Culinary Lead
Pixie Scout Workplace Food Services: Etsy (Full-Time, Onsite)
Pixie Scout is seeking a passionate and experienced chef and manager for the Culinary Lead role, as part of our Workplace Food Services team at Etsy.
Pixie Scout’s Workplace Food Services team prepares and serves a range of breakfast and lunch items for Etsy employees, served in “grab-and-go” and buffet-style services, as well as operating a building-wide Pantry Program that offers a wide variety of snacks and beverages. We work in well-appointed kitchens and servery spaces in Etsy’s green, bright, and modern offices in Dumbo, Brooklyn.
The Culinary Lead role is a full-time position, responsible for directing the onsite culinary production for all aspects of the food program, including: ensuring that the program consistently meets production targets, timelines, and quality standards; coordinating the procurement of necessary food product; managing and training the culinary production team; and developing and documenting menus and recipes.
A qualified Culinary Lead is deeply knowledgeable in culinary production techniques, particularly in high-volume kitchens; a skilled leader, manager, and communicator; a diligent multi-tasker that can oversee several concurrent food services while also coordinating procurement and planning for the following week’s services; a charismatic and highly visible representative of Pixie Scout in a corporate office setting; and is proficient in administrative tasks, written communication, and spreadsheet-based systems.
The Culinary Lead works closely with the Operations Lead in guiding the program and managing the team, and reports to the Director of Workplace Food Services. This role also works closely with the Director of Culinary Resources, to coordinate procurement and culinary production at Etsy program within the context of companywide operations.
Duties include the following:
Culinary Production
Planning and overseeing all onsite culinary production, from receipt of goods through service, ensuring that all production targets, timelines, and quality standards are met
Populating, printing, and distributing printouts as needed to support culinary production planning
Implementing remediations to dishes as needed, in response to feedback from Etsy and/or Pixie Scout
Team Training and Management
Training team members on recipes, culinary techniques, food safety, and quality standards
Together with the Operations Lead, managing several different teams – including Culinary Production; Service and Expo; Facilities, Inventory and Receiving (F.I.R.); and Pantry Stocking
Participating in hiring, onboarding, assessment, and disciplinary processes as necessary
Leading team meetings as needed, including weekly menu meetings
Food Safety and DOHMH Compliance
Together with Operations Lead, responsible for comprehensive knowledge of relevant DOHMH standards and policies, and ensuring compliance across all team members and preparation and service spaces
Responsible for participating in regular walkthroughs with representatives from Etsy to flag any potential compliance issues
Procurement and Inventory Management
Meeting regularly with the Director of Culinary Resources, populating requisition spreadsheets, placing vendor orders, and generally communicating diligently to ensure all procurement needs are fulfilled in a timely manner
Overseeing receiving of all food program deliveries through the loading dock, as well as logging these deliveries in the appropriate spreadsheets and communications channels
Overseeing the distribution and organization of food product inventory between multiple kitchens and storage spaces on multiple floors
Prioritizing initiatives to minimize food waste, including:
Effective inventory management
Strategic menu planning
Engaging with community partners to donate and distribute food product
Participation in the building’s compost program
Menu Planning
Together with Operations Lead, leading the quarterly menu development process, ensuring that each quarter’s menu meets all standards and deliverables
Planning and overseeing any recipe testing that is needed to support menu development
Documenting all recipes and prep procedures, in the appropriate format, and distributing to the production team
Operations Support
Participating in regular meetings with members of Pixie Scout leadership to support ongoing operations
Facilitating cross-training between Culinary Lead and Operations Lead, to support strong collaboration and mutual coverage
Closely following operations of programs that overlap with, or are adjacent to, the food program at Etsy, and directly supporting those programs as needed (including: Pantry Program, Events Catering at Etsy, Pixie Scout community food access initiatives, any distribution of food product from Etsy to other locations)
Chef Residency
Working closely with the Etsy Chef Residency Program Manager (ECRPM) to oversee the culinary components of the Chef Residency Program:
Providing consultation on preliminary menus from guest chefs, to ensure they meet all standards and deliverables
Hosting guest chefs onsite at Etsy for various residency days
Together with ECRPM, Operations Lead, and Director of Culinary Resources, leading the Culinary Session day to ensure all aspects of the chef’s menu are properly recipe tested, and adapted as needed to fit the needs of the program
Adapting all recipes and prep procedures into the appropriate format, and distributing to the production team
Overseeing all procurement and culinary production steps for Chef Residency menus, in the same manner and to the same standards as the rest of the Etsy program
Pixie Scout Leads
Meeting semi-annually with Pixie Scout Leads across departments to reflect on successes and room for improvement, and discuss forward-looking strategy
You are likely to be a great fit for this position if you are:
Passionate about food – you love to cook; you’re invested in local, equitable food systems; and you enjoy sharing this knowledge and passion with your team.
Communicative – you’re a confident communicator and able to leverage those skills to effectively lead food service, as well as train and teach your team.
Clean and fastidious – you are diligent about proper hygiene and maintaining a clean, orderly kitchen; familiar with and compliant to DOHMH standards and policies; detail-oriented in the execution of dishes, and passionate about food and food presentation.
Quick and efficient – you are experienced in a high-volume kitchen setting; equipped with an excellent sense of timing; able to meet service deadlines; motivated to move through tasks quickly; flexible and adaptable in technique and workflow so as to “work smart, not hard”.
Punctual and present – you begin your workday with an eagerness to stay on top of, and even get ahead of, the production schedule and food service flow.
Professional and supportive – you demonstrate professionalism and respect in and out of the kitchen at all times as a representative of Pixie Scout; you treat team members with care, and seek out ways to help and support your team.
Job requirements:
4+ years of professional culinary experience
1+ year of professional culinary leadership experience
Understanding of and adherence to NYC DOHMH standards and policies
NYC Food Protection Certificate required
Able to stand for at least 8 hours and complete tasks that may require lifting up to 50 lbs.
English Language Proficiency: written and verbal fluency required
Computer Skills: Google Workspace applications including Docs and Sheets, mobile applications including Slack and Homebase
Job details:
40 hour work week, Monday - Friday
Daily schedule that falls between 6:30 AM - 5:30 PM
For this position, we are offering a starting salary of $68,000-72,000 annually
Employer-sponsored Health Insurance, Dental and Vision benefits
Employer-Matched 401k plan
Paid Sick Leave and Paid Time Off benefits