Lead Cook

About the Role

As a Lead Cook with Concordia Language Villages in Bemidji, Minnesota, you'll help bring cultures to life through food. Working alongside the Culinary Arts team, you'll prepare high-quality, culturally authentic meals while helping coordinate daily kitchen operations, guide fellow team members, and ensure a safe, efficient, and welcoming dining experience for participants, guests, and staff.

This year-round, full-time position offers an opportunity to combine hands-on culinary work with practical leadership in a collaborative environment where food is an important part of the language and cultural learning experience.

What You'll Do

• Prepare, cook, and serve culturally authentic meals for Village programs and special events, following established recipes, menus, and production schedules.
• Lead food production during assigned shifts, coordinating tasks, guiding culinary staff, and monitoring workflow to ensure meals are prepared safely, efficiently, and on time.
• Provide direction and support to Assistant Cooks, seasonal and part-time culinary staff, and volunteers, helping maintain consistent operational standards.
• Assist with menu planning, recipe development, cooking demonstrations, and culturally authentic food experiences as assigned.
• Prepare meals for participants with dietary restrictions and food allergies, following food safety, sanitation, and cross-contact prevention procedures.
• Monitor food inventory, equipment, and supplies; communicate operational needs; and maintain required production, inventory, and temperature records.
• Maintain clean, safe, and organized kitchens, dining areas, and equipment, including supporting cleaning, dishwashing, and routine equipment maintenance.
• Support Village programs and special events through meal service, presentations, and positive interactions with participants, guests, and staff.
• Contribute to the immersive language-learning environment through positive participant interactions and use of target languages whenever possible.

You'll Thrive Here if You

• Take pride in preparing quality food and appreciate the role that cuisine plays in connecting people and cultures.
• Enjoy leading by example, supporting fellow team members, and helping a busy kitchen run smoothly.
• Are dependable, organized, and attentive to food safety, quality, and detail.
• Can balance hands-on cooking with coordinating tasks, guiding others, and adapting to changing priorities.
• Enjoy working with people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds and find meaning in contributing to a mission-driven organization.