Traveling Chef Manager K–12 Foodservice

Traveling Chef Manager K–12 Foodservice

Location: Lexington, MA

Key Responsibilities:

• Travel to assigned school districts to support daily café operations and culinary excellence using Whitson's standards.
• Train and coach kitchen teams on food preparation, cooking techniques, and service standards.
• Develop and implement seasonal menus, recipes, and themed promotions that align with USDA and district nutrition guidelines.
• Assist in onboarding new culinary staff and reinforcing company policies and procedures.
• Execute all company promotional initiatives.
• Support special events, taste tests, and school promotions to drive participation and student engagement.
• Monitor kitchen compliance with food safety, sanitation, and HACCP standards.
• Provide hands-on culinary support during high-volume service or staff shortages.
• Collaborate with district managers and the Director of Dining Services to identify areas for improvement and implement best practices.
• Assist the General Manager in managing all production requirements, following recipes, and ensuring safe food handling principles in a sanitary and professional manner.
• Manage and cultivate the team to perform up to the standards set forth by management.
• Coordinate all cooking, prepping, etc. of stations according to the production schedule.
• Be proficient in recipe procedure, measurement conformity, and cooking techniques.
• Perform temperature checks during the production period to ensure food is being held and prepared at the correct temperatures. Maintain all logs.
• Provide on-site culinary training and coaching to school kitchen teams.
• Demonstrate and implement scratch and speed-scratch cooking techniques.
• Ensure staff follow standardized recipes, portion control, and presentation standards.
• Mentor kitchen leads and help develop their culinary and leadership skills.
• Travel between districts or schools to assist with openings, transitions, or staffing shortages.
• Support catering, special events, and promotional activities.

Physical Demands of the Job:

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• While performing the duties of this job, the team member is frequently required to stand most of the day.
• Must be able to sit, walk, talk, and hear; use hands and fingers to feel, handle, or operate objects, tools, or controls; and reach with hands and arms.
• The employee is occasionally required to lift and/or move up to 40 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.
• The employee must be able to multitask.
• Position may require extended hours, including evenings and/or weekends, travel to multiple work sites, and occasional out-of-town travel. Must be able to drive his/her own vehicle to other work sites.

Work Environment:

• The work is performed primarily in a kitchen setting.
• The noise level in the work environment is moderate to loud.

Requirements:

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, or related field preferred.
• Minimum of 3–5 years of experience in foodservice management, with emphasis on K–12, healthcare, or institutional dining.
• ServSafe certification.
• Proven track record of leadership, training, and operational support in multiple locations.
• Strong understanding of USDA meal pattern requirements and school nutrition guidelines.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
• Willingness to travel extensively throughout the New England region.
• Valid driver's license and reliable transportation required.
• Knowledge of all Microsoft Office Suite products.
• Ability to learn new software programs.

Work Schedule:

Full-time, Monday–Friday with flexibility for early mornings and occasional evenings as needed.

Salary Target:

Competitive salary.