Kitchen Manager
Reports To: Operations ManagerDepartment: Food Services Status: Full-Time, ExemptSchedule: Sunday–Thursday or Tuesday–Saturday, based on operational needsSalary: $65,000–$75,000 annually
Position Summary
ASF Solutions is seeking an experienced, hands-on Kitchen Manager and strong commercial cook to lead the daily operations of our commercial kitchen. This is a working leadership role for an experienced kitchen professional who understands how to manage people, food, quality, cost, safety, and production at the same time.
We are looking for someone who has already successfully operated in a high-volume commercial kitchen environment and is prepared to step in and lead. The ideal candidate has managed a commercial kitchen team of at least 4–5 employees, personally prepared quality meals at scale, and understands what it takes to keep a busy kitchen organized, clean, properly staffed, cost-conscious, and on schedule.
This person must be operations-driven and solutions-oriented—a fixer. We need a manager who can walk into the kitchen, identify what is working and what is not, and take action. They should be able to improve workflows, strengthen processes, address performance issues, reduce waste, improve food quality and consistency, and create greater accountability across the kitchen operation.
This role requires someone who can think and make decisions like a manager, not simply wait for instructions. The Kitchen Manager will have defined decision-making authority and is expected to confidently make day-to-day operational decisions within that authority. When an issue requires executive involvement, the Manager should be able to bring the CEO a clear assessment of the problem, recommended solutions, and the information needed to make a decision.
The right person is experienced, decisive, dependable, proactive, organized, accountable, and comfortable leading people. They take ownership of the kitchen's performance and understand that their responsibility is not just to get through today's meal production—it is to continuously make the operation better.
Essential ResponsibilitiesKitchen Leadership & Staff Management
- Lead and supervise the daily work of cooks and other kitchen staff.
- Assign daily responsibilities and ensure production stays on schedule.
- Coach, train, and provide ongoing feedback to kitchen employees.
- Address performance, attendance, teamwork, and quality concerns promptly.
- Model professionalism, urgency, accountability, and teamwork.
- Ensure staff understand and consistently follow established kitchen processes.
- Help create, document, implement, and reinforce kitchen procedures and workflows.
Meal Production & Quality
- Oversee the preparation of high-quality meals for ASF clients across multiple sites.
- Participate in food preparation and production when operationally necessary.
- Create and maintain menus that meet client needs, quality expectations, and budget requirements.
- Conduct regular food tastings to evaluate taste, quality, consistency, portion size, and presentation.
- Ensure meals are completed, packaged, and ready according to established delivery schedules.
- Monitor special dietary requirements and menu modifications.
Inventory, Ordering & Cost Control
- Order food, supplies, and kitchen materials based on client census, approved menus, inventory levels, and established budgets.
- Monitor food costs and make responsible purchasing decisions.
- Maintain appropriate inventory levels while minimizing waste and over-ordering.
- Ensure inventory is properly received, labeled, stored, and rotated using FIFO practices.
- Communicate purchasing needs, shortages, and budget concerns to leadership.
Food Safety & Kitchen Standards
- Maintain a clean, organized, and inspection-ready commercial kitchen.
- Conduct routine food safety, sanitation, temperature, and cleanliness audits.
- Ensure staff follow Los Angeles County Public Health requirements and applicable food safety regulations.
- Monitor food temperatures throughout preparation, holding, packaging, and delivery.
- Address food safety or sanitation concerns immediately.
- Ensure kitchen equipment is properly maintained and report repair needs promptly.
Client & Delivery Coordination
- Maintain professional communication with clients regarding census, meal counts, menus, quality, and service needs.
- Adjust food production based on confirmed client census and operational requirements.
- Coordinate with delivery drivers to ensure meals leave the kitchen accurately and on time.
- Resolve meal count, delivery, quality, or service issues promptly.
- Build strong working relationships with ASF sites and other internal partners.
Qualifications
- Minimum 3–5 years of progressive commercial or high-volume kitchen experience required, with significant hands-on cooking experience.
- Previous experience managing a commercial kitchen and directly supervising a team of at least 4–5 employees required.
- Demonstrated experience personally preparing and overseeing the production of quality meals for large groups on a daily basis.
- Strong working knowledge of commercial cooking techniques, food preparation, production planning, portioning, and quality control.
- Proven experience managing the day-to-day operations of a commercial kitchen, not solely supervising food preparation.
- Experience with menu development, food ordering, inventory management, food costs, waste reduction, and budget-conscious purchasing.
- Strong knowledge of food safety, sanitation, commercial kitchen equipment, and applicable health and safety requirements.
