Head Chef

About the role

Lenox Hill Neighborhood House’s Food Services team prepares and serves approximately 1,600 healthy, culturally appropriate meals daily across multiple programs, supports internal and external catering, and advances the farm-to-institution model through the Teaching Kitchen®. We are seeking a mission-driven Head Chef to lead daily operations, collaborate with the Teaching Kitchen® and Facilities teams, and expand healthy food initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Oversee institutional kitchen operations and create/manage menus aligned with nutrition and funder requirements
• Lead and work closely with Sous Chefs, Chef Tournant, and the Food Services team on daily operations, scheduling, hiring, onboarding, and training
• Collaborate with chefs to develop, test, and introduce culturally responsive, farm-to-institution recipes scalable for institutional service
• Coordinate meal production, distribution logistics, and community partnerships to expand healthy food initiatives
• Track food costs, inventory, and production using technology and data systems while ensuring compliance with government funding requirements
• Evaluate costs, negotiate vendor pricing, and develop new sourcing opportunities
• Conduct routine team training, facility self-inspections, and inventory management
• Assist with daily food operations and in-house special events (menu prep, setup, breakdown)
• Lead continuous improvement of kitchen SOPs for production, sanitation, inventory, and workflows
• Maintain compliance with food handling procedures, including NYC Department of Health standards
• Collaborate across departments to ensure streamlined communication on menus and meal service

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 5+ years of culinary, food production, or restaurant management experience
• Experience operating community food programs and managing high-volume meal production kitchens and teams
• NYC Food Protection Certificate or ability to obtain
• Commitment to food equity, sustainable food systems, and social justice
• Strong management, organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills
• Computer literacy including Excel and relevant culinary/food service software
• Experience with government agencies (e.g., NYC Aging, CACFP) strongly preferred
• Fluency in Spanish preferred
• Flexibility to work holidays as needed to ensure uninterrupted meal service

Pay

$80,000 annually

Benefits

• Comprehensive health insurance choices for staff and families
• 25 days’ vacation, 12 holidays, and sick time
• Matching contributions to Retirement Plan
• Paid parental leave policy
• Free life insurance (3x annual salary)
• Pre-tax Flexible Spending Accounts for Medical, Dependent Care, and Parking/Mass Transit
• Supplemental insurance coverage (Accident, Hospital, Critical Illness)
• Staff events and parties (film nights, bowling, baseball games, holiday parties, rooftop gatherings, etc.)
• Access to state-of-the-art fitness center, gym, swimming pool, group fitness classes, swimming lessons, and lap swim
• Eligibility for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)