Required Years of Experience
2 years
Job Details
Ability Culinary brings refined, performance-focused cooking to elite athletes across the NBA, NHL, and WNBA through a multi-location culinary system.
We run the kitchen at Capital One Arena for the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals — pregame and postgame team service, plus a range of hospitality programs serving athletic staff and executives. Our headquarters kitchen supports the arena with detailed mise and also produces for professional practice facilities, charter flights, and private clients.
Driven by a commitment to ingredient purity and physiological benefit, we uphold the highest standards for product integrity. We source wholesome, non-toxic ingredients, emphasizing organic, non-GMO, and sustainable selections. Our mission is to craft extraordinary food that fuels peak human performance, blending classic and modern culinary techniques with Michelin-level precision to celebrate pure flavors, never relying on artificial enhancements.
Join our talented culinary team as a Chef de Partie / Line Cook, working in both our new kitchen inside Capital One Arena and our headquarters kitchen in Dupont Circle. As a CDP, you will play a vital role in supporting daily operations, preparing mise en place, and executing service with consistency and attention to detail. You will work alongside our Chef Leadership and production team to deliver outstanding dishes that nourish elite athletes and guests. This position offers a dynamic, fast-paced environment with real opportunity for growth.
Schedule
Shifts vary. Our calendar is set by the NBA and NHL home schedules, so hours move week to week: early mornings for prep and pack-outs, afternoons into late nights for game service, and stretches of steadier daytime production when both teams are on the road. We publish schedules as far ahead as the game calendar allows.
Nights, weekends, and holidays are part of the job, including through the December and January stretch, which can be our busiest. Consecutive-day runs are common, and five-day stretches are routine during peak weeks.
Our volume follows the professional sports calendar. The arena season runs October through April and is our heaviest stretch; spring and summer shift toward baseball charters, corporate catering, and commissary production.
Start date: We're targeting mid-September, ahead of the arena season. Timing is flexible for the right candidate. Share your availability when you apply. Note that arena credentialing includes a background check, so applying early helps.
What you'll do
- Run a station through service: portion, sear, fire, plate, and hold to spec across multiple concurrent services in a single night
- Execute batch production at HQ — braises, stocks, sauces, glazes, pastry, and protein fabrication
- Set and maintain mise; break down and clean your station properly, every time
- Read and work off detailed prep sheets: quantities, prep location, allergens, service assignment
- Hit allergen and dietary specs exactly. We feed athletes with real restrictions and the margin for error is zero
- Pack, label, and stage food for transport between locations and for flights and road trips
What we're looking for
- 2+ years in a professional kitchen; you can hold a station under real volume without losing composure
- Solid fundamentals: knife work, protein cookery, sauces, seasoning, temperature and time discipline
- Comfortable with high-mix, low-repeat menus ability to execute an unfamiliar dish off a spec sheet
- Reliable transportation and the flexibility to report to either DC location
- Food Handler certification, or willing to obtain one immediately
- Discretion. You'll be around professional athletes, their families, and team ownership. What happens in the building stays in the building
- Able to pass a background check for arena credentialing
- Able to stand for long shifts and lift 50 lb
Nice to have: experience in sports, athlete, or performance nutrition kitchens; catering or off-premise production; sous vide and large-batch braising; bakery fundamentals.
Why work here
- Real cooking ,whole proteins, house stocks, from-scratch pastry
- You'll see the full range of the business: high-touch hospitality service one night, large-format production the next
- A team small enough that your work is visible and your growth isn't theoretical
Compensation Details
Compensation: Hourly ($21.00 - $26.00)
Benefits & Perks: Health Insurance, Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance, Potential Bonuses
Required Skills
Teamwork
Strong Communication Skills
Collaboration
Time Management
Team Collaboration
Adaptability
Adaptability to Changing Schedules
Creativity
Read more
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Event Catering, Private Chef Service, Food Service, Corporate Catering
Ability Culinary (ABLTY) is building the next generation of food for professional sports.
With more than a decade of experience inside elite kitchens, we understand that food is a true competitive advantage. Our chefs and operators deliver premium culinary solutions that combine the craft of fine dining with the efficiency of modern food systems.
Every product begins with the highest-quality sourcing from trusted farms and producers, ensuring that athletes are consistently provided with food that meets the highest standards of performance.
As we expand, our focus remains the same: building a trusted platform that connects people through food, while raising the standard for performance nutrition.
