Food Service Manager

Waters of Fort Wayne; Fort Wayne, Northern (IN, KY); Hybrid; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Waters of Fort Wayne is seeking a Traveling Cook Manager to lead culinary operations across multiple healthcare communities. The role requires regular travel to facilities, hands-on cooking, and ensuring high-quality, safe, and nutritious meals for residents.

You will supervise Executive Chefs and kitchen teams, standardize menus, and support openings and transitions while maintaining compliance with food-safety standards and company policies.

Qualifications

• Must have high school education or equivalent.
• Two years dietary experience.
• Experience with senior adults or healthcare populations.
• Ability to cook a variety of foods in large quantities.
• ServSafe certification or equivalent food-safety credential.
• Certified Dietary Manager preferred.
• Experience managing multiple culinary locations or traveling.
• Inventory, purchasing, and menu management experience a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead multisite culinary operations across healthcare communities.
• Provide leadership, coaching, and guidance to kitchen teams.
• Maintain consistent culinary standards, recipes, and service expectations.
• Support new community openings and leadership transitions.
• Ensure meals meet nutritional and dietary needs of residents.
• Ensure proper preparation of modified diets and allergen-sensitive meals.
• Promote hospitality-focused dining with resident dignity and choice.
• Monitor inventory, purchasing, waste, and portion control.
• Train staff hands-on in cooking techniques and kitchen organization.
• Comply with health regulations and sanitation standards.

Job description

Now Hiring - Traveling Cook Manager – All travel expenses covered!

Take your culinary leadership on the road while making a meaningful impact across multiple healthcare communities. As a Traveling Chef Manager, you'll lead kitchen operations, support dedicated teams, ensure quality dining experiences, and enjoy variety in a rewarding, mission-driven career.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Traveling Chef Manager is responsible for leading and overseeing culinary operations across multiple healthcare and assisted living communities. This position provides hands-on culinary leadership, supports local kitchen management teams, ensures consistent food quality and service standards, and promotes a safe, nutritious, and resident-focused dining experience.

As a Traveling Cook Manager you will travel between assigned facilities to provide operational support, cook and assist with menu execution, and ensure compliance with applicable food safety, sanitation, healthcare dining, and company standards.

Essential Job Functions:

Multisite Cook Manager - Travel regularly between assigned assisted living and healthcare communities to assess and support culinary operations.

• Provide leadership, coaching, and operational guidance to Executive Chefs, Kitchen Managers, cooks, and dining-service teams.

• Maintain consistent culinary standards, procedures, recipes, presentation, and service expectations across all locations.

• Support new community openings, leadership transitions, staffing shortages, and operational turnarounds as needed.

• Food Quality & Resident Experience to ensure meals are consistently appealing, flavorful, nutritious, properly portioned, and served at the appropriate temperature.

• Support menus designed to meet the nutritional and dietary needs of senior and healthcare residents.

• Ensure appropriate preparation and service of modified diets, therapeutic diets, texture-modified foods, and allergen-sensitive meals.

• Promote a hospitality-focused dining experience that respects resident preferences, dignity, and choice.

• Monitor resident feedback and partner with community leadership to address dining concerns.

• Conduct hands-on training and cooking alongside kitchen staff. Training staff on cooking techniques, food prep, sanitation, portion control, menu execution and kitchen organization.

• Reinforce company policies, performance expectations, and professional standards.

• Monitor inventory, purchasing, waste, portion control, and product utilization.

• Help standardize ordering practices and vendor/product specifications across assigned locations.

• Identify opportunities to reduce food waste and improve kitchen productivity without compromising quality.

• Maintain high standards for food safety, sanitation, personal hygiene, and kitchen cleanliness.

• Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local health regulations and healthcare/community policies.

• Monitor proper food storage, temperature control, labeling, dating, allergen management, and sanitation procedures.

Education/Experience:

• Must possess, at least a high school education or equivalent

• Two (2) years dietary experience

• Experience working with senior adults or healthcare populations.

• Must be able to cook a variety of foods in large quantities

• ServSafe certification or equivalent food-safety credential.

• Certified Dietary Manager (strongly preferred)

• Experience managing multiple culinary locations or traveling to cook.

• Experience with inventory, purchasing, and menu management is a plus.

Our Company provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, this company complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training