At Heartwood Community School, we believe that providing nutritious, nourishing meals for our students is foundational to their success. We view the health and well-being of our students holistically, and nutrition plays an integral role in helping every child thrive. Our students dine together family-style, making mealtime an important part of our school community and an opportunity for students to develop healthy habits, build relationships, and learn the value of contributing to a shared environment.
As the Executive Chef & Director of Nutrition, you will provide strategic and operational leadership for Heartwood's Nutrition Services program. You will lead our culinary program, develop and execute nutritious, age-appropriate menus, oversee kitchen operations and staff, and ensure that our meal program meets applicable USDA, National School Lunch Program (NSLP), food safety, health department, and school requirements.
Working collaboratively with the School Services and administrative teams, school nurse, faculty, vendors, and families as appropriate, you will ensure that students receive safe, nutritious, appealing meals that accommodate documented dietary needs and support their ability to thrive in school and beyond.
This role is ideal for a self-motivated and experienced culinary leader who is deeply passionate about nutrition and children's health, strives for excellence, and understands that a successful school nutrition program requires both culinary creativity and disciplined operational management.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Culinary & Nutrition Program Leadership
- Lead the overall culinary vision and daily operations of Heartwood Community School's Nutrition Services program.
- Develop nutritious, age-appropriate, culturally responsive, and student-appealing menus that align with USDA school nutrition standards and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).
- Develop and maintain standardized recipes, production procedures, portion standards, and food preparation practices.
- Ensure menus meet required meal patterns, nutritional standards, and program requirements.
- Monitor food quality, taste, presentation, portion control, freshness, and consistency.
- Stay current on nutrition, culinary, food safety, and school nutrition trends and incorporate appropriate innovations into the program.
- Work collaboratively with the school nurse to address documented student allergies, intolerances, and dietary restrictions.
- Support Heartwood's commitment to scratch cooking and the use of fresh, wholesome ingredients whenever operationally and financially appropriate.
Nutrition Services Operations
- Oversee all daily Nutrition Services operations, including breakfast, lunch, meal preparation, service, and kitchen closeout.
- Establish and maintain efficient kitchen workflows that support timely and consistent meal production.
- Ensure appropriate staffing, scheduling, training, and delegation of daily kitchen responsibilities.
- Supervise, coach, and evaluate Nutrition Services staff and foster a professional, collaborative, and accountable team culture.
- Provide direct leadership and support during high-volume meal preparation and service periods.
- Ensure family-style meal service is executed in a manner that is safe, efficient, welcoming, and aligned with Heartwood's educational philosophy.
Compliance, Food Safety & Risk Management
- Maintain full compliance with USDA, NSLP, South Carolina Department of Education, local health department, HACCP, ServSafe, and Heartwood Community School requirements.
- Ensure required production records, temperature logs, sanitation records, meal counts, and other Nutrition Services documentation are accurate and complete.
- Establish and enforce food safety, sanitation, allergen management, and safe food handling procedures.
- Conduct regular internal compliance and safety checks and promptly address deficiencies.
- Prepare for and support health inspections, USDA reviews, audits, and other regulatory requirements.
- Ensure all staff receive appropriate food safety, sanitation, and allergen training.
Procurement, Inventory & Financial Management
- Develop and manage the Nutrition Services food budget in collaboration with the Director of School Services and Business Services team.
- Monitor food costs, labor costs, inventory levels, purchasing practices, and waste.
- Lead food procurement and ordering activities in accordance with school and NSLP procurement requirements.
- Establish appropriate inventory controls and receiving, storage, rotation, and product utilization procedures.
- Review vendor pricing, product quality, delivery accuracy, and service.
- Maintain appropriate documentation related to purchasing, procurement, inventory, and program compliance.
- Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and maximize the use of available resources.
Equipment & Kitchen Management
- Ensure all kitchen equipment, appliances, utensils, and facilities are maintained in safe and operational condition.
- Establish procedures for routine cleaning, maintenance, and safe operation of kitchen equipment.
- Communicate equipment failures, facility concerns, and repair needs promptly to the appropriate School Services personnel.
- Maintain a clean, organized, professional, and welcoming kitchen environment.
Collaboration & School Community
- Collaborate with the school nurse, teachers, administrators, and School Services team to support student health and wellness.
- Partner with school leadership to integrate nutrition education and healthy eating practices into the student experience when appropriate.
- Build positive relationships with vendors, families, students, and school staff.
- Model Heartwood's values of care, community, collaboration, accountability, and excellence.
- Participate in school events and initiatives that promote community and student well-being.
- Perform other duties related to Nutrition Services and school operations as assigned.
SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS
Education & Experience
- Minimum of 5–10 years of professional culinary or food service experience, including at least 3–5 years in a supervisory or management role.
- Demonstrated experience managing a high-volume kitchen, institutional food service operation, catering/banquet operation, school nutrition program, or comparable environment.
- Proven experience with menu development, food production, kitchen management, staff supervision, inventory management, and food cost control.
- Experience working within USDA, NSLP, CACFP, institutional, healthcare, childcare, or other regulated food service environments strongly preferred.
- Culinary degree, diploma, certification, or equivalent combination of education and professional experience preferred.
- ServSafe certification or equivalent food safety certification required.
- Working knowledge of HACCP principles and food safety management systems.
- Knowledge of USDA school meal patterns and NSLP requirements preferred.
Skills
- Strong leadership and people-management skills.
- Excellent culinary and menu-development skills.
- Strong understanding of food safety, sanitation, allergen management, and kitchen operations.
- Strong financial, organizational, and inventory-management skills.
- Ability to manage budgets, purchasing, vendors, and food costs.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to prioritize competing demands and make sound operational decisions.
- Strong computer skills and ability to learn and utilize food service, inventory, ordering, and administrative systems.
- Ability to coach, develop, and hold team members accountable while fostering a positive workplace culture.
- Demonstrated commitment to serving children and creating a positive school dining experience.
Physical Requirements
- Ability to stand and walk for extended periods.
- Ability to lift and carry objects weighing up to 50 pounds.
- Ability to bend, stoop, reach, push, pull, and perform repetitive kitchen tasks.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-energy kitchen environment and tolerate exposure to heat, cold, steam, and kitchen equipment.
COMPENSATION
The salary for this role is $90,000, with eligibility for a relocation package. To uphold our commitment to equitable and fair compensation, Heartwood Community School offers a competitive salary and maintains a no-negotiation compensation policy.
Heartwood Community School is committed to building a best-in-class team that reflects the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our students. We are an equal opportunity employer and make employment decisions without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.