Chef Manager

MISSION
Our mission is to support strong children, strong families, and strong communities.

VISION
At Martha’s Table, we believe that every Washingtonian deserves the opportunity to stay and thrive. 

ABOUT MARTHA’S TABLE

At Martha’s Table, we believe that every Washingtonian deserves the opportunity to thrive. For over forty years, we have worked to support strong children, strong families, and strong communities by increasing access to quality education, health and wellness, and family resources.

Together, we are “One MT.”  This means we work across all three of our locations to support our shared mission. In all that we do, we exemplify our four core values of respect, compassion, teamwork, and accountability. These values -- and our commitment to “the MT Experience” -- guide how we engage with the communities we stand alongside and how we work together as a team. When you come to Martha’s Table -- as a guest or as a team member --  you are valued and you deserve our very best.

In order to be the best version of MT, we are deeply committed to equitable practices. We apply the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion in providing programming and services; in creating our Board; in partnerships and procurement; and in hiring, training, and advancing our team members.

We invest in our team members’ personal and professional goals through our “STEP” program, which includes tuition for continuing education, certifications, and professional development; funding to unlock financially held transcripts; and flexible leave options.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Chef Manager is expected to be an experienced, passionate, and highly organized individual responsible for recipe and menu development in service of the safe and efficient production of all meals prepared in-house at Martha’s Table (MT). A key responsibility will be the implementation of MT’s Children’s Meals program, including day-to-day meal preparation and team management. This program serves healthy, daily meals to students aged 6-weeks to 5-years old enrolled in MT’s high-quality Early Childhood Education Center. In addition to overall management of operations at The Commons, this role will support in-house catering and events for MT program participants. This role requires a strong focus on food-safety, hygiene, teamwork, and continuous improvement. While this post will be based primarily at Martha’s Table at The Commons, occasional travelling to The Maycroft to provide program coverage and support will be required on an as needed basis. 

About MT’s Children’s Meals Program:

MT is committed to serving healthy, delicious, and nutritionally sound meals to children enrolled in our Early Childhood Education program. Menus and recipes must comply with Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) guidelines, should expose children to new foods, and are intended to help children develop healthy eating habits. 

POSITION DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Meal Planning and Culinary Operations

• Leads the development of innovative seasonal menus and the preparation of meals for MT’s program participants, with a specific focus on daily production of children’s meals that meet MT’s quality standards and comply with all applicable regulations and nutritional guidelines. 
• Supports MT programs by providing meals as requested.
• Develops, implements, and documents standard operating procedures to maintain and enhance culinary and presentation standards, food quality, standardized recipes, and portioning control.
• Ensures compliance with all federal and local health and sanitation and safety regulations as evidenced through internal, local health department agencies’, and third-party entities’ audits and records.
• Conducts daily inspections to ensure all equipment and utilities are in safe working order; coordinates scheduled maintenance and repairs as needed.
• Creates and maintains production sheets, kitchen logs, and back of the house managerial documentation including but not limited to: temperature logs, hold/cold, cooling, waste, cleaning schedule, and small-wares/food inventory. 
• Supports menu development and execution of in-house catering for regular org-wide and program specific events.
• Performs other duties as required in support of MT’s programs. 

Team Member Management, Development, & Support

• Supervises and coaches kitchen team members, food entrepreneurs, contractors, and interns/volunteers 
• Recruits, selects, trains, and retains high performing and productive kitchen team members.
• Maintains optimal staffing and scheduling while being responsive to organizational needs. 
• Communicates goals and provides leadership to team members to inspire team commitment to organizational objectives and values. Provides effective performance-based coaching, including recognition and constructive feedback to support the long-term development of team members. Supports development opportunities for team members that support organizational growth. 
• Supports team members to develop personal and professional goals in line with departmental and organizational goals and strategies. Tracks, evaluates, and conducts performance evaluations for team members in line with individual, departmental, and organizational goals. 
• Organizes and tracks team members’ schedules, tracks and approves payroll, time off and related HR tasks. Communicates and ensures compliance with MT’s policies and procedures. 

