Culinary Intern | Part-Time |The Palm Beach County Convention Center

Culinary Internship

The Culinary Internship provides students with a structured, hands-on learning experience in high-volume banquet and catering operations at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. This eight-week internship is designed to complement academic coursework by combining supervised experiential learning, professional mentorship, and competency-based skill development within a fast-paced convention center environment.

Working under the guidance of the Executive Chef, Sous Chefs, and Culinary Leadership Team, interns will rotate through multiple areas of the culinary operation to develop technical cooking skills, operational knowledge, and an understanding of large-scale food and beverage production. Throughout the program, interns will gain exposure to banquet production, buffet and plated meal execution, event logistics, purchasing, inventory management, menu development, food safety, and culinary leadership. The Culinary Intern must be available to work weekdays, weekends, mornings, afternoons, evenings, and holidays based on event schedules and internship requirements.

This role pays an hourly rate of $15.00.

This role is expected to last from September 14, 2026, and will end on November 9, 2026. This position will remain open until November 9, 2026.

Responsibilities

• Participate in a structured culinary rotation program through multiple kitchen stations, including stewarding, prep, pastry, receiving, production, and event execution.
• Learn and assist chefs with the preparation, cooking, plating, and presentation of menu items while progressively developing independent culinary skills.
• Observe and participate in banquet production for plated meals, buffet service, receptions, coffee breaks, and other specialty catering and concessions events.
• Observe and learn proper knife skills, cooking techniques, food fabrication, recipe execution, portion control, and presentation standards.
• Learn and assist with event setup, buffet presentation, food replenishment, action stations, and banquet service execution.
• Participate in production planning meetings, menu reviews, and pre-shift meetings to understand operational planning and execution.
• Learn and assist inventory management practices, product receiving procedures, storage standards, and inventory rotation utilizing First-In, First-Out (FIFO) principles.
• Learn and assist with maintaining kitchen cleanliness, organization, equipment care, and sanitation in accordance with company standards and health department regulations.
• Observe purchasing, food costing, labor planning, production forecasting, and event logistics to develop an understanding of culinary management.
• Learn and work alongside culinary leadership to understand scheduling, delegation, quality assurance, and team communication within a high-volume production environment.
• Participate in weekly coaching meetings with assigned chef mentors to review progress, receive feedback, establish learning goals, and evaluate competency development.
• Maintain professionalism, reliability, and a willingness to learn while demonstrating initiative and engagement throughout the internship.
• Follow all company policies, food safety regulations, sanitation standards, and workplace safety procedures.
• Complete assigned learning activities, competency evaluations, reflection journals, and internship projects as required by the accredited internship program.
• Perform other learning assignments and educational projects that support the goals of the internship program.

Key Learnings:

• Culinary Production & Execution: Develop hands-on experience with food preparation, recipe execution, portion control, presentation, and quality standards across plated, buffet, concessions, and pastry production.
• Food Safety, Sanitation & Quality Assurance: Apply food safety, sanitation, equipment care, dietary accommodation, and health compliance standards within a high-volume culinary operation.
• Large-Scale Catering & Event Operations: Understand how culinary teams prepare and execute events from BEO review and production planning through service, replenishment, and event completion.
• Inventory, Cost Control & Business Operations: Gain exposure to receiving, storage, inventory management, purchasing, food costs, labor planning, invoices, and the financial/administrative processes that support culinary operations.
• Professional Culinary Skills & Leadership: Build communication, teamwork, organization, problem-solving, and operational decision-making skills while working alongside culinary leadership in a fast-paced hospitality environment.

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in an accredited Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, Food Service Management, or related academic program.
• Passion for culinary arts and a strong desire to develop professionally within the hospitality industry.
• Basic knowledge of food preparation techniques and kitchen safety principles preferred.
• Ability to learn quickly in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment.
• Strong communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated professionalism, initiative, adaptability, and willingness to receive coaching and constructive feedback.
• Ability to stand for extended periods and safely lift heavy objects.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays based on event requirements.
• ServSafe Food Handler Certification preferred or ability to obtain certification within established onboarding requirements