Culinary Specialist

Culinary Specialist

The Culinary Specialist supports the various work happening within our Healthy Food in Institutions program area. This work is primarily focused on supporting implementation of The Local Food Program (LFP). LFP provides money for participating school districts and charter schools to purchase Colorado grown, raised, and prepared foods, bringing fresh, local ingredients into school cafeterias while supporting local farmers, ranchers, and food businesses across the state. 134 school districts and 14 charter schools are participating in this program during School Year 26/27 with just over $15M being allotted to those schools. As part of LFP, Nourish CO applied for and received the Training and Technical Assistance Grant which will provide support to participating schools and producers. This support includes: helping schools transition to scratch cooking with Colorado ingredients, training staff in food preparation and culinary skills, supporting schools with equipment grants to purchase and use commercial kitchen equipment, strengthening menu planning and sourcing practices for Colorado products, connection K12 schools with Colorado producers, food hubs, and distributors, and, building small and medium-sized farms' capacity to sell into K12 markets. Some examples of the training provided are Knife Skills, Vegetable Cookery, Enhancing Flavors with Fresh Herbs and Spices, Utilizing Mechanization Equipment, Recipe Development and Recipe Reading, Time Management, Food Safety, etc. The Culinary Specialist will be instrumental to these innovative and evolving programs by co-designing and implementing on-site technical assistance, trainings, in-depth workshops, and virtual content.

The Culinary Specialist is an integral member of our team and collaborates primarily with local school districts, state agencies, local farmers and ranchers, and multiple partners around the state. As this position grows, there will be opportunities to collaborate with other institutional meal programs such as early care and older adult meal programs. The focus of our work is to transform local procurement efforts and strengthen connections between growers, local institutions, and their surrounding communities, revitalizing local and regional food systems, and providing critical calories and nourishing food to Coloradans. Moderate, in-state travel is necessary for this position depending on regional focus and technical assistance needs; out-of-state travel may be required in the future.

Essential Responsibilities and Duties

Training and On-site Technical Assistance Delivery (50%)

• Support K-12 institutions with culinary training and technical assistance as it relates to their local procurement goals and applicable grant deliverables
• Provide virtual and in-person trainings relating to topics within culinary and local procurement
• Support the design and implementation of the culinary trainings and relevant workshops, with a primary focus on sessions taught within the culinary track
• Support administrative and workshop logistics related to culinary workshops/sessions

Recipe and Resource Development Support (30%)

• Collaboration on culinary-focused resource creation and updates on current resources
• Assist with recipe development and recipe testing, with a focus on local ingredients and or culturally relevant meals
• Collaborating with Institutions Team on integration of recipes into K12 Menus
• Play an integral role in the streamlining and connection of farm to school efforts and resources across the state
• Help facilitate taste tests along with student and community engagement opportunities

Nourish Organizational Support (10%)

• Where needed, assist chef consultants and regional school food program coordinators with logistics (e.g., coordinating travel and TA support, workshop support, event logistics, etc.)
• Represent the program(s) at relevant tradeshows and conferences to promote the program(s) and extend brand recognition
• Be available and responsive to program contractors, partners, Nourish Colorado staff, institutional contacts, and other key partners as needed
• Provide support, content and expertise for communications, marketing, and fundraising efforts
• Actively participate in at least one working group, committee, or coalition
• Participate in and actively engage with organization-wide monthly JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) meetings aimed at fostering connection and belonging across Nourish
• Contribute to team-specific JEDI projects and initiatives, supporting the integration of equity and inclusion into day-to-day work

Documentation, Administrative, & Evaluation (10%)

• Collect and collate training evaluations
• Accurately complete administrative duties (e.g., time tracking, expense coding, etc.)
• Track relevant deliverables on time
• Support reporting to Culinary Programs Director, and where needed, to the Data and Impact Manager

Qualifications and Experience

• Professional culinary training from an accredited institution or equivalent job experience required Job experience must be from an institutional setting (i.e., school, hospital, etc.)
• Understands cooking in a commercial setting at scale
• Commitment to food safety and sanitation; ServSafe Certified preferred – must become certified within 6 months of employment
• Strong culinary organizational and time management skills
• Deep customer service and relationship building skills
• General understanding of K12 meal programs preferred
• Interest in local food procurement preferred
• Ability to function well in a fully remote environment
• Technologically savvy and organized Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Ability to manage, organize, and analyze information
• Proactive approach to problem identification and resolution
• Ability to adapt and manage complex change
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; ability to work collaboratively
• Sensitivity and experience working with diverse populations, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds
• Commitment to Nourish Colorado's mission, vision, goals, and organizational values
• Nice to have Bi-lingual English/Spanish
• Culinary Degree
• SNS Certification

This position would ideally start on Oct 5th, 2026 and is fully funded through June 30th, 2027. Extension of position is based on performance and available funding.

Benefits

We offer a competitive benefits package designed to support the health, well-being, and work-life balance of our employees, including:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan with employer match
• Flexible paid time off (PTO)
• Paid holidays
• Flexible work schedule
• Professional development opportunities

How to Apply

Interested candidates need to complete this form by 8:00am on Aug 24th, 2026. The form will ask for your resume and cover letter along with a few additional questions. We will be conducting interviews very early in September. Questions About the Position We are committed to conducting a fair, equitable, and transparent hiring process. To ensure all applicants receive the same information, we are not able to answer individual questions about the position or provide additional details beyond what is included in this job posting. If clarification is needed that would benefit all applicants, we may update the job posting accordingly. We are happy to assist with technical issues related to submitting an application or accessibility accommodations. Please complete this form (monitored by a real live person!) if you need support with the application process. Nourish Colorado is dedicated to equal employment opportunities and prohibits unlawful discrimination against applicants or employees based on race, color, national origin, ancestry, creed, religion, sex, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity or expression or any other characteristic protected by state or local law.