Central Kitchen Lead at Freshlunches – Northridge, California

Job Description

Our company is dedicated to creating high-quality prepackaged meals tailored for private schools, focusing on fresh, nutritious, locally sourced, and sustainable ingredients. We are excited to announce an opening for a Central Kitchen Lead to join our dynamic team. This role involves overseeing a team that produces a substantial volume of meals each day. The Central Kitchen Lead will review production reports and Catering orders to develop schedules for different stations in the department, identify purchasing needs, and communicate orders to purchasing manager accordingly. Will work closely with the Operations Manager and the Purchasing Manager. Additionally, as Central Kitchen Lead, you will monitor product quality and ensure strict adherence to sanitation standards. The ideal candidate will have strong interpersonal skills, and be very comfortable with interpreting reports and be able to respond to all catering requests in a high-volume kitchen.

Key Duties & Responsibilities Include:

• Plans production up to a week ahead, creates and publishes weekly production and labor schedules
• Reads and interprets production reports. Answers Team member questions regarding reports and production quantities. Communicates respectively to all team-members.
• Plays a key role in daily production
• Responsible for break management, training and discipline
• Responsible for managing inventory.
• Ensures kitchen staff follow sanitary guidelines. Directs and holds all staff accountable for proper execution of guidelines.
• Ensures daily production schedules are met.
• Creates a teamwork environment and help where needed most
• Builds trust with staff members and provides clear and honest communication and feedback.
• Manages waste by ensuring recipes and plating guides are followed
• Documents recipes and trains staff on the execution of recipes
• Assists in implementation and maintains all kitchen systems (temperature logs, proper dating of all items in walk-ins etc.)
• Maintains food quality standards
• Previous experience in school/college or multi-outlet venues preferred
• Candidates are required to have a minimum of five years experience as a chef and must have managed a kitchen within a facility that operates at a moderate to high volume.
• Demonstrate a genuine passion for food and cooking by contributing ideas and participating in menu planning.
• Actively participate in daily kitchen operations, working alongside team members to prepare high-quality dishes.
• If you are someone who thrives in a dynamic kitchen setting and is eager to share your culinary passion with others, we want to hear from you!
• We are seeking a Central Kitchen Lead who is bilingual in Spanish and English to effectively communicate with our diverse staff and clientele.