Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, widely recognized as one of New York’s premier human services providers, is a settlement house founded in 1894 that provides an extensive array of effective and integrated services—social, educational, legal, health, housing, mental health, nutritional and fitness—which significantly improve the lives of 16,000 people in need each year, ages 3 to 103, on the East Side of Manhattan. Our clients include older adults, homeless and formerly homeless adults, children and families, recent immigrants, disabled persons, adult learners and more. For more information on Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, please visit lenoxhill.org and check us out on Facebook or Instagram.

Salary: $65,000 - $70,000 annually

We are seeking a dynamic, creative, and passionate Farm-to-Institution Chef Educator to join our team and advance our farm-to-institution model. This role focuses on supporting nonprofit organizations incorporating fresh, healthy, and local food into their menus through our award-winning hands-on culinary training and technical assistance program. As a key contributor to The Teaching Kitchen® at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, the Chef Educator will lead engaging training sessions, develop resources, and foster partnerships to continue to scale the program across New York State and beyond helping to make millions of meals served by nonprofit organizations healthier, more local, and more delicious.

Lenox Hill Neighborhood House is the leader in New York’s nonprofit farm-to-institution movement, serving 250,000 healthy, delicious, and culturally responsive meals annually through our diverse human services programs. Though the Teaching Kitchen®, we train other nonprofits to transform their food services programs to a farm-to-institution model – without raising costs. The program aims to improve the health of individuals who depend on government-funded meals by increasing their access to fresh, healthy food and localizing institutional food systems to strengthen regional farms and economies and improve environmental sustainability. For more information on our innovative Teaching Kitchen and links to our social media and program materials, click here: https://www.lenoxhill.org/teachingkitchen.

Key Responsibilities

The Chef Educator will report to The Teaching Kitchen Executive Chef and will assume diverse responsibilities not limited to:

Operational Support

Assist with various stages of The Teaching Kitchen® training process, from initial outreach to ongoing support efforts. This includes leading hands-on culinary training sessions tailored to nonprofit directors and kitchen staff. Providing technical assistance and guidance on scratch cooking and integrating local, seasonal produce into institutional menus. Contributing to the development and expansion of training guides, recipes, resources and communication materials. Facilitating engaging, mission-focused workshops for program participants as they implement farm-to-institution practices. Supporting the collection and documentation of data and metrics to ensure program consistency and impact.

Program Support

Collaborate with our food services department to assist in designing culturally responsive recipes that meet nutritional standards and emphasize our farm-to-institution model. Contribute to the execution of various food services and Teaching Kitchen culinary efforts. Provide internal educational engagement, support and resources to various departments within the organization.

Partnership and Outreach

Act as an ambassador for The Teaching Kitchen®, promoting the program to potential clients and stakeholders. Cultivate relationships with local farmers and distributors. Collaborate with nonprofits, schools, and government agencies to increase awareness of the program’s benefits. Represent the organization at conferences, community events, and other outreach opportunities will also be a key component of this role.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree
• Minimum of 5 years culinary experience in either restaurant or institutional setting
• Commitment to food equity, sustainable food systems, and social justice
• Excellent writing and communication skills
• Public speaking experience
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite
• Experience with design tools such as Canva or InDesign
• Familiarity with Salesforce or similar programs
• Bilingual in English and Spanish preferred based on the language needs of our community served

What We Offer

• Comprehensive health insurance choices for staff and their families
• Extensive paid time off – 25 days’ vacation and discretionary time; 13 holidays; and substantial sick time
• Matching contributions to Retirement Plan
• Wonderful paid parental leave policy for all staff
• Professional Development Opportunities – conferences, trainings, lectures and more
• Free Life Insurance – 3x annual salary
• Pre-tax Flexible Spending Accounts for Medical, Dependent Care and Parking/Mass Transit
• Supplemental Insurance Coverage (Accident, Hospital and Critical Illness)
• We like to have fun! Monthly Film and Dinner nights, bowling parties, Mets and Yankee games, cruises, food trucks, holiday parties, parties on our two Green Roofs, chocolate event for Valentine’s Day and ice cream socials, and much more.
• State-of-the Art Fitness Center, Gym and Swimming Pool 
• Free Fitness classes for staff
• PSLF (Public Service Loan Forgiveness) Eligible Employer
• The best colleagues in New York!

All individuals, as a condition for employment by Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, are required to undergo a pre-employment background check. Certain positions require more extensive background checks to comply with applicable laws.

At Lenox Hill Neighborhood House we value respect, diversity and integrity. We are an equal opportunity employer. Lenox Hill Neighborhood House prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. Lenox Hill Neighborhood House conforms to the spirit as well as to the letter of all applicable laws and regulations. The policy of equal employment opportunity (EEO) and anti-discrimination applies to all aspects of the relationship between Lenox Hill Neighborhood House and its colleagues.

Lenox Hill Neighborhood House is a client-facing and essential community-serving organization. To keep our clients and our colleagues safe, and to comply with various governmental contractual requirements, all new employees must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 (except where valid medical exemptions apply) and will be required to submit proof prior to the time of onboarding.