Chef

Position Summary

The Chef is directly responsible for the day-to-day nutritional management and meal planning for the clients while in treatment. Position provides leadership and oversight for food service operations ensuring a high level of quality and safety while meeting the nutritional needs of clients. Hire, manage, schedule, coach and teach culinary team. Cover shifts as needed in the kitchen to ensure no gap in client care.

Relationships and Contacts

Within the organization: Maintains frequent and close working relationships with the Executive Director, Business Development team members, Admissions team members, Nursing leadership, milieu leadership, and all clinical team members.

Outside the organization: Initiates and maintains professional working relationships with clients and their families, referral partners, clinical partners, and vendors, as needed.

Position Responsibilities

Essential Responsibilities

1. Collaborates with clinical and culinary team members to create meal plans based on dietary needs and restrictions.
2. Oversees purchasing, preparation, service, and cleanliness of all client-related food activities and food service areas.
3. Selects, standardizes, and utilizes recipes to create healthy menu plans.
4. Ensures kitchens and staff maintain compliance with all regulatory and health and food-related standards.
5. Approves menus and snacks for the clients and ensures the quality and quantity of food is appropriate.
6. Works closely with the culinary team, overseeing meal planning and preparation.
7. Creates and communicates meal plan modifications to accommodate dietary needs including food allergies.
8. Documents and communicates meal plans, supplementation, protocols, and special dietary needs.
9. Consults with medical team members to ensure that the nutritional needs of individual clients are being met, as needed.
10. Educates and counsels clients to increase awareness of the importance of nutritionally balanced diets in achieving good health and recovery.
11. Conducts nutrition group, cooking group, and physical activity groups and individual sessions; participates in family days.
12. Supervise culinary team, including hiring, onboarding, scheduling, corrective action as needed, scheduling and coaching.
13. Completes proper documentation and charting in a timely manner.
14. Avoids food waste, when possible, through accurate forecasting and ordering.

Additional Responsibilities

1. Functions within the guidelines of the facility’s Code of Ethics and in accordance with corporate compliance.
2. Represents the program within the community at local, regional, and national events, as requested.
3. Assists in promoting and ensuring the organization’s values, mission, goals, and objectives are understood and actively supported by the employees.
4. Performs other duties as assigned.