Lead Cook & Kitchen Team Leader — School Meals

Yay Lunch, LLC; Princeton (NJ); On-site; USD 30,000 - 33,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Job summary

Yay Lunch, LLC in Princeton, NJ seeks a Lead Cook to run the kitchen during service, manage hot and cold production, and maintain food safety and inventory. You’ll lead a small team, brief staff at shift start, and ensure meals meet school standards.

Responsibilities include batch scheduling, FEFO, and coordinating with school admins on changes; strong knife skills and attention to detail are essential.

Qualifications

• Current Food Handler certification (required); ServSafe a plus.
• Experience in a high-volume kitchen — school food service, catering, or similar.
• Strong knife skills and comfort with both hot line and cold prep.
• Detail-oriented: you follow recipes, you label correctly, you don’t cut corners.
• Reliable, on time, and ready to work hard from the moment you walk in.

Responsibilities

• Hot Food Production: cook from recipe cards, portion correctly, verify temperatures, and keep production on schedule.
• Cold Batch Production: manage weekly batch days, label with prep date and use-by date, and store at 41°F or below with FEFO enforced.
• Kitchen Pars & Inventory: weekly inventory counts, order based on counts, log waste daily, and flag discrepancies.
• Team Development: brief and manage Kitchen & Service Assistants, debrief mid-shift, address performance issues.
• Sales & School Happiness: communicate with school administration about menu changes and service updates, collect feedback.

Skills

Food Handler Certification

ServSafe Certification

High-volume kitchen experience

Knife skills

Detail-oriented

Reliable / punctual

Job description

Yay Lunch, LLC in Princeton, NJ seeks a Lead Cook to run the kitchen during service, manage hot and cold production, and maintain food safety and inventory. You’ll lead a small team, brief staff at shift start, and ensure meals meet school standards.

Responsibilities include batch scheduling, FEFO, and coordinating with school admins on changes; strong knife skills and attention to detail are essential.