Kitchen Lead / Lead Cook

TolHouse; Toledo (OH); On-site; USD 26,000 - 30,000; Part time

Job summary

TolHouse is hiring a Kitchen Lead in Toledo, OH. This hands-on role requires independent station management, scratch cooking, and strict attention to safety and sanitation. You will organize prep, oversee service readiness, and guide the team to maintain high standards throughout each shift.

Applicants should have professional scratch-cooking experience, culinary training, and a current ServSafe certificate. Part-time hours include weekend evenings, with leadership duties and inventory oversight.

Qualifications

• Scratch-cooking experience at a professional level.
• Culinary school or chef-led training with concrete examples.
• Current ServSafe Food Protection Manager certification.
• Experience with inventory, receiving, rotation, temp logs and sanitation.
• Ability to direct kitchen tasks, communicate shortages, and follow records.
• Comfort working in a busy kitchen and maintaining quality.
• Availability for 20-30 hours per week, including weekend evenings.

Responsibilities

• Cook from scratch, manage a station during service, and ensure quality.
• Coordinate prep lists, verify station readiness, and set priorities.
• Track inventory, monitor stock, rotate products, and request replenishment.
• Check deliveries and storage, report discrepancies and issues.
• Maintain food-safety records, temperature checks, and labeling procedures.
• Follow opening/closing checklists and maintain sanitation standards.
• Guide teammates, reinforce recipes, and ensure consistent execution.
• Direct immediate kitchen work and escalate issues to leadership.

Skills

Scratch cooking experience

Team leadership

Clear communication

Food safety discipline

Education

Culinary training or apprenticeship

Tools

ServSafe certification

Job description

The Kitchen Lead prepares food from scratch and coordinates the daily routines that keep TolHouse's kitchen organized, safe, and ready for service. This is a hands-on cooking role for an experienced professional who can independently handle a station while keeping preparation, inventory, food-safety records, and service readiness on track.

You will lead through cooking ability, organization, clear communication, and attention to detail. You report to TolHouse leadership and guide daily kitchen execution. Hiring, firing, formal discipline, pay decisions, staffing schedules, and purchasing approvals remain with TolHouse leadership.

Pay and schedule: $19-22 per hour, part-time, 20-30 hours per week. Weekend evenings are required.

• Cook from scratch: Prepare complete dishes from raw ingredients, independently handle a station, and maintain standards for seasoning, doneness, presentation, and ticket timing.
• Coordinate service readiness: Organize prep lists, verify station readiness, communicate priorities, and coordinate immediate kitchen tasks during service.
• Track inventory: Complete counts, monitor stock and prep levels, rotate products, track waste, and prepare replenishment requests for approval.
• Check deliveries and storage: Verify quantities, quality, condition, and receiving temperatures; organize storage and report discrepancies.
• Maintain food-safety records: Complete and document food and equipment temperature checks, monitor cooling and holding practices, verify labeling and date marking, and take appropriate corrective action under kitchen procedures.
• Maintain kitchen standards: Follow opening and closing checklists, coordinate cleaning and sanitation, check equipment, and report maintenance needs.
• Guide the team: Demonstrate techniques, reinforce recipes and procedures, and help teammates maintain consistent execution.
• Exercise operational authority: Direct immediate kitchen work, correct preparation or sanitation issues, and stop unsafe food from being served. Escalate personnel issues and spending requests to TolHouse leadership.

• Demonstrated professional scratch-cooking experience: preparing raw ingredients, cooking complete dishes, seasoning and checking doneness, and independently handling a station during service. Experience limited to assembling or reheating prepared products does not meet this role's cooking requirements.
• Culinary school, apprenticeship, or structured chef‑led training, supported by concrete examples of professional kitchen work.
• Current ServSafe Food Protection Manager certification.
• Experience with inventory counts, receiving, product rotation, temperature logs, sanitation routines, and kitchen checklists.
• Ability to give clear direction, communicate shortages and safety issues early, and follow through on daily records.
• Comfort working alongside the team in a busy kitchen while maintaining quality, organization, and food-safety standards.
• Availability for 20-30 hours per week, including required weekend evenings.