Job Title: Chef de Cuisine
Organization: Three Sisters Kitchen
Location: Albuquerque (on site)
Reports To: Director of Social Enterprise Programs
Classification: Full-Time
About Three Sisters Kitchen
Three Sisters Kitchen (TSK) uses the power and love of local food to create economic opportunity, improve community health, and bring our diverse communities together around the table. Through our Social Enterprise Programs— wholesale burritos, catering, and Three Sisters Kitchen’s Café at Explora Science Center and Children’s Museum—we generate earned revenue that sustains our mission.
Position Overview
The Chef de Cuisine leads daily culinary operations for our wholesale, catering, and café production. This role combines culinary leadership with systems development, cost management, staff supervision, vendor relations, and cross-functional collaboration. The Chef de Cuisine ensures that all food entering and leaving the kitchen reflects TSK’s standards for quality and mission alignment. This position plays a critical role in cultivating a healthy, values-driven kitchen culture, and supporting our local food systems.
Key Responsibilities
Staff Leadership & Culture
- Foster a healthy, respectful, and collaborative work environment.
- Supervise, train, and schedule kitchen staff and interns to ensure proper kitchen coverage and quality standards are met.
- Advocate for the needs of kitchen staff, equipment, and programs.
- Lead hiring and performance assessment processes for kitchen staff.
- Clearly communicate and uphold organizational policies and expectations.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with Explora leadership to ensure the culinary needs for both programs are met.
Culinary Execution & Menu Development
- Ensure all food produced meets organizational standards for quality, freshness, and presentation.
- Ensure all culinary commitments are met on time as agreed upon with the clients.
- Assist with hands-on culinary prep/production as needed.
- Lead menu development and cost analysis for new dishes across the wholesale burrito, catering, and cafe menus.
- Troubleshoot culinary concerns/feedback raised by clients.
- Develop creative uses for kitchen byproducts to minimize food waste and increase revenue.
- Assist with special events as necessary
Systems, Administration & Strategy
- Design and implement systems to manage ingredient procurement, culinary production, and waste reduction.
- Refine daily kitchen operations to maximize efficiency and consistency.
- Process vendor invoices weekly and track monthly expenses.
- Identify and implement cost-saving opportunities while maintaining quality standards and mission alignment.
- Develop and maintain culinary systems that support wholesale, catering, and cafe growth.
Vendor & External Partnerships
- Deepen existing vendor relationships and introduce new partnerships with local growers, producers, and procurement partners.
- Ensure organizational sourcing practices prioritize local farmers and food makers whenever possible.
- Collaborate with Sales Managers in support of client acquisition and retention through tastings and relationship building.
Organizational Support & Community Engagement
- Support community cooking education programming as needed.
- Assist TSK’s Education Team in creating, organizing, or teaching cooking classes.
- Represent the kitchen professionally at public events.
- Collaborate with social media staff to document programming highlights.
- Work with other TSK team members to develop new value-added products.
- Perform additional duties as assigned.
Facilities & Compliance
- Partner with the Director of Facilities to ensure the kitchen has necessary tools and equipment.
- Ensure compliance with all permits, inspections, and regulation.
- Maintain 100% passing performance on all health department inspections.
- Manage all maintenance and cleaning schedules for kitchen space and equipment
Qualifications Preferences & Requirements
- 1–2 years of sous chef (culinary management) experience or 3-5 years line cook experience in fine dining restaurants.
- Experience supervising staff and interns.
- Proficiency in hot and cold culinary techniques and standard restaurant equipment usage
- Proficiency in food safety protocols and organization
- Proficiency in Google Workspace.
- Valid driver’s license required.
- Empathetic, flexible, and team-oriented leadership style.
- Commitment to cultivating a positive organizational culture.
- Strong communication, organizational, and leadership skills.
- Strong sense of ownership and consistent follow-through.
- Awareness of local and national food industry trends.
Compensation & Benefits
Starting salary: $50,000
Three Sisters Kitchen offers:
- Paid Time Off (PTO)
- Medical, Dental, Vision and Life Insurance
- 403(b) retirement plan with employer match
Equal Employment Opportunity
Three Sisters Kitchen is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to qualified individuals without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, age, disability, military or veteran status, or any other protected status under federal, state, or local law.
How to Apply
Please email your resume and cover letter to [email protected] with the subject line: “TSK CDC Application” by June 9th for best consideration.