Edible Schoolyard NYC’s mission is to support edible education for every child in New York City. We partner with New York City public schools to cultivate healthy students and communities through hands-on cooking and gardening education, transforming children’s relationship with food. Inspired by the philosophy and model of Edible Schoolyard Berkeley and its founder, acclaimed restaurateur and food activist Alice Waters, Edible Schoolyard NYC was founded in 2010 to serve the specific needs of students in historically underserved public schools.

If you are passionate about food and making a difference, this is the place for you. While edible education is our core focus, we connect to the food world in many different ways. We work with top chefs and restaurants on partnerships which support our work, and collaborate with diverse brands to increase awareness of our mission. Many of our staff are passionate foodies and cooks, and we enjoy swapping recipes and food whenever possible. We are guided by six core values: 1. Passion and dedication 2. Community 3. Learning and discovery 4 Wellness 5. Collaboration 6. Equity.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

Edible Schoolyard NYC is looking for a full-time Kitchen Teacher who is passionate about teaching, flexible, and excited to collaborate with a small team to cultivate school wellness. The Kitchen Teacher conducts regular cooking and nutrition education classes for students in grades 3K-8, and assists in the maintenance and operation of a productive culinary classroom. The Kitchen Teacher also participates in outreach activities, including professional development and extracurricular events. The position reports to the Program Manager and Director of Programs & Education of Edible Schoolyard NYC.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

TEACHING

• Teach daily kitchen classes, which include both culinary and academic components and are appropriate to a majority Black and Latinx 3K-8 student population.
• Teach fundamentals of culinary education including knife skills, cooking methods, produce identification, and recipe literacy.
• Collaborate with four other team members on school-wide projects.
• Strengthen students’ understanding of garden and kitchen connections, as well as how the food they eat affects their bodies, their community, and their planet.
• Work with school faculty to connect curriculum to hands-on cooking activities.
• Lead a group of students in the completion of the day’s recipe.
• Model respect and curiosity for learning.
• Encourage students’ interests and talents.
• Create and lead professional development trainings in collaboration with the Director of Programs and Education to help educators at their own sites and throughout the area learn how to teach kitchen and garden-based lessons.
• Contribute to drafting, editing, and piloting new curricula for classes and extracurricular programs. This includes lesson planning and creating manipulatives and worksheets.
• Assist with copying and preparing non-food teaching supplies for classes, programming, and events.

KITCHEN/CULINARY

• Ensure that ingredients are properly prepped for classes based on use in recipes and age-appropriateness of class.
• Maintain equipment, paper goods, cleaning supplies and ingredients for all classes.
• Handle and store all ingredients properly for food safety.
• Complete daily kitchen maintenance and special cleaning projects including laundry, dishes, and sanitizing surfaces.
• Maintain teaching kitchen facilities and equipment in good working order.
• Co-manage purchasing and receipts for all cooking classes.
• Support all culinary-related events and activities.

MANAGEMENT, COMMUNICATION, AND OUTREACH

• Remain engaged, knowledgeable, and up to date about the garden and know what plants are ready to harvest at any given time throughout the year.
• Stay informed of school events and activities. Be an active presence in the school community and attend school meetings and events as appropriate.
• Actively support a culture of wellness at the school.
• Participate in ESYNYC staff meetings, staff development days, and program development meetings.
• Participate in ESYNYC extracurricular events and community outreach efforts, including the occasional evening and weekend.
• Help ensure an engaging and rewarding experience for volunteers. Orient volunteers to the kitchen and kitchen-related responsibilities.

QUALIFICATIONS:

This is the right job for you if you:

• Have previous teaching experience with elementary and/or middle school-aged students, preferably in a public school setting.
• Have culinary technical skills or are very comfortable cooking for large groups under time constraints.
• Enjoy working in a collaborative setting.
• Have excellent time management skills.  

THE FOLLOWING QUALIFICATIONS ARE HELPFUL BUT NOT REQUIRED

• Have a Bachelor’s degree.
• Are proficient in Spanish.
• Have experience working in a collaborative setting.
• Enjoy teaching middle school students.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Ability to stand, reach, and bend. Mobility of arms to reach, dexterity of hands to grasp and manipulate large and small objects.
• Ability to stand for long periods.
• Ability to lift, push and/or pull objects, which may be approximately 50 pounds.
• Willingness to smell, taste, and feel garden produce.
• Willingness to eat the food prepared during the day’s lesson.
• May be required to work around loud noise.
• Willingness to work outdoors under all weather conditions.
• Willingness to work occasional weekends/special events when needed.