Turner Farm is a diversified organic seaside farm on the island of North Haven in the Penobscot Bay of Maine, twelve miles off the coast of Rockland. We grow small scale, high value, Certified Organic vegetables, herbs, and flowers, using passive solar hoop houses and heated greenhouses. We raise pigs in the woods and maintain a small herd of beef cattle and a flock of laying hens in rotation on our hilly pastures. We serve the communities of North Haven, Vinalhaven, and Rockland with fresh organic produce available at our Farm Stand, the Farmers’ Market, area grocery stores and food co-ops, and featured at several popular restaurants. Throughout the summer, produce is also featured in our weekly barn suppers and in the many events hosted in our stunning post and beam barn. Wedding ceremonies are held on our beach with reception and dancing in the barn. We welcome visitors to explore the farm on their own and offer the opportunity to stay in our Guest House overlooking the farm and the Fox Island thorofare. In the fall, we also offer an inter-island CSA for families on North Haven and Vinalhaven and host community events throughout the Spring, Summer and Fall. We are a dynamic and diverse business gearing up for a great 2020 season.

We are seeking a talented, creative, detail-oriented, farm-to-table Head Chef for our weekly barn suppers, weddings, and private events held in our beautiful post and beam barn. The Head Chef will create carefully curated menus based upon the weekly offerings from the farm. Our barn suppers are served family style for 100 guests and typically feature seven courses along with house-made bread. A stationary table featuring local cheeses, pickles, and spreads is featured along with a signature cocktail during a pre-dinner cocktail hour. As Head Chef, you will be responsible for all aspects of managing the kitchen, in consultation with and support from Events & Hospitality Managers.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to: menu creation, inventory, ordering, managing kitchen prep and service, ensuring quality and adequate portions of food, maintaining a clean kitchen space and following proper food safety protocols. You will have a small team to help with kitchen prep and service that you will guide. In addition to events, we are looking for someone interested in building out our Farm Stand offerings; transforming surplus or damaged produce from the farm into value added products achieves our goal of minimizing food waste. We are seeking someone who is creative and can adapt to the seasonality and unpredictable nature of the farm. In line with our emphasis on sustainability, our menus are vegetable-centric and we are seeking a Head Chef who loves vegetables as much as we do, yet also knows how to prepare quality proteins and seafood for family-style fine dining.

This is a seasonal position, roughly June-September, depending on the schedule of private events. Pre-season work including menu development and client meetings will be required and this remote work will be paid. Housing on the farm is available in season for those who are interested.

Qualifications:

• Experience with farm-to-table fine dining and comfortable cooking for 100+ guests
• Shared philosophy of sourcing local, seasonal ingredients and letting the flavors of quality ingredients shine 
• Demonstrated experience collaborating with local farms and farmers preferred
• Strong organizational skills; ability to create detailed prep lists and delegate tasks to kitchen staff
• Excellent communication skills and a positive attitude
• Excited to collaborate with Events & Hospitality Managers and Farm Manager to provide a memorable, high-end dining experience focused on bringing people together to share in a delicious meal on the farm
• Comfortable engaging with guests and answering questions