Chef/Kitchen Lead — Early Childhood Education
Close Reach Academy | Arlington, WA | Full-Time | $25–$30/hr DOE | 6:30am–3:00pm Mon–Fri
No nights. No weekends. No late rushes. Just skilled, meaningful work in the morning — at a rate that goes further in Arlington than almost anywhere else in the region.
If you have culinary training and you're done with the grind of restaurant hours, this is worth reading carefully.
Close Reach Academy is looking for a Chef who can cook with real skill, manage a USDA-compliant food program with real precision, and do both for an audience that matters — approximately 80 children every morning, including breakfast, lunch, and snack for our early childhood students and breakfast for our elementary students before they head to school.
Why This Role Is Different
Most culinary positions that pay well ask you to sacrifice your evenings, your weekends, and eventually your health. This one doesn't. You work mornings, Monday through Friday. You're done at 3:00pm. You are benefits-eligible. And you're earning $25–$30/hr — a rate that, in Arlington's cost of living, carries meaningfully further than the same number would in Seattle, Bellevue, or Kirkland.
Who We Are
Close Reach Academy is a locally owned, nonprofit early childhood education organization. Our Arlington campus currently serves approximately 52 early childhood students, ages one through five, and 28 elementary students who join us for breakfast before we transport them to their schools. We participate in the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), which means our food program is not an afterthought — it is a federally administered commitment to the nutritional quality of every meal and snack we serve.
The Chef owns that commitment. This is not a prep cook position or a food service assistant role. It is a skilled, independently managed function that directly shapes the daily experience of every child on our campus.
A note on scope: This is currently a solo kitchen role. You will run breakfast for close to 80 children, then lunch and afternoon snack for our early childhood group, on your own. We are direct about this because it matters: this role requires genuine efficiency, strong systems, and the stamina of someone who has run a high-volume kitchen independently before. As our early childhood enrollment grows toward 100 students, we plan to add kitchen support — but the person who takes this role today needs to be capable of running it solo now.
The Role
You will plan, prepare, and serve breakfast for approximately 80 children, then lunch and afternoon snack for our early childhood group of roughly 52 children, five days a week. You will manage the kitchen with the cleanliness, organization, and food safety discipline that a licensed childcare facility and a USDA food program require. You will also need to think on your feet — pivoting a meal plan around individual food allergies and dietary restrictions without compromising nutrition, safety, or timing.
What you'll own:
- Menu planning and execution — breakfast for the full campus, lunch and afternoon snack for early childhood
- Allergy and dietary accommodation
- USDA CACFP compliance — accurate meal counts, documentation, CN labels, and reimbursement recordkeeping
- Food ordering and vendor management, within budget, through approved suppliers
- Full kitchen inventory — food and non-food supplies, expiration management, organized storage
- Kitchen cleanliness and sanitation to licensing standards
- Midday facility support — bathroom checks, toy sanitation, high-traffic area cleaning
- Accurate submission of kitchen receipts and food program documentation
What We're Looking For
Required:
- Associate's degree in Culinary Arts
- Washington State Food Handler's Permit (or ability to obtain before start)
- Demonstrated experience cooking for groups with dietary restrictions and food allergies
- Demonstrated ability to run a kitchen independently at real volume
- A clean, professional appearance and demeanor
- Reliable, self-directed work ethic
Preferred:
- Experience in institutional or school nutrition cooking
- Familiarity with USDA CACFP or similar food program requirements
- Current First Aid/CPR certification
- STARS training (30 hours) or willingness to complete
Non-negotiable: This is a tobacco-free, vape-free, smoke-free campus. No exceptions, at any hour, on or near campus.
What We Offer
- $25–$30/hr depending on culinary training and experience
- 6:30am–3:00pm, Monday through Friday
- Benefits eligible — health, dental, and vision
- Paid time off and paid sick leave
- Your birthday off, paid
- A respected, independent role at the center of campus life
To Apply
Submit your resume through Indeed. In your application, please answer briefly: Describe your culinary training background, and tell us about a time you ran a kitchen independently at high volume. What systems did you rely on to stay on schedule?
We read every response.
Pay: $25.00 - $30.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- Describe your culinary training background and tell us about a time you ran a high-volume kitchen independently. What systems did you rely on to stay on schedule?
Education:
Work Location: In person
