Hands-On Kitchen Lead: Build Systems & Elevate Cafe Food

Purchaseyourfreedom; St. Louis (MO); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Park Avenue Coffee in St. Louis is seeking a Kitchen Lead to own the day-to-day kitchen operations, lead prep, ensure recipes are followed, inventory is organized, and the kitchen is clean and ready for service.

You will work hands-on with cafe leadership to grow the food program, improve kitchen systems, and introduce seasonal items and specials. This role requires ownership, reliability, and team mentorship to maintain consistent quality.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of kitchen or food-service experience.
• Lead or supervisory experience preferred.
• Strong knowledge of basic food safety and sanitation.
• Solid knife skills and familiarity with standard commercial kitchen equipment.
• Experience with food prep, portioning, labeling, storage, and inventory rotation.
• The ability to follow recipes accurately and consistently.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills.
• Good communication and follow-through.
• Comfort working independently without constant supervision.
• A willingness to clean, organize, and maintain the kitchen as part of the job.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily kitchen prep and food production.
• Execute sandwiches, salads, wraps, sides, and other menu items consistently and efficiently.
• Maintain high standards for food quality, portioning, presentation, and recipe execution.
• Organize daily and weekly prep based on expected sales and inventory.
• Maintain a clean, organized, and service-ready kitchen.
• Follow and reinforce food safety, sanitation, labeling, storage, and temperature-control standards.
• Receive, organize, rotate, and properly store food deliveries.
• Perform inventory counts and help maintain appropriate par levels.
• Identify low-stock items and communicate ordering needs before they become problems.
• Monitor product rotation and waste using FIFO and established kitchen procedures.
• Help reduce unnecessary food waste while maintaining product availability.
• Train and support team members on recipes, prep procedures, equipment, food safety, and kitchen standards.
• Help maintain recipes, prep sheets, build guides, and other kitchen documentation.
• Provide feedback on kitchen workflow, equipment, ingredients, and procedures.
• Work with leadership on seasonal menu items, specials, and improvements to the food program.
• Keep equipment, work surfaces, storage areas, refrigeration, and the overall kitchen clean and properly maintained.
• Communicate problems early and help find practical solutions.

Skills

Kitchen experience

Supervisory experience

Food safety

Knife skills

Recipe execution

Organization

Time management

Communication

Independent work

Cleanliness

Tools

Commercial kitchen equipment

Job description

Park Avenue Coffee in St. Louis is seeking a Kitchen Lead to own the day-to-day kitchen operations, lead prep, ensure recipes are followed, inventory is organized, and the kitchen is clean and ready for service.

You will work hands-on with cafe leadership to grow the food program, improve kitchen systems, and introduce seasonal items and specials. This role requires ownership, reliability, and team mentorship to maintain consistent quality.