Hiring: Chef Educator – Dig In
Job Title: Chef Educator
Location: North Adams and Amherst, Massachusetts (mileage reimbursed)
Terms: Part Time, At-Will (48 hours per month September through June)
Rate: $27 per hour
About Dig In
Dig In is a Greenfield based food literacy business whose mission is to support children and teens in cultivating confident, curious, and empowered life-long relationships to food and the natural world through providing accessible hands-on opportunities to experience the joys of growing, cooking, eating, and sharing. One way in which we achieve this is through our cafeteria taste test program in partnership with public schools across western Massachusetts. Following Massachusetts Farm to School’s Harvest of the Month Program, we design a nutritious, approachable scratch recipe based on local, seasonal products, prepare the recipe for students to sample during lunch, engage the students in concise, accessible food systems education, and gather student feedback before integrating the recipe into the school menu a few weeks later. The primary goals of the programs are:
1. Centering student voice
2. Helping students develop healthy habits and positive academic and health outcomes
3. Advancing students’ knowledge of ingredient sourcing, nutrition, cooking methods, & cultural cuisine
4. Increasing local procurement
5. Transitioning to scratch food preparation
Job Description
Dig In is seeking a highly motivated chef educator to help facilitate our harvest of the month cafeteria taste test program. The ideal candidate is someone who aligns with Dig In’s mission and is passionate about improving the nutritional quality of school meals and providing high quality food literacy education to public school students.
The chef educator will work closely with Kyle Zegel, Dig In Founder and Director, and with food service and administrative staff at partnering schools. Our current partnerships are with Greenfield Public Schools, North Adams Public Schools, and, pending grant approval, Amherst Regional Public Schools. The chef educator will work in all 3 partner North Adams Public Schools and 3 out of 5 partner Amherst Regional Public Schools.
Pending additional grant approval, we will also be focusing attention towards building school gardens and associated programming at all three Greenfield Public School elementary schools. This program will not be the responsibility of the chef educator, though the right candidate may have the potential to expand into garden education in future years.
The chef educator is a part time position with the potential to increase to a full time workload in the future as school partnerships and programs expand. For the right candidate, there is also the potential of becoming a business partner or cooperative owner.
Responsibilities
Program Facilitation
● Preparing and portioning the taste test sample in each school kitchen
● Placing signage and visual aids throughout the cafeteria
● Engaging students in food systems education during lunch while they try the sample
● Consulting allergy lists with kitchen staff to determine which students should not be served any given taste test
● Gathering student feedback through voting and through recording oral testimonials
● Teaching food service staff about the recipe, its components, and process
● Taking detailed recipe production notes for later adjustments and refinement
● Directing family and staff volunteers during taste tests
● Liaising with food service staff, troubleshooting issues, and collaboratively improving the program
● Documenting food preparation and student sampling through pictures and videos (with appropriate media releases obtained)
Communications
● Writing a brief newsletter segment about the taste test once per month for families at each participating school
● Formatting the taste test recipe to home scale on canva once per month for inclusion in the family newsletter
● Attending quarterly meetings with each district’s food service director to discuss program goals, successes, and challenges
Outreach and Marketing
● Creating engaging social media content, particularly edits for our Instagram page detailing the production process for each taste test recipe (once per month)
Qualifications
● Minimum 1 year of professional food service experience
● 1 year of experience working with children and teens OR demonstrated comfort working with children and teens and willingness and enthusiasm to learn
● Demonstrated ability to work in a highly organized and efficient manner in a fast paced work environment
● Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and respectfully in a team environment
● Demonstrated ability to work independently and self organize
● Demonstrated ability to problem solve quickly and pivot when circumstances change
● Demonstrated dependability, commitment, and consistency
Requirements
● Successful CORI check
● Valid driver’s license and working vehicle to commute to partner schools (mileage reimbursed)
● Valid ServSafe Food Handler or Manager certification (preferred, but will pay for the right candidate to certify)
Compensation and Benefits
● Competitive wage of $27 per hour
● Paid sick time
● Potential for future partnership and profit sharing
How to Apply
Please send a cover letter, resume, and 3 professional references to Kyle Zegel at kyle@diginprograms.org.
