Company description

Second Chance Foods is dedicated to reducing food waste and fighting hunger by preparing and donating over 100,000 nutritious meals annually. We create our meals using surplus food recovered from local grocers, restaurant suppliers, home delivery services, and farms. Flexibility and creativity are essential because we never know what ingredients we’ll receive!

Our kitchen is a vibrant, collaborative space where volunteers of all skill levels cook together. We also provide meaningful culinary experiences for interns with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Job description

The Assistant Culinary Manager plays a vital role in overseeing food preparation, managing volunteers, and ensuring smooth kitchen operations. You will work closely with the Culinary Director, Operations Coordinator, and Volunteer Coordinator to ensure our kitchen is efficient, well-stocked, and welcoming.

This role requires culinary expertise, leadership skills, and adaptability. You’ll lead volunteer cooking sessions, develop recipes based on available ingredients, and help maintain an organized, food-safe kitchen environment.

Key Responsibilities:
Kitchen & Volunteer Management
- Lead volunteer groups on Thursday cooking days (8 AM – 2 PM).
- Maintain an open, friendly, and inclusive kitchen culture.
- Arrive before volunteers to set up and prepare for cooking sessions.
- Stay until the kitchen is clean, organized, and ready for the next use.
- Manage weekly Sunday cook days, leading volunteers in prepping & processing ingredients.
- Train and support volunteers and interns with varying skill levels.

Food Preparation & Recipe Development
- Develop and adapt recipes based on available ingredients and meal needs.
- Maintain an updated recipe database in Google Workspace.
- Sort through food donations and create a cooking plan for upcoming sessions.
- Ensure meals are correctly labeled and packaged for distribution.

Inventory & Food Safety
- Monitor inventory of containers and supplemental ingredients, notifying the Culinary Director when supplies need replenishment.
- Ensure food safety standards are met, maintaining a clean and organized kitchen.

Typical Weekly Schedule
- Initial training will include additional hours with the Culinary Director on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and/or Fridays.

Sunday Prep & Process Day → 5 total hours (3 hours with volunteers)
Tuesday → 4 hours (sort food donations, plan meals, create/convert recipes, print labels)
Thursday Cook Day → 8 total hours (5 hours with volunteers), 1 hour pulling/prepping items for Sunday, 1 hour Operation’s Team Meeting
Average Weekly Hours: 17-19 (additional hours may be required based on needs)

Qualifications
- ANSI Certified Food Safety Manager Certification (or willingness to obtain, with training provided).
- Prior commercial kitchen experience (as a volunteer or employee).
- Basic proficiency in Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Drive) is a plus.
- Ability to lift and carry up to 50 lbs.
- Must have reliable access to a computer

Key Competencies
- Warm & Friendly – Ability to engage and support diverse volunteers.
- Reliable & Punctual – Shows up on time and completes all kitchen tasks.
- Highly Motivated & Independent – Can work autonomously and take initiative.
- Organized & Detail-Oriented – Manages schedules, inventory, and kitchen cleanliness.
- Flexible & Creative – Can adapt recipes and food prep based on available ingredients.
- Strong Communicator – Effectively collaborates with the Culinary Director and volunteers.

Compensation

this position is: hourly, $20/hr +

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline