Head Chef

Agency Summary: Food Outreach is a nonprofit, founded in 1988, that provides Medically Tailored Meals and nutrition services to enhance the quality of life of men, women and children living with HIV or cancer. The organization covers 160 Missouri and Illinois zip codes encompassing seven counties. Our services are unduplicated in Missouri and western Illinois.

Team Compensation: Our clients, volunteers, and mission inspire us every day! We are excited to welcome a new team member whose compensation will include platinum health benefits, 10 paid holidays, paid vacation and sick time, family medical leave, and employee/employer-contribution retirement plans.

Primary Purpose: The Chef prepares nutritious food and provides guidance to Food Outreach regarding menu planning, food production, safety and sanitation, quality assurance, and group education for clients and volunteers. The Chef works closely with the Registered Dietitian to plan medically tailored meals to meet Food Is Medicine guidelines for our clients with HIV, cancer, and other chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and renal disease.

Essential Functions of the Chef:

• Responsible for all aspects of food production and kitchen services.
• Responsible for planning, preparing, and cooking all meals based on medically tailored meals menu, in accordance with ServSafe standards.
• Train and supervise all volunteers in the kitchen, pack area, and cooking events.
• Responsible for food purchasing within the Food Outreach budget.
  – Assist in procuring donated items through local organizations and businesses.
• Maintains and cleans all kitchen equipment and reports any issues to the Director of Nutrition and Programs.
• Works within HAACP procedures.
• Works with dietitians to develop recipes and menu plans that meet Food Is Medicine standards and utilize the full potential of the Food Outreach kitchen facility.
• Records the temperature of all the freezers and refrigerators in the kitchen at the beginning and end of each day.
• Manages Saturday cook and pack with the assistance of the Red Aprons.
• Ensures portion control on all packed food items.
• Responsible for the inventory, ordering, stocking of all foods and supplies, and obtaining competitive pricing.
• Responsible for year-end kitchen inventory.
• Responsible for the receiving and monitoring of food deliveries.
• Maintains clean, organized freezer, storage rooms, and kitchen areas.
• Prepares yearly budgets for equipment, repairs, and food costs.
• Maintains database as directed by the Director of Nutrition and Programs.
• Shares responsibility with the Dietitian for community education efforts and cooking demonstrations on-site and off-site.
• Responsible for culinary event management.
• Attends weekly meetings to discuss menus and food production.
• Meets with manager regularly and attends other meetings as necessary.
• Responsible for maintaining the ServSafe Certification.
• Responsible for health inspections, maintaining health inspection records, and displaying appropriate documentation in the kitchen.
• Responsible for Hepatitis A records.
• Responsible for yearly training as required by federal grants standards of care.
• Work with local culinary programs to recruit and manage interns.

Knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Sensitive to the feelings of others, respect for individual differences, mature understanding of social problems, and ability to establish relationships quickly.
• Knowledge of the nutritional aspects of food, as it relates to chronic disease.
• Ability to supervise volunteers.
• Excellent organizational and leadership skills. Ability to work independently or as part of a team.
• Strong interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated knowledge of food service management and quality control (HAACP)
• Ability to interact with individuals in a culturally diverse environment.
• Computer literacy and working knowledge of different data programs.
• Must be able to lift a minimum of 50 lbs.
• Ability to stand for long hours at a time.

Position Qualifications and Skills:

• Must have a Culinary Degree Program Certification or equivalent work experience.
• Must pass a background check.
• Must have Hep B vaccine, COVID vaccine and updated PPD for TB.
• Must have ServSafe Manager Certification (Food safety and sanitation certification).
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license.
• Will participate and complete Forklift Operation Safety-Ref OSHA 1910.178.

Position Time Schedule: This is a full-time position governed by personnel policies related to full-time staff. Work hours Tuesday – Friday 8:00 am – 4:00 pm Saturday 7:30 am – 3:30 pm. Infrequent event hours may be on evenings or weekends.

Line of Authority: This position is supervised and evaluated by the Director of Nutrition and Programs.

Compensation: $48,000-$54,000 per year.

To Apply: Email a resume to Brittany Rudy, Director of Nutrition and Programs at brittany@foodoutreach.org. No phone calls, please.

Location: Food Outreach, 3117 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63103.