Manhattan Country School, a progressive, independent pre-K-8th-grade school, is seeking a new staff person to help our existing kitchen team create healthy, delicious, homemade meals from locally sourced foods, including meat from the school’s teaching farm in the Catskills. The goal of the Food Program is to reflect the school's overall mission of diversity, equality and sustainability by promoting the values and practices of the food curriculum used at the Farm, in which children learn about food production and preparation with a focus on sustainable practices. This includes integration with the curriculum via collaboration with the development of a new rooftop garden, and a variety of classroom-based cooking used to study different cultures and traditions. The program also seeks to promote diversity and equality through a discussion of food justice. 

For more about the school’s mission, vision and values, please see: http://www.manhattancountryschool.org/about-us/philosophyhistory/mission

The ideal candidate will have:

• exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail;

• the ability to prioritize and meet deadlines;

• a professional work style, including timeliness, dependability, efficiency, cleanliness and good communication skills;

• ability to lift 50 pounds, use the stairs, and work for long periods on your feet

• prior experience working in a kitchen, strong knife skills, basic understanding of common kitchen equipment and food safety

• a balanced approach to healthy, sustainable, delicious foods and cooking

• an interest in becoming a part of the school community and a commitment to the core values of the school;

• the ability to be flexible and work hard to get the job done, often including helping to wash dishes, take the trash out, storing food properly, assisting faculty and staff with special requests, etc.   

• While this is position does not consist of direct involvement with children, we are a lively school and you must be comfortable around children.  There is room to grow and potential opportunities for teaching students, in addition to work responsibilities in the kitchen.

Responsibilities:

• Assisting the existing kitchen staff in daily preparation and serving of snack and lunch.

• Maintaining kitchen cleanliness including: washing dishes, cleaning equipment, taking out the trash, vacuuming and mopping.

• Ensuring timely delivery of student snack and lunch to classrooms.

• Basic food prep including washing produce, cutting vegetables, and preparing simple baked goods under the guidance of the Head Chef. 

• Receiving and properly storing food and supply deliveries. 

• Ensuring kitchen and staff areas are properly stocked (i.e. refilling paper towels, restocking coffee and tea, etc.)