Culinary Arts Instructor

Future Chefs (futurechefs.net) prepares Boston high school students to leave high school ready for quality employment and post-secondary education. With a focus on positive youth development, Future Chefs provides culinary training and authentic work-based learning to prepare teens with the hard skills they will need to succeed in the culinary industry and most importantly the job readiness skills to succeed in any field.

Future Chefs believes that every student is unique and flourishes in respectful, safe, stimulating settings that provide opportunities for growth, and relationships with caring, supportive adults who honor students’ lived experiences. Future Chefs occupies 5770 square feet of meeting, kitchen and office space on the first floor of The Clarion in Roxbury and is programming our space to build community-based collaborations that directly and indirectly support our mission. Future Chefs is a fiscally sponsored organization of Third Sector New England, Inc. (TSNE) (tsne.org).

The Culinary Arts Instructor will work collaboratively with the Future Chefs Program Team to deliver and refine a work-based curriculum for two of the three Future Chefs programs, FC Prepares and FC Delivers, as well as other culinary programming in partnership with schools and other community organizations. The position will include supervising and leading both kitchen and classroom-oriented activities and assisting with professional skills workshops at the Future Chefs kitchen space in Roxbury and offsite at external partner locations. The Culinary Arts Instructor is an essential member of the Program Team who tracks student progress through program-wide evaluation efforts.

Essential Functions

The Culinary Arts Instructor is a full member of Future Chefs’ Program Team who, under the supervision of the Senior Culinary Manager:

• Leads kitchen- and culinary- based program sessions, fostering critical thinking skills in young people while teaching basic culinary, kitchen, safety and sanitation knowledge.
• Creates and executes healthy, balanced menus for programming, catering and community engagement events.
• Collaborates with Student Services to enhance essential skill development.
• Provides group and individual instruction using effective teaching strategies.
• Evaluates student culinary and essential skills and maintains accurate records.
• Creates a positive learning environment in the kitchen.
• Assists in student recruitment and employment/internship opportunities.
• Records student attendance promptly and accurately.
• Participates in Community Engagement events outside of regular working hours.
• Conducts engaging partnership/community tours of Future Chefs.
• Helps to maintain food inventory and compiles food order lists.
• Attends weekly Program and Culinary Meetings and works to develop your own skill level and preparedness.

We will consider exceptional candidates who demonstrate a strong combination of the specific qualifications and skills described below.

Who You Are 

You are seeking to work in a youth-centric organization where you can share your culinary arts training and food preparation experience to help teens and young adults develop the essential skills they need to succeed in life after high school. Prior youth work experience preferred. Culinary education and/or experience working in professional kitchens is required. You are genuinely interested in young people’s progress, have a passion for food to share with them and are committed to working with low-income urban youth. You are highly organized, dependable and a positive team player who is motivated by new challenges in a nonprofit program environment. You have strong communication skills and knowledge of Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Drive. You are able to work with people of diverse backgrounds and identities. You possess knowledge of kitchen safety and sanitation. Servsafe certification required. Ability to speak Spanish, Haitian Creole or Vietnamese is a plus. You are able to model patience, professionalism, optimism and integrity for young people and maintain healthy boundaries with them and with your colleagues.

• Comfort with public speaking and group facilitation
• Ability to inspire young people to be excited about food, and new experiences
• Excellent communication and organizational skills
• Experience in the food service industry
• Demonstrate Culinary Arts skills, including Cooking Techniques, Baking, and knife skills
• Capacity to think and act intentionally and strategically to develop young people and help make positive shifts in attitudes and behavior
• Commitment to addressing issues related to social justice, diversity, equity and inclusion
• Desire to be part of a diverse learning community
• Committed to working collaboratively as part of a productive team
• Ability to give and receive timely and constructive feedback and ask for help when needed
• Ability to lift 50 pounds or more
• Knowledge of ServSafe Food Handler standards
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Google Docs, and other technological resources
• Flexibility and a positive, can-do attitude
• US Citizen or Permanent US Resident status
• Respect for the dignity of all work and willingness to consider multiple points of views
• Personal and professional integrity to be a positive role model for young people

Special Job Requirements

• Ability to work a schedule that includes some early evening and possible weekend hours during the school year and summer program.
• CORI/SORI check required.
• ServSafe Managers Certification.

Physical Demands/Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those for this position. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. Work is performed in an office environment and in close proximity to other workers.

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is required to:

• Handle, or feel objects, tools or controls;
• Reach; traverse; sit (usually for longer periods of time); occasionally ascend/descend; and position self (to) move;
• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds;
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate;
• Job is not subject to significant occupational or environmental hazards;
• Likelihood of personal injury would be relatively slight;
• Environmental and work hazards are not present to a measurable degree.

Compensation and Benefits

Location: Work will be primarily performed onsite in Roxbury, MA. 

Compensation: The hourly range for this position is $22.00 - $28.00/hour and is commensurate with experience.

Benefits: This position is eligible for a full benefits package including:

• Generous Paid-Time-Off (PTO): twelve paid holidays, three weeks of vacation, one week of personal holiday, and ability to accrue up to 487.5 hours of health leave time for benefited staff.
• 80% Employer-paid, offering some $0 deductible Health Insurance through Harvard Pilgrim along with several low-deductible plans;
• Low-cost Guardian Dental and Vision.
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for Health and Dependent Care.
• Employer-paid Life, Long- and Short-Term Disability Insurance.
• Employer-paid Pension and Employee-paid 403b plan through TIAA.
• ...and more!

TSNE/FC strives to achieve excellence through a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment that embraces all of our individual and collective differences. Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Middle Eastern and North African, Bilingual and/or Bicultural candidates, and LGBTQ2SIA+ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. We value and honor the unique talents, learning styles, and lived experiences of each individual that enrich and strengthen our workplace culture, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.

All employment conditions are based on an individual’s performance and job qualifications. TSNE/FC prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, creed, color, religion, native language, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, parental status, pregnancy, race-based hairstyles, or any other protected characteristic stated by federal and state law. Regardless of any class’ protection under the law or lack thereof, TSNE/FC celebrates diversity and values the strengths that come with having a diverse team of employees. It is represented in our workplace culture, and it is who we are.

TSNE/FC's EEO statement extends to volunteers, interns, contractors, vendors, and clients.