Culinary Specialist II, Town & Gown

Job Overview USC Hospitality serves thousands of students, athletes, faculty, and staff, providing fresh, made‑to‑order meals to the Trojan campus and visitors. The Culinary Specialist II will prepare and cook high‑quality food using fresh, locally sourced ingredients while maintaining kitchen cleanliness and customer service standards. Responsibilities Provide customer service to faculty, staff, students, and guests, ensuring satisfaction without unnecessary referral to other staff. Maintain a friendly, helpful demeanor and offer timely options for customers with specialty diets or restrictions. Measure, cut, and mix ingredients according to recipes or unit chef/manager directions. Cook and prepare food to meet specific quality, quantity, appearance, and temperature standards. Maximize yield of food goods, reducing waste, spoilage, and pilferage. Prepare items for a‑la‑carte and special‑event menus per recipe or unit chef instructions. Ensure compliance with product, menu, and recipe specifications and on‑time production standards. Prepare soups, sauces, salads, dressings, stews, desserts, and other menu items daily for meal and service production. Adhere to the kitchen sanitation program and all food handling and sanitation procedures. Complete temperature and cooling logs as directed. Maintain a neat, orderly, and sanitized work/cooking space. Apply classical and modern cooking techniques such as grill, fry, broil, roast, poach, blanch, and bake. Learn and execute new techniques for batch, prep, and a‑la‑carte menu items. Store food goods appropriately and maintain cleanliness and organization of kitchen areas, equipment, and tools. Use kitchen small wares and cooking equipment safely and keep knives properly sharpened. Report maintenance issues to the unit chef/manager and provide guidance to culinary staff. Attend required culinary training sessions and perform other related duties as assigned. Qualifications Specialized or technical training (e.g., culinary diploma). Minimum 3 years of culinary experience, including 6 months as a USC Culinary Specialist or equivalent. Certification or diploma from a nationally accredited Culinary Arts and Management school. Knowledge of all kitchen equipment, small or large scale. Experience cooking in both restaurant and catering/special‑event settings. Demonstrated customer service experience. Experience working in a fast‑paced kitchen environment. Strong knowledge of classical cooking techniques and modern cookery. Effective English communication skills. Knowledge of standard food handling and sanitation procedures. Ability to lift up to 50 lbs. Commitment to USC’s Unifying Values. Preferred Qualifications High school diploma; Associate’s degree in Culinary Arts and Management. 4+ years of experience in a restaurant, hotel, or high‑volume banquet and catering environment. Ability to oversee temporary or resource workers. Compensation Hourly rate: $21.72 Benefits Access to USC employee benefits and programs that support work‑life balance and employee well‑being. For more information, visit USC Benefits & Perks . EEO Statement USC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC observes affirmative action obligations consistent with state and federal law. USC will consider all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations. #J-18808-Ljbffr University of Southern California