Cooking Instructor Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

With over 58 stores and the largest avocational cooking program in the US, Sur La Table offers an unsurpassed selection of exclusive and premium-quality goods for the kitchen and table - and the culinary expertise and inspiration to go along with it. Whether the job entails interacting with our customers, driving digital growth, or providing vital behind-the-scenes support, we're all here for the same reason - to roll up our sleeves and create happiness through cooking and sharing good food.
Position Overview
As a Seasonal Chef Instructor, Pastry at Sur La Table, you are the in-store expert and advocate for all things baking and pastry arts. You deliver #bestincenter service, a company-wide standard for excellence in service, by sharing specialized knowledge in pastry techniques, baking fundamentals, and personalized instruction that supports all company initiatives. The Seasonal Chef Instructor, Pastry plays a key role in inspiring a love for baking while driving sales of bakeware, mixers, and decorating tools through hands-on pastry classes and engaging culinary instruction.
Key Responsibilities
Customer Experience & Brand Representation
• Represent Sur La Table's brand and culture by creating memorable, educational experiences that inspire repeat visits and customer loyalty.
• Deliver an exceptional in-store culinary experience focused on pastry and baking classes that reflects Sur La Table's passion for food, teaching, and high standards, while following the provided recipes and game plans to ensure consistency and quality.
• Communicate technical concepts and advanced pastry skills in a clear, encouraging, and approachable manner.
• Maintains expertise by staying current on products, actively engaging in available training, and independently seeking out additional resources.
Sales & Business Performance
• Drive sales by upholding kitchen standards, encouraging second class sign-ups through strong customer engagement, and promoting retail items used or featured in class.
• Deliver class revenue goals by ensuring high enrollment, positive reviews, and guest return rates.
• Consistently meet or exceed culinary program goals by delivering exceptional classes that drive customer engagement and sales. Performance is measured by key KPIs such as second-class sign-ups, retail culinary product sales, and guest feedback through Google reviews.
Team Engagement & Store Support
• Assist in setting up and breakdown of classes including organizing mise en place, prepping ingredients, and cleaning workstations.
• Clean and sanitize dishes and equipment promptly to ensure smooth kitchen operations.
• Assist with restocking, organizing, and maintaining kitchen supplies and tools to support overall store readiness.
Operations & Compliance
• Ensure compliance with food safety standards, local health codes, and sanitation regulations.
• Properly handle all tools, ingredients, and kitchen equipment to maintain a safe and efficient work environment.
• Maintain accurate inventory levels, minimize shrink, and control supply and culinary expenses.
• May handle liquor, wine, and beer in compliance with state and location alcohol regulations, company policies, including enforcing age restrictions.
• Ensure store safety and cleanliness, addressing any maintenance needs promptly.
• Adhere to applicable wage and hour laws. Accurately records time worked according to SLT Policy.
• Model and ensure consistent adherence to all Sur La Table policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Physical Requirements
• Ability to communicate verbally and work cooperatively with associates and customers.
• Ability to remain standing for up to 4 hours at a time.
• Ability to move about the store directing class participants while selling to customers and retrieving merchandise from stockroom or sales floor.
• The capability to accurately perceive and differentiate variations in intensity or quality of flavors or odors, or to identify specific tastes or scents using the tongue or nose.
• Ability to grab, reach, push, pull, bend, stoop, kneel and crouch to demonstrate, retrieve and/or replenish merchandise and/or cooking equipment.
• Ability to use hands to seize, hold, grasp, turn, or otherwise to chop, whisk, slice, stir, juice and/or demonstrate other techniques.
• Ability to lift and/or move merchandise weighing up to 50 lbs.
• Ability to ascend/descend ladders to retrieve and/or move merchandise.
• Ability to operate a computer, POS system, keyboards, merchandise scanners and mouse to accomplish work.
• Available to work between 12 and 16 hours per week, with a flexible schedule, including nights, weekends, and holidays. While this is the minimum availability, scheduled hours may differ based on business needs.
• Regular and predictable attendance with the flexibility to adjust class assignments based on demand.
• Ability to work in a variable kitchen environment included but not limited to open flames, hot surfaces, temperature variations, various food allergens both physical and airborne.
Qualifications & Experience
• Must be 21 years of age or older at the time of employment.
• A degree in culinary arts is preferred; however, candidates with extensive culinary experience and demonstrated technical proficiency will be considered in lieu of formal education.
• 1-2 years of kitchen operations experience.
• Valid Food Manager Certification.
• Excellent communication, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
• Passion for community engagement and providing exceptional customer experiences.
$17.50 - $18.62 an hour
Benefits Include:
401K after 90 days; must be 21 years of age
Employee Discount
This job description represents a summary of the job, not an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all possible job responsibilities, tasks, and duties. Responsibilities, tasks, and duties of the jobholder might differ from those outlined in the job description and other duties, as assigned, may be part of the job. This job description is not an employment agreement or contract. Sur La Table has the exclusive right to alter this job description at any time without notice.
The CSC family of brands provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, provincial, state or local laws.
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
Washington state applicants only: If you believe that this job posting does not comply with applicable Washington state law, please notify us by sending an email to [email protected].
It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie-detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.
The CSC family of brands is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact [email protected].
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.