Apprentice Chef Jobs in New Jersey (NOW HIRING)

Join our team and become a part of something bigger - a force for change in the fight against hunger. The Community Foodbank of New Jersey is more than just a food bank - we champion healthier lifestyles and positively impact social and economic change. Together we can create a stronger, more resilient New Jersey for everyone. 

Community FoodBank of New Jersey is seeking a passionate and experienced Production Sous Chef to join our Community Kitchen team. This hands-on culinary leader will oversee daily meal production, ensuring the consistent preparation of high-quality, nutritious meals that support community feeding programs and other initiatives. The ideal candidate combines strong culinary expertise with operational excellence, a collaborative leadership style, and a commitment to continuous improvement. Working alongside kitchen staff, apprentices, volunteers, and cross-functional teams, the Production Sous Chef will oversee meal preparation for programs including Kids Cafe, Summer Feeding, Medically Tailored Meals, emergency feeding initiatives, and other meal production programs as developed. 

What you'll do in your role: 

• Assist the Executive Chef in planning, organizing, and overseeing all catering food production and execution. 

• Lead the preparation, cooking, packaging, and presentation of food for on-site and off-site catering events while ensuring exceptional quality and consistency. 

• Coordinate daily catering production schedules with the production kitchen to ensure efficient workflow and timely completion of all orders. 

• Supervise kitchen staff, temporary employees, volunteers, and culinary trainees during catering production and event execution. 

• Monitor food safety and sanitation practices to ensure compliance with ServSafe guidelines, local health department regulations, and organizational policies. 

• Maintain inventory of catering-specific food, supplies, smallwares, and equipment; assist with ordering and receiving. 

• Work collaboratively with the Catering Team, Production Team, and other departments to ensure successful event execution. 

• Train, coach, and mentor culinary staff on production techniques, customer service, food presentation, and kitchen best practices. 

Why you'll love working at CFBNJ: 

• Opportunity for Impact: At CFBNJ, your work drives meaningful changes. Just last year, we provided over 90 million meals and 35 million pounds of fresh produce to our neighbors in need. 

• Wellness that Works for You: Rooted in our culture of caring, we offer comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, wellness programs, generous sick/personal time off, 14 paid holidays, childcare resources, and organization-wide engagement days for rest and reflection. 

• Professional Development: Grow your career through our Learning Lab, with access to workshops, online courses, and book resources. We also offer tuition assistance and certificate reimbursement for job-related training to support continuous growth. 

• Recognition and Belonging: We celebrate great work and grow inspiration with Bonusly, our peer-recognition platform, and foster community through employee resource groups to create space to uplift voices and strength connections 

• Retirement Planning: Plan confidently for your future in our 401(k) program, including a 4% company match after one year of service.   

What you'll need to be successful in this role:  

• Minimum of 8-10 verifiable years of industry experience as a Sous Chef, Kitchen Manager or equivalent in a high-volume kitchen environment. 

• Verified ServSafe Certification. 

• Degrees Culinary Arts or Food Service Management from an accredited university or equivalent industry experience required. 

• 3-5 years of experience in Food Service coupled with an agility and emotional intelligence to lead a complex and geographically diverse team. 

• Knowledge/Skills/Abilities: 

• Collaborative people leader with strong vision to deliver profitable business results. 

• Able to influence and inform strategic development for function and business. 

• Great presentation skills with ability to effectively convey ideas and solutions. 

• Must be willing and able to carry bulk materials consistently, up to about 50 lbs.   

• Demonstrated project management skills. 

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite applications. 

Pay Transparency: The salary range for this position is $63,982 - $86,583. The final rate may be influenced by factors such as the position's scope and responsibilities, work experience, training, job-related skills, internal equity, and market conditions. 

CFBNJ is an equal employment opportunity employer and is committed to complying with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on  race, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, sex , sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, transgender status, marital status, domestic partnership or civil union status, pregnancy or breastfeeding, disability, being a victim of domestic violence, status in the uniformed services of the United States (including veteran status), record of arrest, as well as any other category protected by federal, state or local laws.