Head Chef
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
Salary: $71,000 annually
Schedule: Full-time, salaried | Approximately 40 hours per week | Typical schedule: 5:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m., subject to change based on operational needs
Team Leadership: Supervises approximately 10–14 prep cooks
Lead the Kitchen. Develop the Team. Set the Standard.
We are looking for an experienced and motivated Head Chef to take ownership of our kitchen and lead a team of approximately 10–14 prep cooks. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who can balance great food, strong people leadership, and efficient kitchen operations.
As Head Chef, you'll set the standard for food quality, consistency, safety, productivity, and teamwork. You'll oversee both morning and afternoon kitchen operations, ensuring responsibilities are clearly delegated and following up with the team to make sure expectations are met across shifts.
Your typical schedule will be 5:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m., approximately 40 hours per week, although hours may change based on business and operational needs.
If you're a culinary leader who enjoys developing people, improving systems, controlling costs, and jumping in alongside your team when needed, we'd love to hear from you.
What You'll Do
Lead the Team
- Lead, schedule, and provide day-to-day direction to approximately 10–14 prep cooks
- Oversee both morning and afternoon kitchen operations through effective delegation, communication, and follow-up
- Establish clear responsibilities and expectations so team members know what needs to be completed during each shift
- Onboard, train, coach, and mentor employees on food safety, preparation standards, station organization, productivity, and cooking techniques
- Provide clear direction and immediate, respectful coaching when performance or quality standards are not being met
- Hold team members accountable for quality, productivity, cleanliness, attendance, and professionalism
- Address employee concerns and conflicts constructively while maintaining open and professional communication
- Foster a collaborative, organized, and high-energy kitchen environment that supports strong performance and employee retention
Drive Culinary Quality
- Create seasonal, appealing, and cost-effective menus and daily specials
- Stay current on culinary trends, ingredients, and techniques while identifying opportunities to improve the menu
- Oversee food preparation, portioning, plating, taste, and presentation to ensure consistent quality
- Develop, test, document, and refine recipes to maintain consistency across kitchen operations
- Establish high standards for ingredient preparation, including chopping, stocks, sauces, and station setup
- Provide hands-on cooking and preparation support during busy periods while maintaining quality control
Own Kitchen Operations & Costs
- Direct daily kitchen operations to keep production and service organized, efficient, and on schedule
- Coordinate workflow between morning and afternoon shifts to maintain continuity and ensure outstanding tasks are completed
- Delegate responsibilities appropriately and follow up to ensure assigned work is completed accurately and on time
- Manage inventory levels, food usage, ingredient and supply ordering, and vendor deliveries
- Maintain appropriate inventory while minimizing spoilage, overproduction, and unnecessary waste
- Partner with management to manage kitchen budgets and maintain food and labor costs within established targets
- Monitor staffing and labor allocation to support operational needs while controlling costs
- Identify opportunities to improve kitchen efficiency, reduce waste, and control operating expenses
- Inspect kitchen equipment, tools, prep areas, and workspaces to ensure they are clean, safe, and fully functional
Maintain Food Safety & Sanitation
- Maintain strict compliance with all applicable food safety, health, and sanitation requirements
- Ensure proper food handling, labeling, dating, storage, and inventory rotation using First In, First Out (FIFO) practices
- Conduct routine kitchen audits and ensure prep areas, cooking stations, dishwashing areas, and storage spaces remain clean and organized
- Address food quality, sanitation, and safety concerns promptly
- Ensure employees consistently follow established cleaning, sanitation, and food-handling procedures
Perform other related duties as assigned.
What We're Looking For
- Proven experience as a Head Chef, Lead Cook, Kitchen Manager, or similar culinary leadership role in a fast-paced food service environment
- Experience successfully supervising and developing a kitchen team
- Strong knowledge of menu planning, recipe development, food preparation, ingredient sourcing, and inventory management
- Demonstrated ability to manage food and labor costs within established budgets
- Strong technical knowledge of kitchen execution, prep systems, workflow, and high-volume food service operations
- Ability to effectively delegate responsibilities and follow up across multiple shifts
- Strong leadership, coaching, team-building, conflict-management, and organizational skills
- Collaborative and people-oriented leadership style with a strong sense of ownership and accountability
- Clear, professional communication skills and strong operational follow-through
- Valid Food Handler certification or license
- Valid California driver's license and reliable transportation
- Ability to work a typical 5:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. schedule and adjust hours as necessary to meet operational needs
Ready to Lead the Kitchen?
We're looking for someone who brings more than culinary skill to the table. Our ideal Head Chef is a dependable leader who can organize a team, delegate effectively, follow through on expectations, maintain food and labor costs, and create a kitchen where quality and accountability go hand in hand.
If you're ready to take ownership of the kitchen, lead a team of 10–14 employees, and help us deliver consistent quality every day, we encourage you to apply.
We are an equal opportunity employer and consider qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics. Reasonable accommodations are available to qualified individuals with disabilities.