Kitchen Training Lead - Scale Quality Across 3 Cafes

Phoenix3 Collective; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 34,000 - 41,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid time off

Free café food and coffee

Job summary

Fairgrounds is building something different — a café where the food program matters just as much as the coffee. We're expanding our food offerings across the Chicago market (River North, Oak Park, and University of Chicago), and we need someone who lives and breathes kitchen execution to make sure every plate that goes out is right.

You'll be on the line, at the prep station, and shoulder‑to‑shoulder with our teams.

Qualifications

• 2+ years in a commercial kitchen.
• Experience training staff, even if not titled.
• Ability to read a recipe and teach it to someone new.
• Strong organizational skills to manage three locations.
• Willingness to step up to shape kitchen operations.
• Food safety certification preferred; can be obtained if needed.

Responsibilities

• Train café staff on food preparation, assembly, plating, and quality standards.
• Lead hands‑on training sessions for new hires and ongoing skill development.
• Roll out new menu items from recipe development to in‑café execution and SOPs.
• Audit kitchen execution across three locations and coach in real time.
• Help establish prep schedules, par levels, and batch production across locations.
• Standardize build stations, ingredient specs, and plating across the market.

Skills

Kitchen management

Training experience

Team leadership

Read recipes and teach

Education

ServSafe certification

Job description

Fairgrounds is building something different — a café where the food program matters just as much as the coffee. We're expanding our food offerings across the Chicago market (River North, Oak Park, and University of Chicago), and we need someone who lives and breathes kitchen execution to make sure every plate that goes out is right.

You'll be on the line, at the prep station, and shoulder‑to‑shoulder with our teams.