Assistant Head Chef, In School (No Nights/Weekends/Holidays) - Queens, NY

About the Role

The Assistant Head Chef position is an exciting opportunity for a talented chef looking to transition to meaningful and impactful work. The role offers stable hours, a teacher’s schedule, and weekends and holidays off.

The Assistant Head Chef is second in command to the Head Chef and executes the day-to-day operations. Preparing meals for hundreds of kids, providing support to the kitchen team, and stepping in to lead aspects of daily production, this role serves as a great training ground for candidates interested in leading a kitchen. The ideal candidate has strong culinary skills, thrives on the excitement and changing needs of a small kitchen, and enjoys interacting with customers and students.

If you’re passionate about cooking for kids and excited by the opportunity to join a dynamic, entrepreneurial team, this may be the perfect role for you.

Job Functions

• Culinary Execution: Plan and execute the daily preparation of breakfast, lunch, and snacks for 300-500 students. Maintain a food-safe kitchen at all times, performing quality control on all menu items to ensure recipe consistency and integrity.
• Administration: In conjunction with the Head Chef, adhere to production schedules, perform inventory, and track consumption numbers while working with the kitchen team to execute efficiently.
• F ood Safety: Ensure the kitchen is always DOH-ready by following proper food handling procedures and maintaining cleanliness standards. Monitor temperatures and storage conditions to ensure food safety compliance.

Skills & Requirements

• 1+ years of professional culinary experience in a fast-paced, high-volume kitchen.
• Associate degree in culinary arts is a plus.
• Demonstrated knowledge of proper food safety and sanitation practices.
• Food Handler's Certification required or must be obtained within 90 days of hire (reimbursement available).
• Must have excellent communication skills and be extremely well organized.
• Familiarity with NSLP compliance requirements is a plus.
• Must share our passion for improving nutrition and health in schools.
• Bilingual (English and Spanish) is a plus.

Job Type

• Job Type: Full-Time
• Typical Hours: Monday - Friday, approx. 6:30 am - 2:30 pm
• Location: Queens, NY
• Reports to: Head Chef
• Compensation: $22.50 -$27.50/hr (plus benefits)

Benefits

• Generous PTO (most major holidays off)
• Health, Dental, Vision Insurance
• 401k Option
• Paid Professional Development
• Education Reimbursement Opportunities
• Paid Parental Leave
• Paid Family Leave
• Short-Term Disability Insurance Coverage
• Worker’s Compensation Insurance Coverage

About Red Rabbit

Founded in 2005, Red Rabbit is an MWBE-certified K–12 school food management company on a mission to transform school dining. We believe that serving diverse, high-quality meals to children in urban communities is about more than food, it’s about dignity, representation, and opportunity.

Our professionally trained chefs work in commissaries and onsite in school cafeterias, preparing scratch-made, culturally relevant meals that reflect the heritage and lived experiences of the students we serve. We don’t just deliver food...we become part of the school community.

Today, Red Rabbit prepares and serves millions of meals each year across the Greater New York region, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC.

If you’re passionate about food, community, and making an impact every day, we’d love to meet you.

Red Rabbit is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, or sexual orientation.

Pro Tip: When applying to this job, note that we value creativity in thinking and real problem-solving skills. Tell us how you’ve added value to a team in the past and why you want to join Red Rabbit.