Company description

Our Mission

MacDowell's mission is to nurture the arts by offering talented artists an inspiring residential environment in which to produce enduring works of the creative imagination.

 

Who We Are

Founded in 1907, MacDowell has been an unprecedented experiment in developing and sustaining the optimal environment for artistic creativity.  MacDowell offers ideal working conditions within a joyful and inclusive community, amidst the natural beauty of our wooded campus in southwest New Hampshire. Mealtimes, being the only structure imposed by the organization on the resident community, are fundamental to successful delivery of the mission. Our resident community has thrived for more than a century, serving the likes of James Baldwin, Leonard Bernstein, Michael Chabon, Audre Lorde, Ruth Reichl, Stephanie Danler, and Celine Song.

Job description

MacDowell seeks a Head Chef to reimagine our culinary program, nourishing artists-in-residence through food that represents and reflects our mission. For the right candidate, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pursue a culinary vision, absent the erratic volume and midnight hours typical in commercial restaurants. Once a working farm, MacDowell is situated on the ancestral home of the Abenaki people; respect for the land and its history anchor our culinary program. While most of the 450-acre campus is mature woodland and meadow, the kitchen benefits from cultivated herbs and produce, including asparagus, berries, and stone fruit. A flock of free-range chickens provide fresh eggs while also entertaining the artists.  The incoming Head Chef will be passionate about this farm-to-table ethos and arrive eager to define the future of MacDowell’s food story.  

 

About You

The ideal Head Chef is a culinary artist and visionary who will express MacDowell’s values of inclusivity, kindness, and belonging through food and hospitality standards.  You believe in the importance of artists and are excited to partner with the Executive Director and Resident Director to redefine dining at MacDowell. Like our artists, you’re committed to a rigorous culinary practice that combines creativity and exploration with technical expertise, meticulous attention to detail, and a well-defined aesthetic sensibility. Your fresh, modern menus will nourish and inspire the artists who travel to MacDowell from across the country and the globe, helping unite all artists-in-residence into a joyful and harmonious resident community.

 

Responsibilities

The Head Chef (HC) oversees MacDowell’s culinary program, including menu creation, provisioning, and maintaining a warm and welcoming dining room and kitchen. The HC reports to the Resident Director (RD), working together to establish the annual kitchen budget and implement that budget throughout the year.

The HC supervises, trains, hires and evaluates ~10 full-and part-time kitchen staff, and is responsible for temporary staffing related to on-site special events.
 

MENU

• Create seasonal menus that are beautiful, delicious and healthy 
• Lead the menu-planning process and oversee execution 
• Develop special event menus for on-site catering
• Accommodate dietary restrictions with satisfying alternate menus
• Collaborate with the Lead Gardener on the spring planting schedule
• Sustain an attitude of culinary innovation through on-going professional development; drive menu evolution and maintain a recipe database
• Work with senior staff to craft and share MacDowell’s food story with external stakeholders

HOSPITALITY

• Design and deliver inspiring and memorable dining experiences 
• Deliver thoughtful and kind customer service, setting standards of excellence for the entire kitchen team
• Engage MacDowell artists directly to understand and creatively accommodate dietary needs
• Work with the RD and leaders of operational departments to set and execute hospitality standards in accord with MacDowell’s values

ADMINISTRATION

• Establish and execute sanitation schedules and equipment maintenance
• Organize the kitchen, pantry and coolers for food safety, efficiency, and aesthetics  
• Manage the kitchen budget with resourcefulness and creativity, minimizing food waste 
• Manage all aspects of weekly/bi-weekly orders, maintaining strong relationships with food purveyors and service contractors 
• Develop and sustain partnerships with local CSAs and other purveyors to source quality ingredients and products
• Sustain an on-going awareness of ways to improve kitchen organization and staff practices for quality and efficiency 
• Maintain all kitchen equipment in good working order and par stock all dining room supplies
• Hire, train, schedule, and manage local kitchen staff; engage temporary staffing as needed  
• Create and manage the annual departmental budget
• Attend staff meetings 

QUALIFICATIONS

Must Haves

• Proven culinary experience, knowledge, and skills: 5+ years leading a professional kitchen or equivalent; 10+ years of increasing professional cooking and management responsibilities
• Self-motivated, energetic team leader 
• Organizational and planning aptitudes, with emphasis on kitchen efficiency and cross-departmental collaboration 
• Desire and ability to work harmoniously with MacDowell's team
• Interpersonal skills: ability to communicate clearly and respectfully 
• Hospitality skills: responsive, friendly, and helpful attitude 
• Ability to mentor and manage entry-level employees
• Flexibility to cover co-worker kitchen shifts as needed 
• Creative problem-solving skills
• Thorough knowledge of best practices in Food Safety 
• Computer skills:  MS Office, with a willingness and ability to learn new systems and platforms
• Flexibility to creatively accommodate a wide range dietary restriction
• Interest in and ability to support Communications staff as an ambassador for MacDowell’s food story
• Understanding of and alignment with MacDowell’s mission and values

Physical Requirements   

• Ability to perform standing tasks for ~30 hours/week  
• Ability to perform kitchen tasks that require walking, bending, reaching, and regularly lifting up to 25 pounds
• Ability to regularly commute to Peterborough, NH
• Some evening and weekend work required

Nice to Haves

• Familiarity with and passion for the artistic disciplines represented at MacDowell
• Familiarity with New England’s growing season and culinary traditions
• Experience with and knowledge of national food media outlets

Compensation  

$70,000-90,000 annual salary, depending on experience; full-time (40 hours/week), exempt; benefits include employer paid health and dental insurance; life and short-term disability insurance; medical and dependent care FSAs; HRA; employer contributions to 403(b) retirement; paid family leave; and generous paid time off.  Relocation assistance possible.

Compensation

this position is: salaried, 75k-100k

Application instructions

Deadline

August 23, 2024