District Chef: Lead Menus, Train Kitchens, Inspire Students

SLA; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The District Chef position with SLA leads menu design, training, and culinary operations for K-12 school meals across a region. You will mentor cooks, shape school food programs, and bring bold, nutritious flavors to students daily.

You will oversee menu creation, ensure safety standards, train kitchen teams, and collaborate with Cafeteria Managers to maintain high culinary quality across multiple schools.

Qualifications

• Must have a high school diploma or GED; advanced culinary education preferred.
• Minimum 3 years of kitchen/back-of-house experience.
• Budgeting and food cost control knowledge required; food safety certification required.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and cook food according to standardized recipes and production records.
• Create new recipes using commodity and purchased ingredients.
• Conduct taste tests and chef demonstrations with students and staff.
• Design cost-effective, appealing, and nutritionally balanced student menus.
• Enter menus into the nutritional analysis program.
• Place food and supply orders while monitoring cost control.
• Train kitchen staff on food safety, HACCP, cooking techniques, and presentation.
• Collaborate with Cafeteria Managers to ensure meal quality.
• Follow all local health department and company safety regulations.
• Supervise and evaluate kitchen team members.
• Submit reports as assigned and ensure timely compliance.
• Support other duties as assigned to improve culinary operations

Skills

Leadership experience

Culinary skills

Communication skills

Diversity and inclusion

Education

High school diploma or GED

Associate degree in Culinary Arts

Bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

The District Chef position with SLA leads menu design, training, and culinary operations for K-12 school meals across a region. You will mentor cooks, shape school food programs, and bring bold, nutritious flavors to students daily.

You will oversee menu creation, ensure safety standards, train kitchen teams, and collaborate with Cafeteria Managers to maintain high culinary quality across multiple schools.