District Chef: Lead School Meal Programs & Training

Southwest Foodservice Excellence, LLC; Ypsilanti Charter Township (MI); On-site; USD 65,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Southwest Foodservice Excellence, LLC is seeking a District Chef to design menus, lead culinary training, and elevate school meals across a regional footprint. You will mentor cooks, drive safety standards, and collaborate with Cafeteria Managers to ensure high-quality, nutritious options for students.

The role emphasizes hands-on leadership, recipe development, and cost control, with a full-time schedule and competitive compensation in the education food-service sector.

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.
• Food safety certification (or food handler’s card within 2 weeks of hire) required.
• Must pass background check, fingerprinting, and MVR audit.
• 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 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

Culinary skills

Leadership

MS Office

Communication

Education

High school diploma or GED

Associate or related degree

Tools

Nutritional analysis program

Job description

Southwest Foodservice Excellence, LLC is seeking a District Chef to design menus, lead culinary training, and elevate school meals across a regional footprint. You will mentor cooks, drive safety standards, and collaborate with Cafeteria Managers to ensure high-quality, nutritious options for students.

The role emphasizes hands-on leadership, recipe development, and cost control, with a full-time schedule and competitive compensation in the education food-service sector.