Kitchen Staff Trainer | Culinary & BOH Development

🎯 Role Definition

Are you a passionate culinary leader with a gift for teaching? We are searching for an dedicated Kitchen Staff Trainer to join our team and champion a culture of excellence in our back-of-house (BOH) operations. In this pivotal role, you will be responsible for designing, implementing, and overseeing all training initiatives for our kitchen staff. You will be the primary resource for new hire onboarding, ongoing skill development, and the consistent execution of our culinary standards. Your expertise will directly impact food quality, operational efficiency, team morale, and the overall success of our brand. If you thrive on mentoring others and building high-performing culinary teams, we want to hear from you.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Sous Chef
Lead Line Cook / Chef de Partie
Corporate Chef / R&D Chef

Advancement To:

Multi-Unit / Regional Kitchen Trainer
Kitchen Manager / Culinary Manager
Corporate Training & Development Manager

Lateral Moves:

Restaurant Manager
Food & Beverage Controller

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Design, implement, and continuously refine a comprehensive training curriculum for all back-of-house positions, covering culinary techniques, station-specific duties, and workflow efficiency.
Conduct engaging and effective hands-on training sessions for new and existing kitchen team members, ensuring a deep understanding of our recipes, plating standards, and quality expectations.
Lead the comprehensive onboarding and orientation process for all new BOH hires, fully integrating them into our team and culture while setting clear performance standards from day one.
Champion and rigorously enforce all food safety and sanitation protocols (e.g., HACCP, ServSafe), conducting regular checks to maintain a safe, clean, and compliant kitchen environment.
Act as the subject matter expert on all menu items, including ingredients, preparation methods, cook times, and allergen information, and effectively disseminate this knowledge to the entire team.
Monitor and evaluate the progress and performance of all trainees, providing consistent, constructive, and actionable feedback to foster skill enhancement and professional growth.
Administer practical and written certification tests to validate team member proficiency on various kitchen stations and procedures, maintaining accurate training and certification records.
Facilitate "train-the-trainer" programs to develop in-store training leaders, creating a sustainable culture of peer-to-peer coaching and continuous improvement.
Support New Restaurant Openings (NROs) by traveling to new locations to train the inaugural kitchen team, establish best practices, and ensure a successful launch.
Demonstrate and model exemplary culinary skills, professionalism, and a positive work ethic, acting as a key role model and mentor for all BOH staff.
Lead the training and execution for new menu rollouts and seasonal specials, ensuring the kitchen team can deliver new items with confidence and consistency.
Conduct regular operational audits of food quality, portion control, and recipe adherence through line checks and quality assessments, identifying and addressing areas for re-training.
Manage and coordinate BOH training schedules in collaboration with restaurant management to maximize learning impact while minimizing disruption to daily service.
Foster a positive, respectful, and collaborative learning environment where team members feel empowered to ask questions, practice skills, and contribute to team success.
Provide targeted coaching and develop personalized improvement plans for underperforming team members to help them achieve performance standards.

Secondary Functions

Create, update, and manage a library of all BOH training materials, including manuals, recipe books, job aids, instructional videos, and e-learning modules.
Collaborate closely with the executive culinary team and kitchen managers to proactively identify skill gaps and future training needs based on performance data and operational goals.
Stay current with emerging culinary trends, innovative cooking techniques, and modern adult learning methodologies to continuously enhance the training program.
Participate in the BOH recruitment and interview process, providing valuable insight into a candidate's technical skills, coachability, and cultural fit.
Assist in training staff on inventory management, ordering procedures, and waste reduction techniques to instill a strong sense of cost control and financial responsibility.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Expert Culinary Proficiency: Mastery of a wide range of cooking techniques (e.g., sauté, grill, fry, braise) and deep knowledge of food production.
Food Safety & Sanitation Certification: Current ServSafe Manager or equivalent food handler certification is required.
Menu & Recipe Execution: Proven ability to break down, teach, and enforce complex recipes and plating standards with precision.
Kitchen Operations Management: Strong understanding of BOH workflow, station setup (mise en place), and managing service rushes.
Instructional Design: Ability to create clear, engaging, and effective training materials (manuals, guides, checklists).
Cost Control Principles: Knowledge of inventory management, product rotation (FIFO), and waste tracking.
Technical Proficiency: Competence in using Kitchen Display Systems (KDS) and Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Soft Skills

Exceptional Communication: Articulate and clear verbal and written communication, with strong public speaking and presentation skills.
Leadership & Mentorship: Ability to inspire, motivate, and guide individuals and teams toward achieving excellence.
Patience & Empathy: Capacity to remain calm and supportive while teaching diverse learners with varying skill levels.
Adaptability & Problem-Solving: Ability to think quickly and adjust training methods to suit different situations and learning styles.
Organizational & Time Management: Meticulous planning skills to manage multiple training priorities, schedules, and administrative tasks effectively.
Constructive Feedback: Skill in delivering direct, respectful, and actionable feedback that encourages improvement rather than discourages.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High School Diploma or GED equivalent.

Preferred Education:

Associate's or Bachelor's degree from an accredited culinary school or program.
Certification in Training & Development or Adult Learning.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Culinary Arts
Hospitality Management
Education or Instructional Design

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3-5 years of progressive experience in a high-volume, professional kitchen environment.

Preferred:

At least 1-2 years of experience in a dedicated training, supervisory, or leadership role (e.g., Sous Chef, Lead Trainer, Kitchen Supervisor).
Experience in a multi-unit restaurant or hotel group is highly desirable.
Proven track record of successfully training and developing kitchen staff.
Bilingual (English/Spanish) is a significant plus.