District Chef: Lead School Meal Programs & Training

Southwest Foodservice Excellence, Llc; Southfield (MI); On-site; USD 70,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Southfield Public Schools invites applications for a District Chef to lead school meals across multiple sites. You will design menus, mentor kitchen staff, and drive nutrition, safety, and quality in a high-volume program.

The role requires hands-on culinary leadership, strong budgeting skills, and experience with school food service. A Bachelor's or equivalent is preferred, with a commitment to food safety and student well-being.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED (implicit baseline)
• Associate’s degree in Culinary Arts or related bachelor’s degree preferred
• 3+ years of kitchen/back-of-house experience in school food service desired
• Knowledge of budgeting and food cost control mandatory
• Food safety certification or card required within 2 weeks of hire
• Must pass background check, fingerprinting, and MVR audit
• Strong communication and teamwork abilities
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and basic computer systems

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 health department and company safety regulations
• Supervise and evaluate kitchen team members
• Submit reports as assigned and ensure timely compliance
• Support other duties to improve culinary operations

Skills

Culinary leadership

Menu planning

Budgeting & food cost control

Food safety & HACCP

Education

Associate’s degree in Culinary Arts

Bachelor’s degree in related field

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Southfield Public Schools invites applications for a District Chef to lead school meals across multiple sites. You will design menus, mentor kitchen staff, and drive nutrition, safety, and quality in a high-volume program.

The role requires hands-on culinary leadership, strong budgeting skills, and experience with school food service. A Bachelor's or equivalent is preferred, with a commitment to food safety and student well-being.