Food Recipe Development Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Culinary Coordinator

10-month Position, Support Staff

$30.00 $33.00 per hour

Great Valley School District is seeking a dedicated and compliance-driven Culinary Coordinator to join our team. This role focuses on creating and ensuring that meals are engaging to students and meet nutritional and regulatory standards. The Culinary Coordinator leads recipe development, scratch cooking initiatives, catering events, and district-wide culinary training.  The position plays a key role in advancing the district's goals of increasing scratch-prepared meals, incorporating local and farm-to-school products, and enhancing the overall student dining experience. This position may require that the individual work some evening and summer hours.

Responsibilities

• Recipe Development & Testing
  • Create, test, and standardize National School Lunch Program (NSLP)-compliant recipes
  • Integrate Pennsylvania Harvest-of-the-Month and locally procured products into menus
  • Conduct taste tests and gather student/parent feedback to guide menu adoption
• Culinary Training & Staff Development
  • Provide hands-on culinary training and mentorship to kitchen staff
  • Model food preparation, presentation, and scratch-cooking techniques
  • Support professional development in alignment with district goals
• Operational Support
  • Assist all school kitchens with production planning, troubleshooting, and culinary innovation
  • Collaborate with managers and leads to ensure consistent food quality across grade levels
  • Support compliance with food safety, HACCP, and USDA meal standards
  • Oversee district catering operations, including menu design, preparation, and execution of special events, meetings, and community functions
  • Ensure catering services align with district branding, quality expectations, and financial goals
• Strategic Initiatives
  • Lead districtwide culinary initiatives such as Harvest of the Month, farm-to-school programming, and recipe rollouts
  • Support procurement by identifying products aligned with culinary goals and catering needs
  • Contribute to long-term planning to achieve 60% scratch cooking by SY 202627

Qualifications

• High School Diploma, or equivalent
• Minimum of 4 years of professional culinary experience, with a strong emphasis on large-scale food production in a commercial kitchen setting
• A Culinary Degree or Certification and at least 2 years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the 4-year experience requirement, or any other equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to operate a computer, assigned software, and modern office equipment; valid driver's license and ability to travel between schools
• Must be able to travel to attend district meetings, trainings, workshops, and conferences
• Ability to follow verbal and written directions
• Ability to maintain a pleasant, cooperative, and positive work attitude and communication, while focusing on efficiency and customer service
• Must be able to push food and utility carts and utilize other food service equipment
• Demonstrate the manual dexterity required to operate food preparation equipment

Application Requirements

To apply, please submit the following:

• Online application
• Letter of interest and resume
• Three current letters of reference (one must be from a direct supervisor)
• Current clearances: Act 34, Act 151, Act 114, and Act 24 (PDE6004 Form)

Great Valley School District is an equal-opportunity education institution and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, or handicap in its activities, programs, or employment practices as required by Title VI, Title IX, Section 504, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Chapter 15 of the Pennsylvania School Code, and Americans with Disabilities Act. For information regarding civil rights, grievance procedures, services, activities, and facilities accessible to and usable by handicapped persons, contact the Human Resources Office, Great Valley School District, 100 Lindenwood Dr., Malvern, PA 19355 (610-889-2100).