FoodWorks Lead Cook

The Maryland Food Bank (MFB) is a nonprofit, anti-hunger organization whose mission is to feed people, strengthen communities, and end hunger for more Marylanders. MFB does this work by expanding access to nutritious food while also seeking to eliminate the root causes of hunger. 

MFB’s distributes food through a statewide network of community-based organizations from Maryland’s western mountains to its Eastern Shore. Last year, the Maryland Food Bank distributed enough food to provide the equivalent of more than 41 million meals, or about 114,000 meals every day. This healthy food supports children, seniors, veterans, and hard-working families. Beyond food distribution, MFB works to end hunger for more Marylanders by offering job training programs, access to supportive services and benefits, and by advocating to change to the laws, policies, and practices that create food insecurity for more than 1 in 3 Marylanders. 

The Maryland Food Bank embraces a philosophy which recognizes and values diversity. Our goal is to attract, develop, retain, and promote a talented diverse workforce in a culture where all employees will contribute to their fullest potential.

About the position:

The Lead Cook leads the culinary team in preparing a variety of healthy, nutritious meals for FoodWorks meal programs. This position provides day-to-day direction to assigned Cooks, the Kitchen Porter, and volunteers and serves as a resource for questions related to work assignments.

Primary Responsibilities: 

• Prepare entrées and other menu items according to established recipes, production schedules, and quality standards.


• Oversee assigned Cooks, the Kitchen Porter, and volunteers as directed by the Executive Sous Chef or Director/Executive Chef.


• Follow HACCP, food-safety, allergen, portion-control, and cross-contamination-prevention procedures.


• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local health, sanitation, and food-handling regulations.


• Monitor food temperatures, storage, labeling, dating, and safe handling of food products.


• Operate, clean, and maintain kitchen equipment and work areas; promptly report equipment issues, maintenance needs, and accidents.


• Maintain organized dry, refrigerated, and frozen storage areas, using FIFO inventory-rotation practices to support quality and minimize waste.


• Receive, verify, label, sort, and properly store food and supply deliveries.


• Maintain accurate daily production records, logs, and other required documentation.


• Communicate low-stock items, inventory discrepancies, and anticipated shortages to the Executive Sous Chef; assist with inventory counts and cross-training as needed.

Basic Qualifications:

• High school diploma or equivalent.


• Strong verbal and written communication skills.


• At least three years of experience working in a commercial kitchen.


• Working knowledge of commercial food production, kitchen equipment, food safety, and sanitation standards.


• Ability to follow standardized recipes, maintain portion-control standards, and perform basic recipe conversions.


• Ability to organize production work and thrive in a fast-paced kitchen environment.


• ServSafe Manager Certification at hire or ability to obtain it within 90 days.


• Ability to pass required pre-employment screening and background check.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Completion of an accredited culinary program or equivalent combination of education and experience.


• At least one year of team-lead experience.


• Experience providing work direction, instruction, and constructive feedback to staff and volunteers.


• Experience completing production records, temperature logs, and related kitchen documentation

Supervisory Responsibility:

• This position provides day-to-day work direction to assigned kitchen staff and volunteers but does not have formal supervisory responsibility for hiring, disciplinary action, performance evaluations, or other personnel decisions.

Work Environment:

• This position works in both office and commercial kitchen settings, with regular time spent in food-production, storage, receiving, refrigerated, and freezer areas. The role requires working safely around commercial kitchen equipment, moving carts, material-handling equipment, noise, and fluctuating temperatures typical of a high-volume meal-production environment. Current shifts rotate monthly between 6am - 2:30pm and 7:30am - 4pm. As a result, this position requires the ability to work between the hours of 6am – 5pm

Pay Range:

• $24 - $26

Nothing matters more to the Maryland Food Bank than our strong ethical and safety commitments. As such, all positions require a background check and drug screen.

To learn more about the Maryland Food Bank, visit www.mdfoodbank.org.