Chef, South Bend

POSITION TITLE: Chef SALARY RANGE: IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR: Director, Food and Nutrition Services OVERVIEW: Provides hands-on culinary leadership, training, and quality assurance across school kitchens. The Chef rotates through buildings in the assigned purview, developing staff skill in recipe execution, batch cooking, food safety, and service presentation, while monitoring sanitation and overall kitchen conditions. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: ? Rotate through District's schools as assigned; support and train kitchen staff on approved recipes, sanitation standards, proper cooking and batch-cooking techniques, culinary presentation, service, and line set-up. ? Monitor and document the sanitary condition of walk-ins and storage areas, pest activity, outdated foods, and overall kitchen cleanliness; escalate concerns promptly. ? Retrieve weekly production records from buildings and deliver them to the Dietitian. ? Audit production records and train Kitchen Managers and staff on the proper way to complete them, correcting issues before the Dietitian's final review and sign-off. ? Coach staff on portion control, plate presentation, and meal component compliance with USDA/NSLP requirements. ? Relay building-level and individual concerns to the FNS Director and the Operations Manager. ? Work with the team on menu testing, recipe development, and culinary standardization. ? Perform other duties as assigned by the Senior Operations Manager and the FNS Director. EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Culinary degree or equivalent professional culinary training preferred. Minimum three (3) years of professional cooking experience, with supervisory or training experience strongly preferred. K-12 or high-volume institutional food service experience preferred. ServSafe Manager certification required within 30 days of hire. Valid driver's license and reliable transportation required; must be able to travel daily between assigned schools. KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES: ? While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to speak and hear. ? The employee is required to have dexterity of hands and fingers. ? The employee is required to sit or stand for extended periods of time. ? They may be occasionally required to bend at the waist, kneel or crouch. ? Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and ability to adjust focus. ? While performing the duties of this job, the incumbent is seated or walking at will, and must be able to push, pull, lift, and carry up to 40 pounds.