Chef Instructor, Savory (Sur La Table)

About the role

As a Chef Instructor, Savory at Sur La Table you are the in‑store expert and advocate for all things savory cooking. You deliver the company‑wide #bestincenter service standard by sharing specialized knowledge in culinary techniques, cooking fundamentals, and personalized instruction that supports company initiatives. The role inspires a love for cooking while driving sales of cookware, cutlery, and kitchen tools through hands‑on savory classes and engaging culinary instruction.

Responsibilities

• Customer Experience & Brand Representation: Create memorable, educational savory cooking classes that reflect Sur La Table’s passion for food and high standards; follow provided recipes and game plans; communicate technical cooking concepts clearly; stay current on products and training.
• Sales & Business Performance: Drive class revenue and retail sales by encouraging second‑class sign‑ups, promoting featured kitchen items, and achieving enrollment, review, and guest‑return goals; meet KPIs such as second‑class sign‑ups, product sales, and Google review feedback.
• Team Engagement & Store Support: Set up and break down classes, organize mise en place, prep ingredients, clean workstations, sanitize dishes and equipment, restock and organize kitchen supplies and tools.
• Operations & Compliance: Ensure food‑safety, health‑code, and sanitation compliance; handle tools, ingredients, and equipment safely; maintain accurate inventory, minimize shrink, control expenses; handle liquor in accordance with state regulations; uphold store safety, cleanliness, and all Sur La Table policies and SOPs; record time worked per policy.

Physical Requirements

• Stand for up to 4 hours at a time.
• Move about the store directing participants, selling, and retrieving merchandise.
• Perceive and differentiate flavors, odors, and tastes using tongue or nose.
• Grab, reach, push, pull, bend, stoop, kneel, and crouch to demonstrate, retrieve, or replenish merchandise and equipment.
• Use hands to chop, whisk, slice, stir, juice, and demonstrate techniques.
• Lift and move merchandise weighing up to 50 lb.
• Ascend/descend ladders to retrieve or move merchandise.
• Operate a computer, POS system, keyboards, scanners, and mouse.
• Work in a variable kitchen environment with open flames, hot surfaces, temperature variations, and potential food allergens (both physical and airborne).

Qualifications & Experience

• Must be 21 years of age or older.
• Degree in culinary arts preferred; extensive culinary experience with demonstrated technical proficiency considered in lieu of formal education.
• 1–2 years of kitchen operations experience.
• Valid Food Manager Certification.
• Excellent communication, problem‑solving, and decision‑making abilities.
• Passion for community engagement and providing exceptional customer experiences.

Schedule

Available to work between 12 and 16 hours per week with a flexible schedule that includes nights, weekends, and holidays. Hours may vary based on business needs, and regular attendance with the ability to adjust class assignments as demand changes is required.