Chef Manager

Forefront; Pearsall (TX); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Forefront is seeking a Chef Manager to lead culinary operations, ensuring high-quality meal production and exceptional service across multiple locations. You will oversee menu execution, staff development, purchasing, and financial performance to deliver a positive dining experience for residents, patients, and guests.

The role is exempt salaried and requires days, evenings, weekends, and holidays with occasional travel between locations.

Qualifications

• Experience directing daily food production for resident dining, café/retail, and events.
• Knowledge of HACCP, ServSafe, allergen controls and infection prevention.
• Ability to manage purchasing, inventory, and vendor relationships.
• Strong leadership, coaching, and performance feedback skills.

Responsibilities

• Direct daily food production for resident dining, café/retail, and catered events.
• Oversee menu execution, portion control, and presentation standards.
• Monitor food quality, taste, temperature, and appearance.
• Support menu development and seasonal programming.
• Supervise cooks, leads, and utility staff; onboard and train new team members.
• Build schedules aligned with census and service demands.
• Enforce HACCP, ServSafe, allergen, and infection prevention standards.
• Maintain temperature logs, sanitation records, and audit readiness.
• Lead corrective actions and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Manage food cost, labor productivity, and waste control.
• Oversee ordering, receiving, FIFO rotation, and inventory accuracy.

Skills

Culinary operations

Staff leadership

Food safety compliance

Budget & cost control

Job description

The Chef Manager is responsible for the daily leadership of culinary operations, ensuring high-quality meal production, exceptional service, and compliance with all food safety and regulatory standards. This role oversees menu execution, staff development, purchasing, and financial performance while creating a positive dining experience for residents, patients, and guests.

Position Type and Expected Hours of Work

This is an exempt salaried position, with expected hours to include: days, evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Essential Functions And Duties

Culinary Operations

• Direct daily food production for resident dining, café/retail, and catered events
• Ensure consistent execution of recipes, portion control, and presentation standards
• Oversee production sheets, batch cooking, and meal service timelines
• Monitor food quality, taste, temperature, and appearance
• Support menu development and seasonal programming

Leadership & Staff Development

• Supervise cooks, leads, and utility staff; provide coaching and performance feedback
• Conduct onboarding, training, and competency validation
• Build schedules aligned with census and service demands
• Promote teamwork, hospitality, and service excellence

Food Safety & Compliance

• Enforce HACCP, ServSafe, allergen, and infection prevention standards
• Maintain temperature logs, sanitation records, and audit readiness
• Ensure compliance with state/local health regulations and company policies
• Lead corrective actions and continuous improvement initiatives

Financial & Inventory Management

• Manage food cost, labor productivity, and waste control
• Oversee ordering, receiving, FIFO rotation, and inventory accuracy
• Assist with recipe costing and menu engineering
• Maintain purchasing and vendor relationships

Travel

Role requires occasional travel by car or plane to support multiple locations or meetings

General Responsibility As Required For Position

• Responsible for acting in conformance with all facility and departmental policies and procedures including those relating to Human Resources, Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, Health and Safety regulations, Compliance requirements, Patient Rights, Confidentiality, and HIPAA. Responsible for acting in conformance with accrediting agency standards.
• Attends department meetings as required.
• Demonstrates accountability to accept responsibility for personal/professional growth and any required certification/licenses, if applicable.
• Completes mandatory training and competencies annually.

AAP/EEO Statement

Forefront will not discriminate based on race, color, sex, height, weight, disability, national origin, religion, marital status, pregnancy, military service, genetics, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or any other protected class in its hiring practices, conditions for transfer or promotion, policies, discipline, discharge, terms, conditions or benefits of employment.

Other Duties As Assigned

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Job duties, tasks, responsibilities, and activities may change from time to time.