Kitchen Manager (Oakland)

Description

Position Overview

The Kitchen Manager (KM) for the Workplace business unit is responsible for the overall operations of the kitchen area and will manage certain aspects of floor production and kitchen staff. The KM will allocate approximately 35% of their time to direct kitchen duties and 65% to administrative tasks, which includes participation in the daily production and preparation of meals as required.

The KM will function as the secondary supervisor in the kitchen, reporting to the Executive Sous Chef and Executive Chef, to ensure the kitchen department operates efficiently and adheres to all safety regulations. Furthermore, the KM will ensure that all staff are thoroughly trained on appropriate procedures and processes and will contribute to the continued development of the Back-of-House (BoH) team.

About Just Fare

Just Fare is building a just world where food is a force for social change. We make good food — for people who enjoy eating, and for those who want a more equitable and just food system. Based in Oakland, CA, we offer a variety of services for workplaces; such as, Office Catering, Snack & Drink programs, event catering, commercial kitchen design and operate a community kitchen. We ground everything we do in service of creating a more responsible and ethical world.

1% of our revenue supports donated meals made by our charitable arm, Just Fare Community Kitchen. So far, we have delivered over 494,250 meals to communities fighting food insecurity in the Bay Area.

Tastes good. Does good.

About Workplace

Our Workplace business unit prepares and serves food for a variety of Bay Area companies and institutions. Ingredients are carefully selected from organic, local, independent farms - prioritizing purchasing from BIPOC and women-owned purveyors. Prepared to satisfy refined palettes and a diverse range of dietary sensitivities and preferences, our nourishing meals aim to delight employees. Our Workplace business unit offers multiple food program solutions to meet our clients' needs.

Requirements

Responsibilities

Kitchen Leadership & Production

• Assist daily prep and food production for workplace catering programs for breakfast lunch and dinner service, as needed
• Supervise cooks and dish staff during production and ensure efficient kitchen workflow. Act as the secondary kitchen floor supervisor during assigned shifts to provide direction and oversight to cooks and dish staff, as well as, field questions that arise during prep hours from all kitchen staff.
• Help maintain a positive, organized, and professional kitchen environment
• Support onboarding and training of kitchen staff
• Provide ongoing coaching and development for BOH team members
• Communicate staffing or operational needs to the Executive Sous Chef and Executive Chef.
• Work cooperatively with Executive Sous and Executive Chef to carry out verbal and written assignments according to daily directives and communication with supervisors.
• Ensure all recipes, portions, and quality standards are consistently followed
• Identify and implement efficiencies in production and kitchen organization
• Support execution of new menus and menu adjustments
• Monitor headcount changes via communication with FOH and learn software applications such as Parsley or Galley to be well-versed in all necessary platforms and applications.
• Change menus, recipes and modifications at the direction of the Executive Chef.
• Work with the Executive Chef on planning, menu writing and execution of special catering events.
• Work Special Events as culinary lead onsite to execute menus and direct kitchen staff to coordinate with FOH leads and FOH staff, ensuring timely execution of timeline and quality of food.
• Enter and maintain Purchasing Journal accurately and efficiently.
• Learn Paylocity software application and monitor payroll accuracy as well as managing adjustments to punch times for all BOH employees.

FOH Coordination & Service Support

• Serve as the primary BOH point of contact for the FOH team during production hours to respond to all inquiries via Slack and Asana apps in coordination with Executive Chef and Sous Chef, as well as, communicate with FOH teams via Slack and other communication tools regarding order status, menu questions, and packing updates
• Ensure orders are packed out accurately and ready according to service timelines
• Work with FOH teams to resolve last-minute operational questions or needs as they arise
• Communicate proactively about production delays or issues that may affect service
• Support smooth handoff of orders from kitchen to delivery or service teams

Kitchen Systems & Administrative Support

• Support the Executive Sous Chef with specialty ordering.
• Maintain and submit monthly inventory management to accounting, and assist with inventory counts and tracking of key ingredients as needed
• Maintain kitchen documentation
• Help develop and maintain standardized kitchen systems and processes
• Support organization and cleanliness of walk-ins, storage areas, and dry goods
• Assist with coordination for all kitchen scheduling as needed

Food Safety & Compliance

• Ensure kitchen operations comply with all health department and food safety regulations
• Maintain proper sanitation practices and cleaning schedules
• Ensure staff follow food safety, labeling, and storage procedures
• Support with maintenance and organization of kitchen equipment and workspace

Qualifications & Requirements

• 2+ years experience as a restaurant/commissary Chef/volume production with a passion for food & people
• Strong understanding of software programs, kitchen systems, professional cooking and knife handling skills, local and seasonal ingredients, diverse cooking styles, cultures, producers and farms
• Positive attitude, strong work ethic, professionalism, communication and patience
• Fun to be around, hungry to grow within a startup, organized and disciplined
• Excellent computer skills (docs, spreadsheets, google docs, etc.)
• Manager level Food Handler Certification

Schedule & ExpectationsTypical schedule is Monday through Friday with hours dependent on the service. You are responsible for managing your schedule, based on your shift availability, with your supervisor.

Shift details: 7am or 8am start TBD, flexibility to start earlier as needed is preferred

Compensation & Benefits

• $29-32/hour DOE. Competitive wages in an equitable tiered pay structure for all positions. Non-Negotiable.
• Cell Phone Stipend
• Full time employees receive Health, dental, and vision insurance and Paid Time Off (PTO) Accruals
• All employees 401K (retirement account) - After 90 days
• Commuter (pre-tax) - After 30 days
• Meals provided daily onsite at Oakland Commissary Kitchen
• Opportunity to develop your skills, work with amazing people & be a part of a force for social change!