.
• Prepare meals for participants with dietary restrictions and food allergies, following food safety, sanitation, and cross-contact prevention procedures.
• Monitor food inventory, equipment, and supplies; communicate operational needs; and maintain required production, inventory, and temperature records.
• Maintain clean, safe, and organized kitchens, dining areas, and equipment, including supporting cleaning, dishwashing, and routine equipment maintenance.
• Support Village programs and special events through meal service, presentations, and positive interactions with participants, guests, and staff.
• Contribute to the immersive language-learning environment through positive participant interactions and use of target languages whenever possible.

Benefits

• Health Insurance
• Health Savings Account
• Flexible Spending Account
• Vision Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Preventative Chiropractic Program
• Retirement Plan
• Long-Term Disability Insurance (full-time only)
• Life Insurance (full-time only)
• 13 Paid holidays including the time off between Christmas and New Year's
• MN Paid Family and Medical Leave
• Up to 100% tuition with discounts and scholarships for yourself and dependents at Concordia College and Concordia Language Villages
• Up to 50% tuition discount for dependents with Oak Grove Lutheran Schools
• Up to 100% tuition discounts for dependents with participating partners: CIC-TEP, ELCA schools, and Tuition Exchange Inc.
• Access to athletic facilities, library, fitness classes, athletic events, theatre events, purchase dining on campus, free MATbus rides

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed