On-Call Chef

The Walt Disney Company; Emeryville (CA); Hybrid; USD 33,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville seeks an On-Call Chef to support the Chef de Cuisine and Senior Sous Chef in managing two cafés. You will craft weekly menus, assist with catering, and ensure safety, quality, and cost controls across high-volume operations.

Responsibilities include seasonal menu development, ordering, staff training, and collaboration with the Chef Team to deliver excellent guest experiences while maintaining budget and standards.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years in varied kitchen leadership roles.
• At least 3 years in a similar capacity.
• Proficient in verbal, written, and digital communication.
• Able to communicate clearly with managers, kitchen and dining staff, and guests.
• Excellence in guest service: reliable, consistent and courteous.

Responsibilities

• Create weekly cost-efficient menus seasonally inspired and broadly appealing.
• Support chefs and line cooks in high-volume, from-scratch prep while ensuring quality and standards.
• Provide input for kitchen staff and scheduling; deliver constructive feedback.
• Train cafe employees on safety, cleaning, and guest service.
• Order, receive, and store food and kitchen supplies; manage cost containment.
• Attend weekly menu planning meetings with Chef Team and pursue ongoing education.

Skills

High-volume kitchen work

Kitchen organization

Prep lists & order guides

Team collaboration

Knife skills

Basic computer skills

Sound judgment

Tools

Google Sheets

Docs

Excel

Slack

Email

Job description

On-Call Chef

Job ID R-04142

Location Emeryville, California, United States

Business Pixar Animation Studios

Date posted Aug. 21, 2026

Would you enjoy working with a top-talent culinary team, using only the finest ingredients, and serving to an appreciative and discerning community? How about having your nights, weekends, and holidays free to spend with family and friends? If you are talented, passionate about food, friendly, and curious, we invite you to join us at Pixar Animation Studios. As an On Call Chef, you’ll support the Chef de Cuisine and Senior Sous Chef in managing all aspects of our two Cafés — from food preparation and menu planning to ordering, receiving, and day-to-day kitchen operations. You’ll help craft weekly, seasonal, and cost-efficient menus, contribute to catering menu creation and event execution, and ensure that every dish meets Pixar’s high standards of quality, consistency, and safety. This role also involves maintaining compliance with food safety and handling requirements, ordering kitchen supplies, and ensuring the proper upkeep of equipment.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Ability to create weekly cost-efficient menus that are seasonally inspired and broadly appealing

• Provide input and support for the Chefs and line cooks who are preparing and serving all food and products for a weekly changing menu from-scratch, at a high volume, ensuring excellent consistency and compliance with the Café’s quality, portioning, cooking and serving standards

• Consult and provide input and feedback for kitchen personnel, as appropriate

• Experienced with scheduling, evaluating, and constructive feedback for kitchen personnel as appropriate

• Provide continued training to cafe employees in safety, cleanliness and sanitation, food preparation, and guest services

• Ensure that all necessary food and kitchen supplies are ordered, received, and stored in accordance with the Café’s needs, budget, and procedures

• Responsible for overall cost containment by effectively managing ordering, menu selection, and product utilization

• Check and maintain proper food handling, refrigeration temperature control points, and handling hazardous materials by Café employees

• Attend weekly menu planning meetings with Chef Team

• Pursue continued education to enhance professional knowledge and refine management skills

• Ad hoc requirements as necessary

QUALIFICATIONS

• A minimum of 5 years of experience in varied kitchen leadership positions

• At least 3 years experience in a similar capacity

• Must be proficient in verbal, written & digital communication

• Able to communicate clearly with managers, kitchen, dining room staff, and guests

• Demonstrated excellence in guest service skills: reliable, consistent and courteous

SKILLS

• Ability to work in a high volume, fast paced kitchen environment

• Kitchen organizational skills

• Ability to compose and refine accurate prep lists and order guides for weekly changing menus as well as catering menus

• Ability to foster a collaborative and uplifting team environment

• Exceptional Knife skills

• Basic Computer knowledge: email, Google Sheets and Docs, Word, Excel, Slack to communicate with vendors and employees

• Ability to use sound judgementand to objectively assess situations or circumstances using all the relevant information and apply past experience in order to come to a decision for the best possible outcome

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Able to work in a standing position for extended periods of time

• Be able to reach, bend, stoop and frequently lift up to 50 pounds

The hiring range for this position in Emeryville is $23.70 to $30.67 per hour. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors.

About Pixar Animation Studios

Pixar Animation Studios, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is an Academy Award-winning film studio with world-renoinswned technical, creative and production capabilities in the art of computer animation. The Northern California studio has created some of the most successful and beloved animated films of all time, including “Toy Story,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Cars,” “The Incredibles,” “Ratatouille,” “WALLE,” “Up,” “Toy Story 3,” “Brave,” “Inside Out,” and “Coco.” Its movies have won 35 Academy Awards and have grossed more than $13 billion at the worldwide box office to date.

About The Walt Disney Company

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise that includes three core business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Experiences. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to its preeminent name in the entertainment industry today, Disney proudly continues its legacy of creating world-class stories and experiences for every member of the family. Disney’s stories, characters and experiences reach consumers and guests from every corner of the globe. With operations in more than 40 countries, our employees and cast members work together to create entertainment experiences that are both universally and locally cherished.

This position is with Pixar Inc., which is part of a business segment we call Pixar Animation Studios.

Pixar Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. Disney fosters a business culture where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a rapidly changing world.

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