Creative Senior Living Kitchen Lead (Daytime)

Brookdale is recognized by Newsweek as one of America's Greatest Workplaces for Diversity. We are looking for a Chef who loves creativity but doesn’t want late nights or hectic weekends. With thousands of recipes to choose from and the ability to add your own, you will craft menus that reflect residents’ preferences while upholding the highest standards of food safety and sanitation. This role focuses on leading a kitchen team, ensuring quality, and making a positive impact on the lives of seniors. Veterans, transitioning active‑duty military personnel, and military spouses are encouraged to apply. Brookdale supports naturalization for qualified associates who have been with us for at least one year. Responsibilities Oversee daily kitchen operations and ensure highest quality food products. Supervise, train, schedule, discipline, and terminate kitchen personnel. Oversee breakfast, lunch and dinner for quality assurance of meal presentation and portion control. Select recipes, prepare and coordinate all meals; coordinate prep for the following day’s menu. Create new dishes and develop recipes; standardize recipes to ensure consistent quality. Plan, modify and develop menus; establish presentation technique and quality standards. Conduct pre‑meal meetings with food servers to review daily menu details. Ensure adequate staffing each shift and cover absences. Estimate food consumption, requisition purchases, monitor inventory and maintain budget compliance for daily food costs. Apply loss‑prevention procedures and maintain kitchen cleanliness per state and local health codes. Maintain equipment, supervise cleaning chemicals, and minimize waste through food recycling techniques. This job description represents an overview of the responsibilities for the referenced position. It is not intended to be a comprehensive list of responsibilities; an associate may perform duties as assigned by their supervisor. Qualifications Education and Experience Associate’s degree (A.A.) or equivalent from a two‑year college or technical school. Two to four years of related experience and/or training, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Certifications, Licenses, and Other Special Requirements ServSafe Certified. Obtain and hold any local, state, or county required food‑handling/sanitation licenses and/or certificates. Management and Decision Making Apply existing guidelines and procedures to make varied decisions within the department. Use sound judgment and experience to solve moderately complex problems. Knowledge and Skills Possess extensive knowledge of a distinct skill or function and a thorough understanding of the organization and work environment. Have working knowledge of a functional discipline; excellent cooking skills and understanding of food preparation principles, ingredients, and culinary terminology. Effective customer‑service skills and ability to lead and supervise a diverse group of people. Coordinate daily production of menus, recipes and food preparation; manage multiple tasks simultaneously. Modify and develop creative recipes and menus that are healthy and satisfying to residents. Understand and apply sanitation principles. Physical Demands and Working Conditions Standing, walking, sitting as required. Interaction with co‑workers, residents or vendors. Occasional weekend, evening or night work if needed to ensure shift coverage. Use hands and fingers to handle and feel; reach with hands and arms. Potential exposure to communicable diseases, infections, blood‑borne pathogens, various drugs, chemicals, and biological hazards. Climbed or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl as necessary. Talk or hear; taste or smell. Exposure to latex; lift up to 50 pounds. Subject to injury from falls, burns, odors, or cuts from equipment. Brookdale is an equal‑opportunity employer and a drug‑free workplace. Benefits Part and Full Time Benefits Eligibility Medical, Dental, Vision insurance 401(k) Associate assistance program Employee discounts Referral program Early access to earned wages for hourly associates (outside of CA) Optional voluntary benefits including ID theft protection and pet insurance Full Time Only Benefits Eligibility Paid Time Off Paid holidays Company‑provided life insurance Adoption benefit Disability (short and long term) Flexible Spending Accounts Health Savings Account Optional life and dependent life insurance Optional voluntary benefits including accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity insurance, and legal plan Tuition reimbursement About Us Gracious hospitality and neighborliness for our residents and families. Home‑like feel and all‑around comfort for residents and visiting family members. Entertaining events and gatherings so our residents can find connections in groups and 1:1 settings. Industry leader in clinical care. Nationwide company with 589 communities as of November 30, 2025, offering many opportunities to grow and learn as a sales professional. Extensive corporate support including a robust training program. #J-18808-Ljbffr Brookdale