Mission

The CNP Culinary Manager plays a pivotal role in advancing the culinary vision established by the CNP Director of Nutrition. This position is responsible for supporting the development, implementation, communication, and management of recipes and menus that meet high nutritional standards and operational excellence across the district.

As a key member of the Nutrition Team, this role is responsible for directly managing the recipes featured on our menus—ensuring they are clear, accurate, and executable at the campus level. The Culinary Manager will provide ongoing support to cafeteria staff to help them prepare standardized recipes correctly and consistently.

In addition to recipe oversight, this role leads creative efforts to promote healthy lifestyles in our scholars through impactful communication—ranging from training resources for staff, to engaging videos and social media content that connect with IDEA students, families, and school communities. This individual will help shape a culture of culinary excellence in every cafeteria by ensuring recipes are executed with precision and appeal, while also helping tell the story of our food program through engaging and culturally responsive multimedia content.

The Culinary Manager supports menu innovation, recipe testing, food education, and engagement efforts that elevate both student satisfaction and trust in school meals.

Location

This is a full-time on-site/remote position located in the Rio Grande Valley.

Travel Expectations

Travel within region on a regular basis, 30% travel outside of region.

What You’ll Do – Accountabilities

Essential Duties:

• Test and refine new recipes, ensuring accuracy in yield, ingredients, procedures, and compliance with USDA requirements and IDEA standards.
• Lead the creation of family- and student-facing content such as cooking demonstration videos, social media posts, and recipe spotlights to showcase seasonal items, scratch-cooked meals, and cultural favorites.
• Creation and execution of training programs focused on recipe comprehension, culinary math, yield conversions, food safety, meal appeal, and “offer versus serve” regulations—especially during district-wide training summits.
• Lead engaging culinary and nutrition sessions for students and families, both in-person and virtually, reinforcing healthy habits at school and at home.
• Collaborate with Nutrition Team to design and implement menu and recipe feedback tools (e.g., surveys), gather insights from students and staff, and help translate feedback into recipe adjustments and engagement strategies.
• Manage the Recipe Correction system by tracking inquiries from Cafeteria Managers, coordinating with team members to identify valid claims, complete the recipe updates, and ensure consistent communication and implementation across campuses.
• Collaborate with the IDEA Farm team to develop seasonal “Harvest of the Month” recipes and promotional materials—including family-friendly versions, videos (including Spanish-speaking households), and engagement campaigns aligned with the farm calendar.

Additional Duties and Responsibilities:

• Participate in internal audits to verify accurate recipe execution and portioning, and use findings to deliver on-site and virtual one-offs training and coaching to kitchen staff.
• Attend K–12 food shows and industry conferences to identify innovative products. Coordinate vendor samples and integrate new ingredients into future recipe development.
• Support the planning and promotion of CNP-led events such as the Healthy Kids Here Expo, cooking demos, and seasonal meal campaigns to drive awareness, nutrition education, and student excitement around school food.

Knowledge and Skills – Competencies

Make Strategic Decisions:

This team member uses data, feedback, and insights to inform thoughtful decision-making, while considering the impact on their direct reports and team. They communicate decisions with clear rationale and begin to connect their choices to broader team objectives.

Manage Work and Teams:

This team member builds and maintains systems to track progress toward team goals, ensuring clarity through defined roles and responsibilities. They implement structured processes that support smooth team operations and strategically allocate time and resources to drive goal achievement.

Grow Self and Others:

This team member demonstrates self-awareness by actively seeking and thoughtfully responding to feedback with curiosity and a growth mindset. They identify development areas, implement feedback when appropriate, and pursue opportunities to build their knowledge and skills.

Build a Culture of Trust:

This team member proactively builds strong personal and professional relationships with individual stakeholders and regularly seeks feedback to improve their work experience. They create a supportive environment where others feel safe to take risks and learn from mistakes without fear of retribution.

Communicate Deliberately:

This team member communicates thoughtfully by anticipating potential misunderstandings and providing necessary context to ensure clarity. They leverage structured communication channels to address challenges, ask meaningful questions, and guide conversations toward solutions, while actively listening to the concerns of others.

Additional Skills:

Culinary & Operations Knowledge

• Ability to read, write, and interpret standardized recipes with accuracy and clarity.
• Experience in developing and planning recipes and menus with consideration for regional preferences, cost efficiency, labor impact, and USDA compliance.
• Demonstrated knowledge of large-scale food production, including high quantity cooking, inventory control, and production recordkeeping.
• Strong attention to detail in culinary systems, ensuring recipes are executable and scalable.
• Proven ability to teach culinary skills and food safety practices to foodservice staff in a clear and approachable manner.
• Ability to lead and motivate foodservice teams in the pursuit of culinary excellence and consistency.

Training & Communication Skills

• Skilled in presenting culinary and nutrition information to diverse groups—both in person and virtually—with clarity, enthusiasm, and cultural awareness.
• Ability to develop and deliver training that improve recipe execution and kitchen performance.
• Comfortable creating and leading engaging content for social media and video platforms to promote healthy eating and tell the story of school meals.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with cafeteria teams, students, families, and cross-functional departments.
• Bilingual fluency in English and Spanish highly preferred, with the ability to tailor messaging appropriately for both audiences.

Analytical & Mathematical Skills

• Strong skills in recipe scaling, portioning, and applying culinary math.
• Ability to interpret USDA guidelines and apply them to menu and recipe development for compliance across child nutrition programs.
• Comfortable using data to inform decisions, identify trends, and support continuous improvement.

Professional & Technical Competencies

• Advanced computer skills preferred, including recipe management systems, Microsoft tools, and digital content creation and sharing applications.
• Comfortable working in fast-paced environments, managing multiple priorities, and meeting deadlines.
• Experience in supervising food preparation and supporting menu execution based on nutrition standards and student preferences.

Required experience:

Completed Associate’s Degree in Nutrition, Culinary, Dietetics, Public Health, or related field, preferred.

Preferred Education and Experience:

Bachelors Degree preferred, Food Service Manager Certification.

Physical Requirements:

Ability to lift and move up to 50lbs, ability to be on feet for long periods of time, ability to travel within and outside of region.

What We Offer:

Compensation & Benefits:

Salaries for people entering this role typically fall between $63,472 and $73,310, commensurate with relevant experience and qualifications and in alignment with internal equity. This role is also eligible for performance pay based on organizational performance and goal attainment.

Additionally, we offer medical, dental, and vision plans, disability, life insurance, parenting benefits, flexible spending account options, generous vacation time, referral bonuses, professional development, and a 403(b) plan. You can find more information about our benefits at https://ideapublicschools.org/careers/benefits/.

* IDEA may offer a relocation stipend to defray the cost of moving for this role, if applicable.

Application process:

Submit your application online through Jobvite. Please note that applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until the position is filled. Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible.

Learn more about IDEA

At IDEA the Staff Experience Team uses our Core Values to promote human connection and a culture of integrity, respect, and belonging for all Team and Family members. Learn more about our Commitment to Core Values here: https://ideapublicschools.org/our-story/#core-values.