Food Service Kitchen Lead

Food Service Kitchen Lead - Lake Zurich School Nutrition

Lake Zurich, IL, USA

Requisition Number

15177

Location

Lake Zurich

Job Description

Lead Food Service Worker – Bring Your Passion to the PlateMonday–Friday | No Nights, Weekends, or Holidays

Love food? Love making a difference? Join our team as a Lead Food Service Worker and help serve up fresh, nutritious meals to students every day—all while leading a fun, energetic kitchen crew in a supportive school environment

This is more than just a job—it’s a chance to lead with heart, feed young minds, and grow your career in food service, all on a schedule that fits your life.

What You’ll Be Doing:Take the lead in preparing and serving meals that meet nutrition and portion guidelinesHandle daily ordering, receiving, and storage of food, beverages, and suppliesKeep the kitchen running smoothly by organizing cleaning duties and ensuring food safetySet up hot and cold serving lines, brew coffee, and keep beverage areas stockedDeliver meals when needed for classrooms, staff, or catered eventsManage POS/cash handling and make sure deposits are accurateBe a key player on a supportive, mission-driven team that truly cares

Why You’ll Love Working With Us:Family-Friendly Schedule – No nights, weekends, or major holidaysSummers Off – Recharge and reset while school’s outGrowth Opportunities – We’ll help you build your skills and advance your careerMeaningful Work – Fuel student success and well-being every single day

Awesome Benefits Include:Competitive payMedical, dental & vision insuranceFlexible spending accounts (FSA)401K with company matchPaid time offOngoing training and developmentA positive team environment where your work matters

What We’re Looking For:High school diploma or equivalent1+ year of food service experienceServSafe certification (or willingness to get certified)Great attitude, reliability, and team spiritAbility to speak and read English and follow safety proceduresComfortable standing, lifting (up to 40 lbs), and working in hot/cold environments

At Whitsons Culinary Group, we believe every meal is a chance to make a difference. We proudly serve nutritious food in schools, helping students stay energized and ready to learn. If you’re looking for rewarding work that gives back, we’d love to have you on our team.

Be a part of something meaningful—apply today and help us keep enhancing life one meal at a time. ™

Pay rate: $17.00/hour

Requirements

Education:

• Associates degree or equivalent with concentration in food and nutrition, food service management, dietetics, family and consumer sciences, nutrition education, culinary arts, business or a related field AND at least one year of relevant school nutrition programs experience. OR

• High School diploma or GED AND at least Five (5) years experience in school nutrition programs.

Certifications:

• ServSafe Mandatory– Local food safety certification if required in jurisdiction of employment. Must be knowledgeable of all local health and food safety ordinances.

Computer Skills:

• Proficiency in all Microsoft Office applications is required.

• Must be able to communicate electronically through use of email and other similar computer platforms.

• Able to learn new programs easily and quickly.

Other Qualifications, Experience:

• 3 years’ experience in Food Service Management as a Manager/Director required.

• Minimum 1 year experience in K-12 programs required. Strong interest in school nutrition program development.

• Culinary background is required - Must have a passion and an interest in food

• Working knowledge of cooking procedures and recipe adherence and scaling.

• Must have demonstrated experience developing talent and managing multiple priorities

• Must be able to use “critical thinking” skills in order to resolve problems or would result in improving program overall.

• Ability to effectively communicate verbally, electronically and written with clients, parents, students and support staff.

• Must possess excellent time management and organizational skills

• Bilingual Spanish is highly desirable.

Required Competencies:

• Communication

• Effectively write, present and transfer ideas and information for the advancement of individual and company performance.

• Customer Focus

• Act in the best interest of the customer, both internal and external.

• Innovation

• Create new ideas, processes or products which when implemented lead to positive effective change.

• Organization Leadership

• Apply strategic thinking, prioritization and decision-making to drive results.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF THE JOB:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by a Team Member to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the team member is frequently required Sit, walk, talk and hear

• Use hands and fingers to feel, handle, or operate objects, tools, or controls and reach with hands and arms.

• Be standing on feet majority of the workday in addition to walking back and forth.

• Lift and/or move up to 40 pounds. Lifting while turning side to side is sometimes necessary.

• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.

• Position may require extended hours including evenings and/or weekends, travel to multiple work sites and occasional out-of-district travel. Must be able to drive his/her own vehicle to other work sites.

Work Schedule

Monday-Friday - Follows school calendar

Supervisor

Shavonne S Bolden

Salary Target

17.00 per hour