Culinary Experiences & Operations Manager
Application Deadline: December 19, 2025
Application Deadline:
December 19, 2025

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.
About The Role
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.



About You
BACKGROUND & INTERESTS:
  • Sustainable and Seasonal Cooking – A passion for sourcing ingredients from local farms, reducing waste, and creating menus that reflect the rhythms of the land and the seasons.
  • Community and Food Education – An interest in teaching or collaborating with others to share knowledge about cooking, food justice, and the cultural significance of shared meals within a community setting.
  • Jewish Food Traditions and Values – A curiosity about (or deep connection to) Jewish culinary practices, holiday foods, and the ethical principles of bal tashchit (do not waste) and shmita (rest for the land)

COMMUNICATION & COLLABORTATION:
  • You bring strong interpersonal skills, working well with colleagues, volunteers, program staff, and community members who intersect with the kitchen.
  • You enjoy contributing to a collaborative, mission-aligned food program and take pride in helping the entire organization succeed.
  • You are a people-centered leader who creates a warm, respectful, and supportive atmosphere in the kitchen.
  • You understand the importance of prompt, thoughtful communication—whether coordinating with staff, responding to requests, or supporting community-facing programs—and treat every interaction with professionalism and care.

MOTIVATION, ORGANIZATION & SUPERVISION:
  • Are a self-starter 
  • Are highly organized, able to track and execute on multiple projects and tasks simultaneously, and are detail oriented
  • Are comfortable maintaining multiple channels of communication (text, email, phone, Slack) and independently managing your workflow to keep projects on track
  • Have experience as a supervisor, and are proficient in delegating work without losing accountability for it, and can help a supervisee prioritize and troubleshoot their workload

STRATEGY & PROBLEM SOLVING:
  • Are a ‘big picture’ thinker, enjoy developing, interrogating, and implementing new ideas and initiatives
  • Enjoy problem solving, seeing it as an opportunity to connect with and support others and the organization
  • Possess a strong entrepreneurial mindset, with the interest and ability to creatively leverage the kitchen to support the needs of the organization while maximizing revenue generation and contributions to food justice.
  • Skilled at working creatively within a landscape of competing priorities to simultaneously accommodate multiple needs.
  • Skilled at listening to and synthesizing varying viewpoints to build consensus and find "win-win" solutions.

GROWTH:
  • Demonstrate a good balance of self-confidence and humility, can name and make the most of your strengths, and welcome feedback that will lead you to grow and develop as a professional 
  • Appreciate a work environment where you are supported, encouraged, and sometimes pushed to learn new things or consider doing things differently
Additional Details
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.
Application Details
APPLICATION DETAILS
Urban Adamah provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment, without regard to characteristics protected by federal, state or local laws.  We deeply value the diversity of insight, perspective, and experience brought by people from all backgrounds.  We are guided by our values of inclusivity and community and we welcome applications from candidates of all cultural and religious or spiritual backgrounds.

APPLICATION SUBMISSION INCLUDES:
A current resume and three professional references with how you know them.

The application deadline is December 19, 2025. Applications will be reviewed and qualified applicants invited to interview on a rolling basis.  If you have any questions about the application or the position, please contact Nicki Acland-Whear at nicki@urbanadamah.org.
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