Cross-departmental collaboration & partnerships

• Fosters teamwork and collaboration with team members for all Health & Wellness programs and across the organization.
• Collaborates with the Director of Healthy Foods, Director of Culinary Services, and Community Nutritionist on operational logistics for food nutrition activities, such as family cooking workshops or chef-led cooking demonstrations.   
• Builds and manages relationships with service providers/contractors, community partners, and community members. 
• Trains volunteers on kitchen safety, rules, and regulations.
• Communicates effectively and efficiently across the organization to maximize impact. 

Organization-Wide Responsibilities

• Attends and provides support as needed at MT events.
• Communicates MT’s mission to program participants and neighbors, and represents MT at relevant conferences, meetings, kitchen and market tours, and other outreach events.
• Attends at least one MT anchor event annually.

• Embodies and serves as a model for “The Martha's Table Experience” and our organization’s core values

• Performs other duties as assigned.

EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE, AND SKILLS REQUIREMENTS

• Extensive culinary/cooking skills including but not limited to: food safety, handling, storage, and sanitation, food prep, knife skills, and high-volume cooking.
• Expertise in various cooking techniques, culinary traditions,regions, ingredients, equipment and procedures.
• Knowledge of food safety regulations, sanitation practices, and HACCP principles.
• Passion for the culinary arts field and for making a difference with respect to nutrition, while having a great knowledge of food accessibility and healthy food choices.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to work with partners and kitchen team members. 
• Adaptability and flexibility to work in various kitchen environments and with different types of clients. 
• Ability to supervise using strong communication skills, team building and team member development 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficient in verbal/written Spanish, preferred but not required.
• Proficiency in multiple software applications including most Google Suite products.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

• 2 year degree from an accredited university in Culinary Arts or related major.
• 5 + years experience in the culinary, food and beverage, or related professional area.
• District of Columbia Food Protection Manager Certificate required within the first 4 months of employment.
• ServSafe Food Safety Management Certification and  DC Health-issued Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) Certification required within the first 90 days of employment. 
• Valid driver license required.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Ability to work a flexible schedule to aid MT programs, including holidays, weekends, and evenings. 
• The team member may be required to travel between MT’s NW and SE locations on a regular basis, including operation of MT vehicles in service of program delivery as necessary.
• While performing the duties of this job, the team member is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop; kneel; talk or hear; taste or smell. 
• Must be able to lift and/or move a minimum of 50 pounds. 
• This role is primarily in a kitchen setting. 

COVID-19

Martha's Table requires all team members to have:

• 2 doses of either Pfizer or Moderna administered before April 18, 2023;

• 1 dose of Johnson & Johnson's Janssen administered before May 22, 2023;

• 2 doses of Novavax COVID-19 vaccine, Adjuvinated; or

• 1 updated dose of either Pfizer or Moderna administered after April 18, 2023

Martha's Table will consider waiving the vaccination requirement for:

• Candidates who object in good faith and in writing, pursuant to procedures established by the City Administrator or his/her designee, that the employee's vaccination would violate their sincerely held religious beliefs; and

• Candidates who have obtained and submitted written certification from a physician or other licensed health professional who may order an immunization, that being vaccinated for COVID-19 is medically inadvisable because of the employee's medical condition. 

Marha's Table is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants who are unable to be vaccinated for religious or medical reasons should contact Human Resources (hr@marthastable.org) as soon as possible to engage in the interactive process and explore what, if any, reasonable accommodations Martha's Table is able to offer. 

This position requires the completion of a satisfactory background check. Martha's table is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment of any kind. Martha's table is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunities for all employees and applicants for the employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion or belief, age, sex (including pregnancy), national, social or ethnic origin, disability status, HIV status, family medical history or genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, family or parental status or any other characteristic protected by federal state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. Martha's table will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at 202-328-6608 or via e-mail at hr@marthastable.org.