District Chef: Lead Menus, Training & School Meals

SFE- Southwest Foodservice Excellence; Grand Prairie (TX); On-site; USD 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

SFE- Southwest Foodservice Excellence in Texas seeks a District Chef to design balanced menus, lead culinary training, and elevate school meals across multiple schools. You’ll mentor cooks, ensure nutritional standards, and drive quality operations in a dynamic K-12 program.

This hands-on leadership role requires strong communication, budgeting awareness, and a passion for healthy, tasty meals. Collaborate with Cafeteria Managers, enforce food safety and HACCP, and inspire teams while

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Associate's degree in Culinary Arts or related Bachelor’s degree strongly preferred.
• 3+ years of experience in kitchen/back-of-house operations.
• Prior school food service experience strongly desired.
• Knowledge of budgeting and food cost control required.
• Food safety certification (or food handler’s card within 2 weeks of hire) 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

Clear communication skills

Leadership

Nutrition knowledge

Budgeting & cost control

Microsoft Office proficiency

Diversity & inclusion

Education

High school diploma or GED

Associate's degree in Culinary Arts or related Bachelor's degree (strongly preferred)

Job description

SFE- Southwest Foodservice Excellence in Texas seeks a District Chef to design balanced menus, lead culinary training, and elevate school meals across multiple schools. You’ll mentor cooks, ensure nutritional standards, and drive quality operations in a dynamic K-12 program.

This hands-on leadership role requires strong communication, budgeting awareness, and a passion for healthy, tasty meals. Collaborate with Cafeteria Managers, enforce food safety and HACCP, and inspire teams while