Assistant Kitchen Manager / Cook I - Hot Production

Job Description

Job Description

Assistant Kitchen Manager / Cook I – Hot Production

Carlyle’s Market – Wholesale Production
Location: 725 W. Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30308
Department: Wholesale Production / Culinary
Reports To: Production Manager / Culinary Director
Supervises: Food Handlers / Food Assemblers as assigned
Employment Status: Full-Time

Position Summary

The Assistant Kitchen Manager / Cook I – Hot Production is responsible for executing and supporting Carlyle’s Market’s large-volume hot food production while assisting with the daily supervision and organization of the wholesale production team.

This is a hands-on culinary leadership position focused on the preparation of large-batch sauces, starches, vegetables, proteins, and other cooked components used in Carlyle’s wholesale and Ready-to-Eat food programs.

The position works closely with the Production Manager, Culinary Director, QA/Food Safety Manager, and Food Handler/Assembler team to ensure products are prepared safely, consistently, efficiently, and according to approved recipes and production specifications.

Primary Responsibilities

Hot Production & Batch Cooking

• Prepare large-volume batches of sauces, soups, starches, vegetables, proteins, and other cooked food components.
• Execute production according to approved recipes, batch sizes, specifications, and production schedules.
• Accurately weigh and measure ingredients and scale recipes for large-volume production.
• Operate commercial ovens, ranges, kettles, mixers, food processors, and other production equipment.
• Monitor cooking temperatures, times, yields, and finished-product quality.
• Follow established cooking, cooling, holding, and storage procedures.
• Ensure cooked products are properly identified, dated, lot-coded, and transferred to cooling, assembly, packaging, or storage.
• Record required production, batch, temperature, yield, and food-safety information.

Production Leadership

• Assist the Production Manager with organizing daily production and assigning work.
• Help oversee Food Handlers / Assemblers during portioning, assembly, packaging, labeling, and finished-product preparation.
• Ensure assembly employees have the correct products, recipes, packaging, labels, utensils, and production information necessary to complete their assignments.
• Monitor production pace, portion accuracy, product quality, and completion of scheduled work.
• Provide hands-on coaching and training to production employees.
• Communicate staffing, production, equipment, ingredient, or quality concerns to management.
• Help maintain an organized flow between hot production, cooling, cold assembly, packaging, and finished-product storage.

Food Safety & Quality

• Follow and reinforce Carlyle’s Market HACCP plans, SSOPs, GMPs, allergen controls, sanitation procedures, and food-safety requirements.
• Complete required HACCP and production monitoring accurately and at the time the activity occurs.
• Verify required internal cooking temperatures and follow established cooling procedures.
• Maintain proper separation between raw and Ready-to-Eat products.
• Follow allergen production sequencing and changeover procedures.
• Prevent cross-contamination during preparation, cooking, cooling, and transfer.
• Immediately report process deviations, temperature failures, contamination concerns, incorrect ingredients or labels, equipment problems, or other food-safety issues.
• Cooperate with QA/Food Safety on product HOLDs, corrective actions, inspections, and verification activities.
• Never release or continue processing a questionable product without appropriate management or QA review.

Sanitation & Facility Responsibilities

• Maintain a clean and organized hot-production area throughout the shift.
• Ensure food-contact equipment and utensils are properly cleaned and sanitized between products and at required changeovers.
• Assist with end-of-production sanitation and equipment breakdown.
• Verify employees maintain proper personal hygiene, handwashing, glove use, uniforms, and protective equipment.
• Report damaged equipment, plumbing problems, condensation, pest activity, facility damage, or other conditions that could affect food safety.

Inventory & Waste Control

• Review ingredients required for scheduled production and communicate shortages before production begins.
• Follow FIFO/FEFO and approved ingredient-rotation procedures.
• Minimize unnecessary food waste through accurate batch production and proper handling.
• Record production yields and waste when required.
• Properly identify and store unused ingredients and production components.

Leadership Expectations

The Assistant Kitchen Manager / Cook I is expected to lead from the production floor . This is not primarily an administrative management position.

The individual should be capable of running large-volume production independently while also providing direction to Food Handlers / Assemblers and helping ensure the entire production schedule stays organized and on time.

When the Production Manager is unavailable, this position may assist with coordinating daily kitchen production within the authority assigned by the Culinary Director.

Qualifications

• Minimum 2–3 years of professional culinary or high-volume food-production experience preferred.
• Experience with large-batch cooking, commissary production, catering, institutional foodservice, or food manufacturing strongly preferred.
• Previous lead cook, sous chef, kitchen supervisor, or production-lead experience preferred.
• Strong knowledge of sauces, proteins, vegetables, starches, batch cooking, and commercial kitchen production.
• Ability to accurately scale recipes and follow standardized production specifications.
• Working knowledge of food safety, sanitation, temperature control, cross-contamination prevention, and allergen awareness.
• ServSafe Manager certification preferred or required within an established period after hire.
• Ability to complete production and food-safety records accurately.
• Strong communication, organization, and leadership skills.

Physical Requirements

Must be able to stand for extended periods and work around commercial cooking and production equipment. Position requires frequent bending, reaching, lifting, pushing, and pulling and the ability to safely lift approximately 40–50 pounds .

The position involves exposure to hot production areas as well as refrigerated coolers, freezers, and cold-production environments.

Performance Expectations

Success will be measured through food safety, batch accuracy, product consistency, production efficiency, cooking and cooling compliance, yield, waste control, sanitation, documentation, leadership, employee productivity, and completion of the daily production schedule .

The expectation is to produce safe, consistent, high-quality food at wholesale volume while helping keep the production team organized, accountable, and moving efficiently.

\nCompany Description

Family catering business founded in 1976, $20,000,000.00 in sales in 2025. Started out in corporate catering but growing our business in social and event catering, plus a newly formed wholesale division. Opened a premier event location in October 2019, The Carlyle Venue, on Piedmont Road, Atlanta. Our corporate headquarters is located in the trendy west side of Atlanta. We believe in a collaborative team oriented environment. The majority of our employees have been here 5+ years or more! Come see what makes us great, work in a environment where YOU are a "part" of something and not just another piece. Be an impact player today!

Company Description

Family catering business founded in 1976, $20,000,000.00 in sales in 2025. Started out in corporate catering but growing our business in social and event catering, plus a newly formed wholesale division. Opened a premier event location in October 2019, The Carlyle Venue, on Piedmont Road, Atlanta. Our corporate headquarters is located in the trendy west side of Atlanta. We believe in a collaborative team oriented environment. The majority of our employees have been here 5+ years or more! Come see what makes us great, work in a environment where YOU are a "part" of something and not just another piece. Be an impact player today!