General Manager & Lead Culinary Instructor

Taste Buds Kitchen; Norwalk (CA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

Competitive pay

Health insurance

Paid time off

Employee discounts

Free uniforms

Career advancement

Job summary

Taste Buds Kitchen Norwalk is seeking a General Manager & Lead Culinary Instructor to oversee day-to-day operations, teach cooking classes, and lead the staff in our Kitchen Studio. You will create an exceptional client experience and help build a welcoming community.

This role requires open availability including nights and weekends, with 50-75% time initially spent instructing classes, and opportunities for growth as the business expands.

Qualifications

• Leadership in recruiting, training, and managing a motivated team.
• Experience with a range of cooking techniques; formal education a plus but not required.
• Experience with people of all ages.
• Experience in events business.
• 1–3 years in a management role.
• Strong customer service skills; business or management degree a plus.
• Enjoys the atmosphere of a small business.

Responsibilities

• Open availability including nights and weekends; events run 7 days a week.
• Assist owner in setup and operation of new business; spend time instructing classes initially.
• Instruct cooking classes, camps, and parties for ages 2–99; teach skills and ensure guest satisfaction.
• Provide excellent customer service and client satisfaction.
• Assist in hiring, training, scheduling, and developing staff; emergency substitute if needed.
• Ensure policies, systems, and laws are followed; improve efficiency.
• Maintain high cleanliness and branding standards in the kitchen.

Skills

Leadership

Staff recruitment & training

Customer service

Event management

Culinary instruction

Education

Culinary education or equivalent experience

Job description

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.

Responsibilities:

• 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