General Manager & Lead Culinary Instructor

Taste Buds Kitchen; Norwalk (CT); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Health Insurance

401K

Paid Time Off

Employee discounts

Free uniforms

Opportunity for advancement

Training & development

Job summary

Taste Buds Kitchen Norwalk is seeking a General Manager & Lead Culinary Instructor to drive class instruction and daily operations in a vibrant kitchen studio. You will teach cooking classes, oversee staff scheduling, and ensure exceptional client experiences while upholding Taste Buds Kitchen standards.

Open availability is required; evenings and weekends are common as events occur 7 days a week. You will collaborate with the owner during startup and help build a strong, engaged community

Qualifications

• Leadership to recruit and train staff and to manage a motivated team.
• Comfortable with a range of cooking techniques; formal education a plus but not required.
• Experience working with people of all ages and in events business.

Responsibilities

• Instruct cooking classes, camps, and parties for ages 2–99; engage guests and teach cooking skills.
• Provide excellent customer service and ensure a great client experience.
• Assist in hiring, training, scheduling, and developing the employee team; act as emergency substitute as needed.
• Oversee operations to ensure policy compliance, systems efficiency, and brand standards.
• Maintain high cleanliness and branding standards in the kitchen.

Skills

Leadership

Cooking techniques

Customer service

People management

Team training

Education

Culinary education

Job description

Company Overview:

Taste Buds Kitchen has taken the country by storm with a refreshingly simple concept. We provide culinary entertainment to kids, families, and adults in a fun, beautiful, and state-of-the-art Kitchen Studio. Kids ages 2 to teen love our hands-on cooking classes, camps, birthday parties, and field trips. Adults love our BYOB date night cooking classes, birthday parties, bachelorettes, showers, and corporate events. Our innovative programs are as entertaining as they are educational! We always strive to engage and delight our guests.

• Competitive pay
• Health Insurance
• 401K
• Paid Time Off

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Competitive salary
• Employee discounts
• Free uniforms
• Health insurance
• Opportunity for advancement
• Training & development

Company Overview:

Taste Buds Kitchen has taken the country by storm with a refreshingly simple concept. We provide culinary entertainment to kids, families, and adults in a fun, beautiful, and state-of-the-art Kitchen Studio. Kids ages 2 to teen love our hands-on cooking classes, camps, birthday parties, and field trips. Adults love our BYOB date night cooking classes, birthday parties, bachelorettes, showers, and corporate events. Our innovative programs are as entertaining as they are educational! We always strive to engage and delight our guests.

Benefits/Perks:

• Competitive pay
• Health Insurance
• 401K
• Paid Time Off

Job Description:

We are looking for a General Manager & Lead Culinary Instructor to play a critical role in the success of Taste Buds Kitchen Norwalk! You will have the skills and experience to teach our cooking classes, manage the day-to-day operations and staff in our Kitchen, create an exceptional client experience and be a natural leader. This is the perfect opportunity to interact with clients on a daily basis to create a supportive and meaningful community.

• Open availability is required, including nights and weekends. Taste Buds Kitchen hosts events 7-days a week.
• This role will assist the owner in the setup and running of this new business. You can expect to spend 50-75% of your time instructing classes initially. The time spent instructing classes will decrease over time as our business and our team grows.
• Instruct Classes - Instruct cooking classes, camps, and parties for ages 2-99. Engage and teach guests about various cooking/baking skills related to the class menu. Interact with all guests to ensure customer satisfaction. Be the perfect example and role model of what is expected of a Culinary Instructor. As part of your training, you will learn all aspects of event operations.
• Customer Service - Ensure all clients have a great experience
• Human Resources - Assist in/responsible for, hiring, training, managing, scheduling, and developing the employee team. Act as an emergency substitute if an employee cannot attend their shift.
• Operations - Ensure all company policies, systems, and laws are followed and ensure that all classes, staff, and facilities are meeting Taste Buds Kitchen standards. Improve and streamline systems for efficiency.
• Facility - Maintaining high cleanliness & branding standards in the kitchen.

Qualifications:

• Great leader capable of recruiting and training staff as well as managing and maintaining a motivated team
• Comfortable with a range of cooking techniques. Formal culinary education or equivalent experience a plus but not a requirement
• Experience working with people of all ages
• Experience working in an events business
• 1-3 years experience in a management position
• Strong customer service skills. A business or management degree is a plus
• Must enjoy the atmosphere of a small business