Culinary Experiences & Operations Manager

The Culinary Experiences and Operations Manager leads all aspects of Urban Adamah’s kitchen operations and food-based programming. This role is equal parts chef, educator, people manager, and community-builder— ensuring that food is prepared safely and deliciously for retreats, programs, and events, while embodying the values of hospitality, sustainability, and Jewish tradition.

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The person in this role manages our commercial kitchen and works collaboratively across departments to create memorable, mission-aligned food experiences for participants, donors, and staff.

Essential Functions & Responsibilities

Kitchen Management - Ensure the kitchen is kept clean, stocked, organized, and inventoried. Manage kitchen calendar and use of space across departments & uses by partners and outside groups.

Kitchen Administration - Management of hourly kitchen support staff including interviewing, hiring, training, and scheduling all volunteers, part time kitchen staff, and contractors. Serve as the primary point of contact with all outside clients to price and plan menus, meet dietary restrictions, and uphold shabbat observance needs. Create fully costed menus at different price points to suit different types of events and budgets including retreats, b'mitzvahs, weddings, donor events, public programs.

Head Chef - Prepare, lead, and oversee food service for multi-day retreats, holiday programs, spring breaks, and other programs including meal planning, food shopping, cooking and clean up. Hire, schedule, and supervise support cooks when needed.

Outside Groups Use - Serve as the primary point of contact between Urban Adamah and any outside group using the kitchen. Communicate expectations to groups and support them in meeting those expectations.

Cooking & Food Preparation

• Lead cooking and meal preparation for retreats, celebrations, public events, and educational programs.
• Design and execute menus that are seasonal, farm-driven, and aligned with Jewish and sustainability values.
• Prepare meals for holiday programs (e.g., Shabbat dinners, Rosh haShana, Yom Kippur break-fast, Sukkot, Tu B’Shvat, Passover, etc.).
• Support donor and fundraising events such as farm-to-table dinners and community gatherings.
• Provide meals for internal programs including Fellowship, and Farm Stay communal meals, daily meals for Spring Break experiences, welcome and closing sessions of All Year, camp staff meals, etc.

Culinary Education & Classes

• Create or co-create original hands-on opportunities utilizing the tools of the farm including- the Cobb Oven, portable pizza ovens, plants/animals on the farm, jam-making, pickling, challah baking, and Jewish/holiday foods.
• Collaborate with program staff to integrate food education into field trips, All Year, Camp, Fellowship, miscellaneous educational programs, celebrations, retreats and public offerings.
• Adapt recipes and curricula for varied audiences and dietary needs.

Kitchen Management

• Oversee daily kitchen operations and scheduling.
• Recruit, hire, and manage a team of kitchen support staff. 
• Maintain Commercial Kitchen Certification and ensure compliance with all health and safety regulations.
• Manage kitchen inventory, ordering, and vendor relationships.
• Maintain cleanliness, organization, and sustainability standards (composting, waste reduction, etc.).
• Serve as liaison to Dandelion Kitchen, supporting communication, scheduling, and facility coordination.
• Manage annual kitchen budget including food and labor costs for a full calendar of events
• Regular onsite attendance and timeliness.

Collaboration & Community

• Work closely with the Programs/Events Team to align menus and food experiences with educational and community goals.
• Partner with the Development Director on donor events and culinary fundraising experiences.
• Collaborate with Operations & Facilities colleagues to ensure compliance, purchasing, and safety systems run smoothly.

Physical Demands

​​​​​​​The physical demands listed below are representative of those that must be met by an employee in this position.

• Standing and walking for several hours at a time over 10-12 hour shifts.
• Sitting, squatting, climbing, and frequently lifting up to 30 pounds.
• Working long days, including 10-12 hour shifts.

​​​​​​​Qualifications

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• 3 years of kitchen management and/or professional cooking experience; background in teaching or community food programs a significant plus.
• Knowledge of Jewish food traditions, Kashrut compliance, holidays, and cultural context strongly preferred.
• Ability to plan and execute meals for groups of 10–300.
• Food safety certification required (ServSafe Manager or equivalent).
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and comfort balancing multiple projects.
• Enjoys working collaboratively and bringing people together through food.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Proficiency needed with Asana, Salesforce and Google Suite as needed to draft reports, inventory, and budgets 
• Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills

Urban Adamah will make reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities, consistent with applicable law.

Compensation

This is an exempt, salaried, full-time, benefited position that includes healthcare, holidays, and paid time off. The salary range for this position is $69,000–$74,000 per year.

Schedule

This is a 40 hour per week position with a high degree of variability depending upon the dictates of the calendar. The Culinary Experiences and Operations Manager is responsible for supporting programming that often takes place on evenings, weekends, and holidays. The schedule for this role is variable and dependent on the Jewish calendar as well as the program schedule. You will work with your supervisor to design a schedule around planning meetings and programs. This role requires you to work outside of the general hours of employment and, at times, more than 40 hours per week to fulfill the duties of the position.

Learn more & apply here! Applications due Dec 19