Chef / Kitchen Lead

For more than 20 years, Park Avenue Coffee has been part of the St. Louis coffee community, serving locally roasted coffee, scratch-made food, and our signature gooey butter cake.

As our food program continues to grow, we're looking for a Kitchen Lead who can take ownership of the day-to-day execution of our café kitchen.

This is a hands-on position. You'll be prepping, cooking, assembling, organizing, cleaning, and keeping the kitchen moving. Just as importantly, you'll help us build the systems and standards that make great food repeatable every day.

Job Description

The Kitchen Lead is responsible for the daily operation and organization of our kitchen and lunch program.

You'll make sure prep gets done, recipes are followed, food looks and tastes the way it should, inventory stays organized, and the kitchen is clean and ready for service.

This is a  working lead position . We're looking for someone who leads by example, takes ownership of their space, and notices what needs to be done without waiting to be told.

You'll work closely with café and operations leadership to continue developing our food program, improve kitchen systems, and introduce seasonal menu items and specials.

What You'll Do

• Lead daily kitchen prep and food production

• Execute sandwiches, salads, wraps, sides, and other menu items consistently and efficiently

• Maintain high standards for food quality, portioning, presentation, and recipe execution

• Organize daily and weekly prep based on expected sales and inventory

• Maintain a clean, organized, and service-ready kitchen

• Follow and reinforce food safety, sanitation, labeling, storage, and temperature-control standards

• Receive, organize, rotate, and properly store food deliveries

• Perform inventory counts and help maintain appropriate par levels

• Identify low-stock items and communicate ordering needs before they become problems

• Monitor product rotation and waste using FIFO and established kitchen procedures

• Help reduce unnecessary food waste while maintaining product availability

• Train and support team members on recipes, prep procedures, equipment, food safety, and kitchen standards

• Help maintain recipes, prep sheets, build guides, and other kitchen documentation

• Provide feedback on kitchen workflow, equipment, ingredients, and procedures

• Work with leadership on seasonal menu items, specials, and improvements to the food program

• Keep equipment, work surfaces, storage areas, refrigeration, and the overall kitchen clean and properly maintained

• Communicate problems early and help find practical solutions

Qualifications

You don't need to come from fine dining. You do need to know how a professional kitchen should operate.

Ideally, you have:

• 2+ years of kitchen, prep, café, deli, bakery, catering, or other food-service experience

• Lead or supervisory experience preferred, but not required for the right candidate

• Strong knowledge of basic food safety and sanitation

• Solid knife skills and familiarity with standard commercial kitchen equipment

• Experience with food prep, portioning, labeling, storage, and inventory rotation

• The ability to follow recipes accurately and consistently

• Strong organizational and time-management skills

• The ability to prioritize when several things need attention at once

• Good communication and follow-through

• Comfort working independently without constant supervision

• A willingness to clean, organize, and maintain the kitchen as part of the job, not as somebody else's responsibility

Most importantly, we're looking for someone who  takes ownership .

If something is running low, you notice it. If a prep process isn't working, you say something. If the kitchen isn't ready for tomorrow, you don't simply leave it for tomorrow.

Additional Information

What Success Looks Like

A successful Kitchen Lead leaves the kitchen better than they found it.

Prep is completed before it's needed. Food is consistent. Recipes are followed. Refrigeration and storage are organized. Product is labeled and rotated. Waste is controlled. Equipment is cared for. Problems are communicated early.

The café team knows what to expect from the kitchen, and the kitchen is prepared for what the café needs.

Beyond daily execution, you'll help us continue building a food program that is organized, scalable, and distinctly Park Avenue Coffee.

The Opportunity

We're not trying to build a giant restaurant menu inside a coffee shop.

We're building a focused café food program centered around well-made sandwiches, salads, seasonal items, scratch-made components, and food that complements really good coffee.

There is room in this role for someone who enjoys improving things. If you like developing better prep systems, refining recipes, testing new menu ideas, organizing a kitchen, and figuring out how to make an operation run better, we want that input.

We're looking for someone who wants to help us build the program, not simply work a station.

Physical & Scheduling Requirements

This is an active kitchen position that requires standing for extended periods, repetitive food preparation, bending, reaching, and safely lifting and moving food, supplies, and kitchen equipment.

Availability for morning and daytime shifts is required. Some weekend or holiday availability may be necessary depending on café operations.

Park Avenue Coffee is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, age sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, marital staus, veteran status, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by local, state or federal law.