Substitute Chef

Upper-Crust-Food-Service; East Prairie (MO); On-site; USD 21,000 - 30,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible shifts

On-call opportunities

Experience across multiple campuses

Job summary

Upper Crust Food Service is seeking a Substitute Chef to cover shifts in K–12 school cafeterias, stepping in when the regular cook can’t be there. This flexible, on-call role follows each campus’s menu and spec sheet to ensure smooth meal service for the day.

You’ll work with various school kitchens, maintaining safety standards and a positive, collaborative attitude. No fixed schedule; shifts vary by district needs and availability.

Qualifications

• Ability to adapt quickly to a new kitchen, team, and routine with minimal onboarding.
• Reliable and responsive to shift requests, often on short notice.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with school staff and students.

Responsibilities

• Report to assigned school cafeteria for substitute shifts, ready to step in on short notice.
• Follow established menu and spec sheet to prepare and serve meals as planned.
• Set up workstations and prepare ingredients for the day’s service.
• Enforce sanitation and food safety standards per regulations.
• Maintain professional attitude with staff, personnel, and students.
• Adapt to different campus layouts and routines when covering locations.

Skills

Adaptability

Reliability

Interpersonal skills

Shift communication

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Food safety certification (preferred)

Tools

Bulk food prep equipment

Job description

Proudly serving Sororities and Fraternities, Upper Crust Food Service is known for freshness, quality, variety, and excellent customer service. Upper Crust Food Service began with a vision to solve a problem that many Fraternity and Sorority houses face. That problem is a lack of consistency and professionalism in the kitchen. With a focus on great food and personal service, we’ve remained true to our roots. Today, the chefs of Upper Crust Food Service prepare tens of thousands of meals weekly for students across the country.

At Upper Crust Food Service, YOU are the reason the cafeteria runs smoothly on the days it matters most. We’re looking for a Substitute Chef to work as needed in K–12 school cafeterias - stepping in to cover shifts and keep meal service on track when the regular chef can’t be there.

This is a flexible, as-needed role: no set schedule, just reliable, ready-to-go coverage when needed. Substitute Chefs step into a kitchen, follow the campus’s established menu and spec sheet, and keep meal service running smoothly for the day.

What’s in it for you?

• Set your own availability - accept the shifts that work for you
• School hours only - no nights, no weekends, and off when school is
• Experience across different school kitchens and campuses in the district

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Report to the assigned school cafeteria for scheduled substitute shifts, ready to step in on short notice
• Follow the campus’s established menu and spec sheet to prepare and serve that day’s meals as planned
• Set up workstations and prepare the ingredients needed for the day’s service
• Enforce sanitation and food safety standards per state, local, and school nutrition program regulations.
• Maintain a professional and positive attitude with cafeteria staff, school personnel, and students.
• Adapt quickly to each campus’s kitchen layout, equipment, and routines when covering a new location.
• Help with unloading, inspecting, and storing deliveries as needed.
• Communicate shift confirmations and any issues promptly with campus and regional management.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Required Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to adapt quickly to a new kitchen, team, and routine with minimal onboarding.
• Reliable and responsive to shift requests, often on short notice.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to work well with a variety of personalities, including school staff and students.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills for confirming shifts and reporting issues.
• Ability to follow another chef's established menu and spec sheet accurately

Preferred Education and Experience:

• 2+ years food service experience preferred; K–12 or institutional food service experience is a plus.
• Have experience with bulk food prep and production in a commercial kitchen setting.
• Ability to pass a background check and any additional screening required to work on school campuses
• Have a valid food safety handler and sanitation certification in accordance with state and local regulations or obtain one within 30 days of employment
• High school or vocational school coursework in kitchen basics such as food safety, preferred.

Special Demands:

• The work environment can be loud and busy. There are many kitchen hazards such as hot surfaces and liquids, sharp knives, and slippery floors.
• Capability to work in a kitchen environment that may involve exposure to extreme heat or cold.
• Required to stand for long periods, up to 8+ hours, as well as walk, bend and stoop.
• Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds at times.
• Exposure to cleaning chemicals
• Schedule is on-call and as-needed; hours vary week to week with no guaranteed minimum, and assignments may be at different school campuses depending on coverage needs.

Upper Crust Food Service provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.