Head Chef - School Kitchen Leadership & Nutrition Impact

Red Rabbit; New York (NY); On-site; USD 55,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous PTO

Health, Dental, Vision Insurance

401k Options

Paid Professional Development

Education Reimbursement Opportunities

Paid Parental Leave

Paid Family Leave

Short-Term Disability Insurance

Job summary

Red Rabbit seeks a Head Chef to lead a 7-12 person commissary kitchen team, producing meals for hundreds of children daily. The role blends culinary excellence with leadership, training, and customer-facing duties in a school setting.

The ideal candidate has strong cooking skills, office familiarity, and a passion for equity in school nutrition. Strong communication and organization are essential, with ServeSafe certification required within 90 days.

Qualifications

• 3+ years professional culinary experience in a fast-paced, high-volume kitchen.
• 1+ years supervisory/management experience.
• Knowledge of proper food safety and sanitation practices.
• Comfort using software/apps/spreadsheets to track and report data.
• Excellent communication skills and highly organized.
• Familiarity with NSLP compliance a plus.
• Bilingual English/Spanish a plus.
• ServeSafe Certificate required within 90 days of hire (reimbursement available).
• Passion for improving nutrition and health in schools.

Responsibilities

• Train and coach kitchen team members to enhance their skills and performance.
• Oversee daily culinary operations to ensure high-quality meals.
• Maintain a safe, clean, compliant kitchen with strict food safety standards.
• Optimize food costs through inventory management and menu planning.
• Follow production schedules; track consumption numbers and daily reports.
• Engage with the school community through meetings and nutrition education.

Skills

Culinary experience

Supervisory experience

Communication skills

Organization

NSLP compliance familiarity

Bilingual (English/Spanish)

Education

Bachelor degree in culinary arts

Tools

Spreadsheets/Excel

Job description

Red Rabbit seeks a Head Chef to lead a 7-12 person commissary kitchen team, producing meals for hundreds of children daily. The role blends culinary excellence with leadership, training, and customer-facing duties in a school setting.

The ideal candidate has strong cooking skills, office familiarity, and a passion for equity in school nutrition. Strong communication and organization are essential, with ServeSafe certification required within 90 days.