- Demonstrated ability to identify operational problems, develop solutions, and implement improvements.
- Experience creating, documenting, implementing, and reinforcing kitchen processes, procedures, and standards.
- Experience training, coaching, developing, and holding kitchen staff accountable.
- Ability to make sound operational decisions independently within established levels of authority.
- Ability to recognize when an issue requires escalation and provide leadership with clear recommendations and potential solutions, rather than simply presenting the problem.
- Strong leadership, communication, organization, time-management, and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to manage competing priorities while maintaining food quality, safety, cleanliness, cost controls, and production deadlines.
- Demonstrated reliability, professional judgment, follow-through, and ownership.
- Must be comfortable working in a hands-on leadership role and stepping into production when needed.
This is an experienced leadership position.
ASF Solutions is seeking someone who can bring proven commercial kitchen experience to the role and add immediate operational value. This position is best suited for a seasoned kitchen professional who has already led teams, solved operational problems, managed high-volume production, and understands how to create structure and accountability in a commercial kitchen.
Required Certification
- Current Food Protection Manager Certification or ability to obtain required certification within the timeframe established by ASF Solutions.
Who Thrives in This Role
This role is a strong fit for a leader who:
- Takes ownership of the entire kitchen operation.
- Can lead people while also being willing to jump in and work alongside the team.
- Holds high standards without creating an unhealthy work environment.
- Notices quality, cleanliness, safety, or performance issues and addresses them quickly.
- Can balance quality, client needs, census, inventory, and budget.
- Is comfortable coaching employees and having accountability conversations.
- Creates structure and reinforces processes consistently.
- Stays calm, solutions-focused, and organized when the kitchen gets busy.
This Role May Not Be for You If…
This position may not be the right fit if you:
- Prefer to manage from the sidelines rather than work alongside your team when needed.
- Avoid difficult conversations or struggle to hold employees accountable.
- Have difficulty managing multiple priorities and changing production needs.
- Are uncomfortable monitoring food costs, inventory, or budgets.
- Wait for leadership to identify and solve routine kitchen problems.
- Struggle with consistency, follow-through, organization, or attention to detail.
- Are unwilling to work weekends based on operational needs.
What Success Looks Like
Successful Kitchen Managers consistently:
- Keep meal production on time, accurate, and within established quality standards.
- Maintain a clean, organized, safe, and inspection-ready kitchen.
- Keep food purchasing and inventory aligned with census and budget.
- Reduce unnecessary food waste and over-ordering.
- Ensure meals are consistently prepared to quality and portion standards.
- Maintain accurate meal counts and strong coordination with delivery drivers and client sites.
- Develop kitchen staff through clear expectations, coaching, and accountability.
- Identify operational problems early and implement solutions.
- Create and reinforce processes that improve consistency and efficiency.
- Build a kitchen team that works together and takes pride in the meals they produce.
Schedule Expectations
This position will work either Sunday through Thursday or Tuesday through Saturday, depending on operational needs. Weekend coverage is an essential part of this leadership role.
Scheduling will be structured to allow the Kitchen Manager one full weekend off per month, based on staffing and operational coverage.
If you read this job description in it’s entirety, email the word “HIRE ME NOW” in the subject line and your name in the body of the email. You will still need to apply for this job on indeed. We just want to ensure that you’ve read the job description!
About ASF Solutions
ASF Solutions is committed to serving individuals experiencing homelessness with dignity, compassion, and excellence. Our commercial kitchen provides meals to clients across multiple interim housing sites, making food quality, safety, consistency, and reliability essential to our work.
Every meal leaving our kitchen should reflect the standard of care we expect for the communities we serve.
ASF Solutions is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all employees are respected and valued.
ASF Solutions is an at-will employer. Employment may be terminated by either the employee or the organization at any time, with or without cause or notice, subject to applicable law.
One Final Step
If you've read this job description in its entirety, we want to hear from you.
Please email [email protected] with:
- Subject Line: HIRE ME NOW
- Email Body: Your full name
Please note: This does not replace your application. You must still submit your application through Indeed to be considered for the position.
This additional step simply lets us know that you took the time to thoroughly review the position and understand what we're looking for.
Job Type: Full-Time, ExemptSalary: $65,000–$75,000 annually
Schedule:
- Sunday–Thursday or Tuesday–Saturday
- Schedule determined by operational needs
- One full weekend off per month, based on coverage
Work Location:Commercial kitchen supporting meal service for multiple interim housing sites throughout Los Angeles County.
Pay: $65,000.00 - $75,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
