Kitchen & Event Lead — Run the Show (Salt Lake Valley Catering Company)
The short version: We're a fast-growing catering company (up 50%+ year over year) and the owner is stepping back from day-to-day operations. We're not hiring a cook — we're hiring the person who runs the kitchen, runs the events, and runs the food truck. This role converts to General Manager.
You must be comfortable driving and setting up a large food truck. If backing a big rig into a tight venue lot makes you nervous, this isn't your job. If it sounds fun, keep reading.
How the pay works (in writing, not vibes):
- Sept–Dec (paid working ramp): $20–22/hr, roughly 25–32 hrs/week, PLUS $100–150 for every event you lead. Fall is our busiest season — event pay adds up fast.
- January 1: Converts to $48–55K salary + continued per-event pay, based on performance during the ramp.
- 12 months: $2,000 retention bonus, cash.
- Clear written milestones at 90 days and 6 months with pay bumps attached.
What you'll own:
- Events start to finish: prep schedules, load-out, on-site setup, service, teardown. When you're on, the event is yours — decisions included.
- The kitchen: ordering, prep lists, quality, cleanliness. Proven, documented menu — you keep the standard, you don't reinvent it.
- The truck: driving it, setting it up, operating it safely. Full training provided — the confidence has to be yours.
- The crew: directing prep and event staff, training them, holding the line.
You're a fit if you:
- Have 3+ years in catering, banquets, food trucks, kitchen management, or military food service
- Have driven box trucks, food trucks, or towed trailers — and can prove it
- Can run a 150-person event without calling anyone for permission
- Show up when you say you will, every time
- Want to run something, not work a station
You're NOT a fit if you:
- Want a chef title to build a tasting menu around — this is execution, not creation
- Need someone standing over your shoulder to stay in motion
- Treat "the truck won't start" as someone else's problem
Why this is a real opportunity: Most kitchen jobs cap out because the owner never leaves. Ours is leaving — on purpose, with documented systems and a proven menu. You're walking into the top operational seat of a growing company. Perform, and in a year you're the person who runs a catering company, with the title and pay history to prove it anywhere.
To apply, send a short note (not a formal cover letter) to [email protected] with subject line "I can drive the truck," telling us:
- The biggest event you've personally run — headcount, what went wrong, and what you did about it
- Your truck/towing experience, specifically
- Your soonest start date
We reply to every serious application within 48 hours. Hiring for a immediate start.
Pay: $50,000.00 - $60,000.00 per year
Work Location: In person
