Relief Head Chef - Shoals Marine Lab

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This position oversees the operations of the Shoals Marine Laboratory kitchen on Appledore Island, leading the planning and preparation of 20 meals per week for up to 100 residents and visitors. Responsibilities include menu planning, food purchasing, budgeting, and ensuring meals are made primarily from scratch using local ingredients when possible. The role involves supervising and scheduling kitchen staff, student workers, and volunteers while maintaining relationships with food suppliers, with an emphasis on sustainability and food waste reduction. Additionally, the position ensures compliance with health and safety regulations, upholds a clean and safe kitchen environment, and provides excellent customer service. The individual fosters an inclusive and welcoming community and communicates with island residents about food sourcing. Availability for emergency response while on duty, serving as a crew member on a commercial vessel, and potentially operating small boats are also key responsibilities. Other duties may be assigned as needed.

Duties/Responsibilities

• Supervise operations of the Shoals Marine Laboratory kitchen on Appledore Island.
• Lead the planning and preparation of 20 meals per week for Appledore Island for up to 100 residents and additional groups of day visitors, and on island catering.
• Primarily from scratch utilizing local producers when feasible to produce hearty and well balanced healthy meals.
• Maintain and coordinate relationships with food suppliers, with an emphasis on local ingredients and farms and fishers.
• Supervise and schedule all employees working in the SML kitchen, consisting of a small core team, student workers, and occasional volunteers in collaboration with Island Coordinator team.
• Develops and maintains a professional team that reflects courtesy, civility, and mutual respect.
• Maintain responsibility for menu planning, management of dietary restrictions, food purchasing and budgeting, food transportation, kitchen cleaning, dishwashing, and food storage.
• Maintain a keen focus on sustainability and food waste reduction.
• Ensure compliance with Maine Department of Health regulations, utilizing FDA HACCP and Serve Safe guidelines to ensure safe food storage and preparation
• Maintain cleanliness and safe operating environment of kitchen at all times.
• Provide exemplary customer service.
• Communicate with island community about food – ingredients, sharing sources as needed and possible.
• Foster a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment for staff, students, researchers, and visitors.
• Implement initiatives related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Expected to be available for consultation and emergency response at all times, on days scheduled to be working, and while on SML property and vessels.
• Serve as a crew member on board a commercial vessel, and operator of small vessels.
• Other duties as assigned.
  
  

Minimum Qualifications

Minimum Acceptable Education & Experience:

• Experience as a head or executive chef successfully leading dining services teams in successful execution of regular meal service for large groups of more than 50.
• Ensure a culture of cooking from scratch when possible and in a healthy manner.
• Experience in addressing allergy, food preferences and food intolerances in a discrete and safe manner.
• Knowledge of basic computer skills; proven organization skills; attention to detail along with experience managing multiple tasks.
• Applicants must be eligible for employment in the United States.
• Selected candidates must be able to successfully participate in pre-employment and random drug testing.
• Meet the University of New Hampshire’s hiring requirements for both criminal and driving history (background checks are required).
• Applicants must have interest in working in a remote educational environment.
• Good communication skills and ability to work well with students, faculty and other staff members in an isolated environment.
• ServSafe Manager Certificate (or willingness to obtain in first two weeks of employment).
  
  

Required Licenses & Certifications

• Serve as a crew member on board a commercial or an oceanographic vessel, Valid Drivers License and Safe Driving Record.
  
  

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Must be able to work with as a team member with students, faculty and staff in an isolated and physically demanding environment involving long hours.
• Must be willing and able to assist with moving, packing, loading and unloading of supply runs both on Appledore and on the mainland.
• Must be able to lift and move more than 50 lbs.
• Must be able to work while standing and moving 8-11 hours per day.
  
  

Other Requirements

• Shoals Marine Laboratory (SML) is a residential, teaching facility located on Appledore Island, Isles of Shoals, Maine. The island field station is open seasonally from May-September, and supports students, faculty, visitors and staff in a close-knit, sustainable community.
• Room and board are provided for island staff. All staff serve the island community as a team with each department working together to support SML’s programs. It is everyone’s responsibility to foster a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment for all.
• Living and working on a remote island is a unique experience which requires that everyone pitch in to help, even when it is not part of their job description, or during their scheduled hours. This includes, but is not limited to helping clean up after meals, helping transport goods from the vessels to other locations on the island, operating as crew aboard vessels, and generally being supportive and helpful with other members of our community.
• The University of New Hampshire is committed to providing a safe environment for all persons, including but not limited to children, and to prevent and respond to abuse, neglect and crimes against children. All UNH youth program staff shall be subject to a criminal background check as required by NH State Law. Staff and volunteers will also be required to complete periodic child safety training.
  
  

The University of New Hampshire is an R1 Carnegie classification research institution providing comprehensive, high-quality undergraduate and graduate programs of distinction. UNH is located in Durham on a 188-acre campus, 60 miles north of Boston and 8 miles from the Atlantic coast and is convenient to New Hampshire’s lakes and mountains. There is a student enrollment of 13,000 students, with a full-time faculty of over 600, offering 90 undergraduate and more than 70 graduate programs. The University actively promotes a dynamic learning environment in which qualified individuals of differing perspectives, life experiences, and cultural backgrounds pursue academic goals with mutual respect and shared inquiry.

EEO Statement

The University System of New Hampshire is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access employer. The University System is committed to creating an environment that values and supports diversity and inclusiveness across our campus communities and encourages applications from qualified individuals who will help us achieve this mission. The University System prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or marital status.

Location:

Durham

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