Lead School Kitchen Cook — Master the Line & Batch Prep

Yay Lunch; St. Charles (IL); On-site; USD 32,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

School-year schedule

Job summary

Yay Lunch in Illinois is seeking a Lead Cook to drive the kitchen for a school program. You’ll be on the line, in the prep, ensuring every meal meets specs and deadlines while keeping the kitchen organized and setting the standard for the team.

This hands-on role requires strong knife skills, reliability, and experience in high-volume kitchens. You’ll lead hot and cold production, manage inventory, and support food safety and service excellence.

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: You and your team cook from recipe cards, portion correctly, and verify temperatures.
• Cold Batch Production: Produce and label cold items on a set batch day; store at 41°F or below; FEFO enforced.
• Kitchen Pars & Inventory: Weekly inventory counts, order based on batch schedule, log waste daily.
• Team Development: Brief shifts, assign roles, debrief twice a week, address performance issues.
• Sales & School Happiness: Be the face of Yay at the school and collect feedback.

Skills

Food Handler

High-volume kitchen

Knife skills

Detail-oriented

Reliable

Team leadership

Job description

Yay Lunch in Illinois is seeking a Lead Cook to drive the kitchen for a school program. You’ll be on the line, in the prep, ensuring every meal meets specs and deadlines while keeping the kitchen organized and setting the standard for the team.

This hands-on role requires strong knife skills, reliability, and experience in high-volume kitchens. You’ll lead hot and cold production, manage inventory, and support food safety and service excellence.