Soups and Sweets Instructor

Samost Jewish Family and Children's Service of Southern New Jersey; Cherry Hill Township (NJ); On-site; USD 28,929 - 33,062; Part time

Job summary

Samost Jewish Family and Children's Service of Southern New Jersey is looking for a part-time Soups and Sweets Instructor to mentor students in the Soups and Sweets Culinary Training Program. The role includes teaching culinary techniques and ensuring trainees acquire essential skills for success in food service.

Qualifications include an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts and a minimum of two years of experience in a culinary environment. The position emphasizes support for individuals with diverse abilities and provides hands-on training.

Qualifications

• Minimum two years' experience as a chef, sous chef, or culinary instructor.
• Experience in bakery, café, or catering settings highly valued.
• Valid driver’s license, registration, and insurance preferred.

Responsibilities

• Instruct and evaluate students in the Culinary Training Program.
• Provide hands-on training in food preparation and cooking.
• Conduct intake assessments for trainees to determine skill levels.

Skills

Culinary fundamentals

Excellent communication

Patience with diverse abilities

Knowledge of adaptive teaching strategies

Education

Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts

Job description

SAMOST JEWISH FAMILY AND CHILDREN’S SERVICE OF SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY

Soups and Sweets Instructor

Reports to:

Soups and Sweets Manager, Disability Services Department

Primary Responsibilities

To instruct and evaluate the students in the Soups and Sweets Culinary Training Program, and assist the Soups and Sweets Manager with all programmatic needs.

Schedule

Part-Time – 24 hours per week

Salary Range

$21-$24 per hour

The Soups & Sweets Culinary Instructor is responsible for delivering high-quality culinary instruction, mentorship, and hands‑on training to individuals participating in the Soups & Sweets Culinary Training Program. This role blends professional kitchen expertise with an instructional approach, ensuring trainees gain the technical, safety, and work-readiness skills necessary to thrive in food service environments.

Culinary Instruction & Training

• Teach culinary fundamentals, advanced techniques, and industry best practices in a professional kitchen setting.
• Provide hands‑on training in food preparation, cooking, baking, plating, and presentation.
• Instruct trainees in proper use of commercial kitchen equipment, sanitation protocols, and food safety standards (ServSafe compliance).
• Model professional kitchen organization, time management, and workflow efficiency.

Program Development & Delivery

• Enhance and collaborate with the team to develop and maintain the Culinary, Café, and Market Training Manual.
• Collaborate with the team to design additional lesson plans, recipes, and training modules that accommodate varying skill levels and learning styles. Co‑lead discussions during Work Readiness Classes.
• Integrate customer service, teamwork, and hospitality principles into instruction.

Trainee Support & Evaluation

• Conduct intake assessments for potential trainees to determine skill level and training goals.
• Track attendance, performance, and skill progression, providing feedback to trainees and families as appropriate.
• Assist with evaluations as required by funding agencies (DVRS, DDD) and ensure compliance with reporting requirements.
• With the assistance of the Manager, maintain compliance for any students funded through DDD, including developing Annual Report, Emergency Cards, and Fire Drill Reports.
• Promote a safe and supportive learning environment, intervening in conflicts and modeling positive workplace communication.

Operational Support

• Assist with product inventory, packaging, and delivery as needed.
• Support outreach and marketing efforts for the Soups & Sweets Culinary Training Program.
• Maintain a clean, organized, and hazard‑free training kitchen in compliance with health department standards.

Required Education & Experience

Education: Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts (or equivalent professional training) preferred.

Experience: Minimum two years as a chef, sous chef, or culinary instructor in a professional kitchen or food service operation. Experience in bakery, café, or catering settings highly valued. Experience with customer‑based operations preferred.

Additional Technical Requirements

• Ability to break down complex kitchen tasks into teachable steps.
• Excellent communication skills and patience when working with individuals with diverse abilities.
• Knowledge of adaptive teaching strategies in a culinary environment.
• Valid driver’s license, registration, and insurance preferred.

GENERAL COMPETENCIES

• Thorough understanding of Federation’s mission, policies, values, strengths, and weaknesses; understanding of the tri‑county Jewish community; creatively identify problems and develop and implement solutions to achieve organization goals.
• Ethics – Treat staff and donors with respect, regardless of their status or position. Work with integrity and ethically.
• Interpersonal Skills and Donor Relations – Adapt to changing work environments and maintain a good working relationship with co‑workers, donors, lay leadership, and members. Manage difficult or emotional staff or volunteer situations.
• Teamwork – Exhibit objectivity and openness to others’ views. Contribute to building a positive team spirit. Put success of team over own interests.
• Strategic Thinking – Develop strategies to achieve organization goals, understand strengths and weaknesses, adapt strategies to changing conditions, display willingness to make decisions, include appropriate people in decision‑making process, and take calculated risks to accomplish goals.
• Project Management – Prioritize and manage time effectively, communicate changes and progress, and complete projects on time.
• Written Communication – Write clearly and informatively, edit work for spelling and grammar, and present numerical data effectively.
• Problem Solving – Display original thinking and creativity, identify problems and develop solutions, work well in group situations, and look for ways to improve work processes and quality.
• Dependability – Demonstrate accuracy and thoroughness, complete tasks on time, use time efficiently, be consistently at work and on time, and maintain confidentiality.
• Initiative – Undertake self‑development activities, seek increased responsibilities, and accept constructive criticism.
• Diversity – Show respect and sensitivity for cultural differences, promote a harassment‑free environment.

EEO Statement

The Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey, and our family of agencies, is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon a person’s actual or perceived gender, race, creed, color, sex (including pregnancy), affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital/civil union status, domestic partnership status, familial status, religion, national origin, nationality, ancestry, age, veteran or military status, disability that does not prohibit performance of essential job functions, or other legally protected characteristics.

The Federation participates in the E‑Verify program.

The Federation is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us via the link on this posting. EOE