Traveling Production Chef (Catering)

About the role

Sifted is seeking a skilled and reliable Traveling Chef to support carry-in catering operations across high-growth client sites on the West Coast. This role owns strong on-site execution, consistent food quality, and a polished client experience across multiple venues and service environments. Beyond travel assignments, the Traveling Chef helps strengthen regional culinary performance by contributing to menu development, operational process improvement, and the refinement of administrative and technology SOPs that make the work more scalable.

What you'll be doing

• Execute high-quality commissary and off-site meals for corporate clients, ensuring food quality, consistency, presentation, and service standards are met from production through on-site delivery.
• Cook and prepare meals in a variety of settings, including commissary kitchens, office kitchens, conference spaces, and event venues.
• Coordinate packing, transport, setup, service, and breakdown for catering activations, partnering closely with kitchen and logistics teams to ensure safe and efficient execution.
• Manage and support services delivered by local chef teams, helping oversee client satisfaction, personnel performance, and food cost discipline during regional travel assignments.
• Adapt quickly to different client-site environments, service formats, and last-minute operational changes while maintaining professionalism and a strong guest experience.
• Maintain strict adherence to food safety, sanitation, and temperature-control standards during transport, setup, service, and post-service handling.
• Communicate effectively with clients and on-site contacts, managing requests, dietary accommodations, and service adjustments with calm, solutions-oriented judgment.
• Monitor inventory, prep planning, and service-readiness needs to ensure each assignment has the tools, ingredients, and support required for smooth execution.
• Between travel assignments, provide updates on kitchen performance, surface improvement opportunities, and help refine operational workflows to improve efficiency and consistency.
• Attend regional numbers and menu meetings, contributing field insight on performance, eater preferences, menu execution, and operational opportunities.
• Refine and reinforce admin, app, and culinary tech SOPs so traveling chef work is documented, repeatable, and easier for local teams to execute consistently.

Our ideal candidate

• Proven experience as a chef or lead cook in a culinary setting; large-scale food prep, batch cooking, and off-site catering experience are strongly preferred.
• High-end restaurant or hotel experience is preferred, with comfort executing across varied menus, dietary needs, and service expectations.
• Strong culinary creativity and judgment, including a desire to contribute to menu design, execution quality, and scalable kitchen practices.
• Demonstrated ability to manage or support other culinary leaders and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams in fast-paced environments.
• Strong understanding of food safety practices, especially as they relate to transport, off-site service, and dietary accommodations.
• Excellent organization, time management, communication, and customer service skills.
• Valid driver's license and willingness to travel locally between client sites and priority markets.
• Ability to travel up to 75% of the time, often with short notice.

Perks + benefits

• Compensation: starting at $110k-115k per year; negotiable based on experience
• Company-sponsored health insurance plans, including 100% company-paid HDHP, as well as vision + dental opt-in
• 401(k) program available after six months of employment
• Unlimited paid time off; 10 paid company holidays
• Monthly cell phone usage reimbursement
• Free lunch during meal service
• 100% mileage reimbursement
• Opportunities to take on larger roles within our organization + learn with a fast-growing start-up

Eligibility

This position must maintain ServSafe Food Manager certification (company-paid);
Work environment: This position travels frequently between client sites and priority markets on the West Coast, with work taking place in commissary kitchens, office kitchens, conference spaces, and event venues. The role also includes between-travel collaboration with regional culinary leadership on menu, operations, and business review work. When not traveling, this position is required to be in the San Francisco commissary kitchen.

Physical requirements

• This position must be able to travel frequently, often on short notice, stand for up to 6 hours at a time, and move equipment or product up to 50 lbs as needed to support catering setup, service, and breakdown.
• When not on site, the role may require time spent working on planning, reporting, and process documentation.

About Sifted

Sifted was founded in 2015 by Kimberly Lexow and Jess Legge with a bold vision — to reimagine office food as an experience rooted in hospitality, sustainability, and intentionality.
What began as a modern take on workplace meals quickly evolved into a nationwide food platform that supports culture, community, and carbon-conscious choices across hundreds of companies. We’re not a caterer — we’re a workplace food partner.
Our team is our secret sauce — a mix of hospitality pros, culinary experts, technologists, and innovators redefining what it means to build meaningful, stable, and opportunity-filled careers in hospitality.
At Sifted, people stay, grow, and thrive — our team members remain with us three times longer than the industry average.
We offer flexibility, generous perks, and room to grow — hiring builders, operators, creatives, and craftspeople who care about making work (and workplaces) better.
At Sifted, our team culture mirrors the experiences we design for our clients:
- Creative Freedom: Everyone contributes ideas and shapes the future of our service.
- Hospitality-Driven: No matter your role, you’re in service to someone — and that matters.
- Career Growth: We invest in internal mobility, mentorship, and hands-on learning.
- People First: We support flexible work, celebrate wins, and lead with empathy.
- Real Impact: Every day, your work reduces waste, improves lives, and connects people through food.

Pay range for this role

The pay range for this role is: $110,000 - $115,000 USD per year (San Francisco Kitchen)