Line Cook & Batch Production Lead for School Meals

The Yay Company; Durham (NC); On-site; USD 26,000 - 31,200; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Accrued paid time off

Off when school not in session

Job summary

The Yay Company is seeking a hands-on Cook for our commercial kitchen serving students. You will be on the line and in prep, ensuring every meal is on spec and on time while helping keep the kitchen organized.

Ideal candidates have current Food Handler certification, experience in high-volume kitchens, strong knife skills, and reliability. This role offers a Monday–Friday schedule with 4–6 hours daily and opportunities to support school happiness and food safety.

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, keep on schedule.
• Cold Batch Production: produce items on batch day, label with prep and use-by dates, store at 41°F or below, enforce FEFO.
• Kitchen Pars & Inventory: weekly inventory count, order based on counts, receive deliveries, log waste daily.
• Team Development: brief team at start of shift, assign roles, debrief, address performance issues.
• Sales & School Happiness: represent Yay at school, communicate with administration, gather student/staff feedback.
• Team Support: set pace and standard, train teammates and support leadership.

Skills

Food Handler certification

ServSafe

High-volume kitchen experience

Knife skills

Attention to detail

Reliability

Job description

The Yay Company is seeking a hands-on Cook for our commercial kitchen serving students. You will be on the line and in prep, ensuring every meal is on spec and on time while helping keep the kitchen organized.

Ideal candidates have current Food Handler certification, experience in high-volume kitchens, strong knife skills, and reliability. This role offers a Monday–Friday schedule with 4–6 hours daily and opportunities to support school happiness and food safety.