Lead Recreational Chef & Operations Manager

Institute of Culinary Education; New York (NY); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

Referral Program

Flexible Spending Account

Job summary

The Institute of Culinary Education, based in New York, seeks a Lead Recreational Chef & Operations Manager to oversee the recreational division and guide a team of chefs. The role includes teaching, class scheduling, and ensuring high standards across all programs.

The ideal candidate will have a culinary diploma and 7+ years in culinary roles with management experience, plus strong communication and organization.

Qualifications

• Culinary/pastry diploma or formal culinary education is required.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills are essential for training and leading instructors.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to multi-task in a busy recreational division.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word/Excel and related software is expected.

Responsibilities

• Manage recreational program operations and lead the team of chefs.
• Set and maintain program standards and oversee instructor recruitment and evaluations.
• Oversee payroll processing and staff scheduling for recreational classes.
• Develop content/recipes and drive R&D for new classes and curricula.
• Coordinate calendar, class scheduling and relationships with NYC chefs/restaurants.
• Serve as ICE ambassador and manage duties as operations manager on agreed shifts.

Skills

Leadership

Communication skills

Multi-tasking

Food safety knowledge

Excel & MS Office

Education

Culinary Diploma / Formal Culinary Education

Tools

Microsoft Office (Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, Excel)

Job description

Zero Application Fee for ALL Programs through August 31! Apply Now >

Lead Recreational Chef & Operations Manager (Full-time)

Campus

New York

Mission

The Institute of Culinary Education is dedicated to inspiring our students to reach their full potential through an education that emphasizes technique and professionalism. We accomplish this in a passionate, disciplined environment that fosters excellence, critical thinking and creativity in students, faculty and staff.

Position Summary

The Institute of Culinary Education runs the largest and broadest hands-on recreational cooking program in America. Founded in 1975, this program has helped define what a modern cooking school could and should be. The program draws customers from around the nation and world and has won IACP awards for excellence. Reporting directly to the Senior Vice President, the Recreational Lead Chef will manage the other Chefs within the division. The Recreational Lead Chef will work an average of 45 hours per week including teaching a minimum of 300 recreational classes per year.

Specific Job Responsibilities

• Program Administration (for those programs under your supervision)
• Set and maintain overall standards
• Instructor recruitment, interview and recommendation process
• Administer all instructor evaluations
• Oversee the Bi-weekly Payroll and adjust related grievances
• Daily Monitoring/supervision of Culinary Operations Assistants
• Manage the divisions overall food costing

Content/Recipe Development (for those programs under your supervision)

• Stay current on trends and determine new classes to be provided at ICE
• Execute all R+D for these classes and develop the overall curriculum using independent judgment
• Engage instructors for R+D as needed

Scheduling (for those programs under your supervision)

• Ensure all events are staffed properly
• Responsible for booking and scheduling instructors for recreational classes
• Maintain working relationships with NYC chefs and restaurants for recreational class scheduling (hiring the chef or engaging the restaurant as needed)
• Source new instructors as needed – recruitment, interviews and recommendations

Recreational Division & School Representative

• Periodic weekend responsibility, serve as ambassador for VIP chefs / special events
• Ongoing general role as an ICE “ambassador” within the larger metro NYC culinary community
• Act as Operations Manager, tasked with Manager on Duty shifts twice weekly

Calendar Upkeep

• Management of internal calendar
• Teaching responsibilities
• Teach a minimum of 300 recreational classes/events per year, including night and weekends.
• Lead recreational classes in conformity with ICE lesson plans.
• Demonstrate techniques and concepts as required by the curriculum.
• Deliver clear, concise and organized lectures as required by the curriculum.
• Maintain a positive, focused learning environment during class.
• Ensure that recreational classes are conducted in a manner that complies with principles of food safety and sanitation.
• Provide the Senior Vice President with weekly reports on classes with suggestions and plans for improvements.
• Oversee Culinary Operations Assistant staff during class times and assist in recruitment, interview and recommendation process
• Set standards for kitchen cleanliness and organization and oversee kitchen management according to ICE’s Official Kitchen Standards using independent judgement.
• Ensure proper ingredients and appropriate quantities are ordered in a timely manner in the appropriate format through the Stewarding department.
• Obtain license to teach and trail our Culinary Career Program.
• Additional duties/responsibilities assigned by ICE.

Experience & Educational Requirements

• Culinary/Pastry diploma and/or some form of formal Culinary Education
• Minimum of 7 years of culinary experience, with management experience.
• Previous teaching experience preferred
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal; strong presentation and interpersonal skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft suite of products including Outlook, PowerPoint, Word and Excel
• Demonstrated ability to interact in a collaborative manner with other departments and teams.
• Highly organized, detail oriented and proficient at multi-tasking
• True and demonstrated passion for multiple dimensions of the culinary universe.
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills required
• Experience writing, editing or testing recipes
• Experience in service business operations
• Existing contacts in the NYC culinary community
• Flexible Spending Account
• Referral Program
• 401(k)

Shift:

• Day shift
• Evening shift
• Morning shift

About the Institute of Culinary Education

The award-winning Institute of Culinary Education was established in 1975 and has since grown to be one of America’s leading centers for culinary education and the largest culinary institute in New York City and Los Angeles. In 2015, we built and moved to a new flagship location in lower Manhattan, NY. In 2019, USAToday ranked ICE the “#1 culinary school in America”. The foundation of ICE is its programs in Culinary Arts, Pastry & Baking Arts, Restaurant & Culinary Management, Hotel & Hospitality Management and Health-Supportive Culinary Arts. Our programs are intensive, sophisticated and can be completed in 6-13 months. In addition to career programs, ICE offers a vast menu of recreational courses for the public, and a highly developed special events division. We continue to grow and evolve with the launch of its LA campus in 2018, the acquisition of the Natural Gourmet Institute in 2019 and the acquisition of the French Culinary Institute (ie International Culinary Center) in 2020. For more information about the Institute, please visit our website at ice.edu or connect with us @iceculinary on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Watch our videos on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/iceculinary .

The Institute of Culinary Education is an equal-opportunity employer.