Lead Meal Prep Chef & Kitchen Manager Easy Fresh Meals Escondido, CA Job Details Part-time $27 - $35 an hour 20 hours ago Qualifications Menu design Kitchen health and safety standards Spanish Staff supervision Pre-cooking preparation Food preparation for special diets Food service health code compliance Team supervision ServSafe Adhering to dietary requirements English Food sanitation practices Institutional kitchen experience Production planning Meal preparation Leading team collaboration initiatives Managing kitchen staff Production batch processing Assembly line experience Kitchen stations Communication with kitchen staff Full Job Description About us Easy Fresh Meals is a new meal prep delivery service serving customers across the San Diego to Temecula region. Meals will be prepared in a commercial kitchen in Escondido. We focus on convenient, high‑quality weekly meal plans designed to make healthy eating simple. Customers subscribe to a rotating weekly menu and receive freshly prepared meals delivered. All meals will be prepared twice per week on Sundays and Wednesdays. Compensation is $27.00 - $35.00 per hour depending on level of experience with the meal prep or catering industry and menu creation + $1200 per quarter Bonus. We are looking for an experienced, high-ownership Kitchen Production Manager & Head Chef to take full command of our culinary operations. In this role, you will be the primary driver of kitchen success—owning end-to-end food production, developing scalable seasonal recipes, and directing a small, high-efficiency kitchen crew. You are not just cooking; you are running the floor, setting the pace, enforcing strict portion accuracy, and ensuring every prep run executes flawlessly on schedule.

Schedule:

Part-time, starting at 12-20 hours per week across two primary production days ( Sundays and Wednesdays ). Leadership hours will expand as volume and delivery days scale.

Location:

Commercial Kitchen in Escondido, CA.

Compensation:

$27.00 - $35.00/hour (commensurate with catering/batch-prep management experience) + up to $1,200 quarterly performance bonus tied to production targets, quality control, and food cost metrics. Core Responsibilities 1.

Production Ownership & Workflow Management Own Batch Production:

Direct end-to-end high-volume production runs on Sundays and Wednesdays, ensuring all menu items meet strict packaging and dispatch deadlines.

Station Logistics & Prep Flow:

Organize prep sheets, delegate batch cooking, monitor assembly lines, and streamline workflow across cold prep, hot line, and plating/sealing stations.

Quality & Portion Control:

Audit weighed macro portions, seasoning, and visual presentation to ensure strict consistency across hundreds of identical containers. 2.

Team Leadership & Kitchen Operations Shift Supervision:

Lead, train, and hold kitchen prep assistants accountable for speed, safety, sanitation, production. 3.

Recipe Development & Menu Innovation Menu Engineering:

Collaborate directly with ownership to develop creative, rotating weekly recipes optimized for high-volume batch cooking, chilling, and reheating without quality loss. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): Build standardized recipe cards with precise gram-weight measurements, step-by-step prep methods, and packaging assembly guides to ensure consistency regardless of who is working the station.

Qualifications & Requirements Culinary Leadership Experience:

2+ years of supervisory or management experience (Kitchen Manager, Sous Chef, Production Lead, or Lead Prep Cook) in high-volume catering, commercial meal prep, or batch production operations.

Batch Production Mindset:

Deep understanding of cook-chill workflows, rapid cooling techniques, and assembly-line plating logistics.

Menu Development Skills:

Proven track record creating nutritious, flavorful, and macro-conscious dishes across varied dietary styles (e.g., high-protein, low-carb, balanced).

Certifications:

Valid ServSafe Certification (or ability to secure one prior to start date).

Communication:

Bilingual fluency in English and Spanish is required to effectively lead kitchen staff and coordinate with vendors.

Physical Demands:

Ability to stand for prolonged periods during intensive batch shifts and lift up to 50 lbs comfortably.

Pay:

$27.00 - $35.00 per hour Expected hours: 12.0 - 20.0 per week

Language:

Spanish (Required)

Work Location:

In person