Job Title: Santa Maria Brigaid Chef
Job Status: Full-time Exempt (with summers off)
Brigaid Supervisor: Santa Maria Program Chef
Location: Santa Maria, CA
Compensation: $70,400 plus full benefits (inclusive of a paid summer holiday break)
We’re hiring a chef to support our work in Santa Maria Joint Union High School District (SMJUHSD)!
Since 2016, we’ve been redefining what it means to be a successful chef by partnering with institutional foodservice programs across the US. Our team brings the systems and solutions to help kitchens consistently and confidently prepare high-quality meals. Demand for our services is growing faster than ever. In the past 5 years alone, we’ve expanded from a team of 5 chefs to a coast-to-coast network of 70 and counting.
About Our Partnership With SMJUHSD:
Located in northern Santa Barbara County, Santa Maria Joint Union High School District (SMJUHSD) serves more than 9,000 students across three high schools.
The district's foodservice program serves breakfast and lunch daily from three full-service production kitchens. As part of this partnership, the Brigaid Chef will provide hands-on culinary, operational, and training support to advance the district's foodservice goals, including:
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Supporting the district-wide implementation of at least eight outdoor serving areas with serving carts across all three high school campuses during the initial rollout and continued expansion of the program
- Providing ongoing training and professional development for foodservice teams in culinary techniques, scratch cooking, food safety, recipe execution, National School Lunch Program (NSLP) compliance, and operational best practices
- Supporting the implementation and expansion of scratch cooking through standardized recipes, production systems, and staff development
- Improving the quality, consistency, and presentation of menu offerings
- Increasing student satisfaction and meal participation by improving meal quality, service, and accessibility through expanded points of service
- Supporting standardized systems and continuous improvement across all district kitchens
As a Brigaid Chef, you’ll work in SMJUHSD through the school year (with summers off), collaborating closely with the Santa Maria Program Chef to support the above goals. A focus of your work will be to implement serving carts in various locations across all campuses, both indoors and outdoors. Although the district will have ultimate authority over the program's strategic direction, you’ll be instrumental in driving change.
What the Position Entails:
Your work will depend on the needs of the program. You may be asked to fulfill any of the following responsibilities.
Training
- Work with the Santa Maria Program Chef to implement new systems/protocols (such as kitchen organization, serving line setup, food storage, and HACCP programs).
- Conduct regular staff training across sites on basic culinary, safety, and operational best practices in accordance with our standards.
- Work with the Santa Maria Program Chef to roll out kitchen signs and tools across sites from our catalog of training materials.
- Regularly visit sites to assess progress.
Recipes/Menus
- Work with the Santa Maria Program Chef to develop recipes and menus in compliance with the NSLP.
- Work with the Santa Maria Program Chef to develop and implement a plan to roll out new menu items with an eye towards consistency and quality across all sites.
- Work with the Santa Maria Program Chef to plan and execute student tastings for new menu items. Gather staff and student feedback and incorporate it into menu planning as appropriate.
Other
- Participate in occasional district- or community-wide events, such as career fairs, back-to-school nights, and community meals.
- Document your progress in a daily journal and discuss with the Santa Maria Program Chef during regular Zoom calls.
- Participate in meetings with your district's foodservice director and/or other stakeholders.
- Adhere to all of our protocols and standards as well as those of the district as outlined in our respective employee handbooks.
- Adhere to all United States Department of Agriculture and Department of Health guidelines and regulations.
- Assist with any other job-related tasks, including, but not limited to, receiving and storing food and supplies, setting up and breaking down kitchens, scaling recipes, preparing, packing and serving food, cleaning kitchens, and doing dishes.
How You’ll Be Successful:
- Model the highest standards for food quality and safety, organization, and professionalism.
- Demonstrate a genuine passion for institutional foodservice.
- Remain open to different visions of “good food.”
- Display a strong understanding of (or an ability to learn) NSLP guidelines.
- Exhibit excellent leadership and teaching abilities.
- Work effectively and patiently with teammates and colleagues of different professional backgrounds. Be eager to collaborate.
- Understand how to develop, organize, and drive projects forward while working with multiple stakeholders.
- Exhibit expert knowledge of foundational cooking techniques as well as an ability to train people of various experience levels on them.
- Demonstrate basic computer literacy, including Microsoft and Google programs and Zoom.
- Be flexible in accommodating changes in schedule.
- Understand how to prioritize tasks and manage your time effectively.
Professional Requirements:
- At least 3 years of professional cooking experience in a non-institutional setting (High-volume cooking experience is a plus.)
- ServSafe Manager certified or the ability to take a Brigaid-sponsored 8-hour ServSafe Manager course and pass the exam during your initial training period
- Successful completion of two to three background checks prior to your start date
Physical Requirements:
- Ability to travel across sites in an efficient manner (with the possibility of carrying kitchen/culinary equipment during this travel)
- Ability to lift and carry objects up to 50 pounds
- Ability to walk around and stand for long periods of time
- Ability to perform duties outdoors for extended periods in varying weather conditions, including direct sun and heat
- Proof of a negative skin prick TB test
Why Us:
Our goal is for every team member to feel empowered and excited by their work. We cheer each other on, celebrate big and small wins, and foster professional growth through a comprehensive leadership training series.
We’re proud to offer:
- 100% company-paid health insurance for you and your family — a gold level plan through Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield with a platinum level plan buy-up option as well
- 100% company-paid dental insurance for you and your family through Guardian
- 100% company-paid vision insurance for you and your family through Guardian
- 100% company-paid short- and long-term care insurance through Guardian
- 6 paid vacation days to start
- Paid summer vacation
- 15 paid company holidays
- 6 paid sick days
- A 401k with a 4% company match and immediate vesting
How to Apply:
Please submit a resume. We’ll contact qualified candidates to participate in a first-round, 30-minute Zoom interview. After that, selected candidates will be invited to a 3-hour in-person practical interview in Santa Maria, CA. To be considered, you must be able to attend this in-person interview. A travel stipend of $250 will be offered to each candidate living more than 120 miles away from Santa Maria. Should you live farther than 120 miles from Santa Maria and get offered the position, we will support your relocation to an area commutable to Santa Maria by providing you with a one-time, lump sum $5,000 moving stipend (subject to tax).
Please note: We read every application! However, due to the high volume of applicants, our team is only able to contact qualified candidates. Although we appreciate your excitement, we kindly ask that you refrain from emailing or calling us about your application status. Thank you!
We’re an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, socio-economic status, marital status, national or ethnic origin, age, religion or creed, disability, political or sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic under state or federal law. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities as defined by the ADA to perform the essential functions of the job.
