Full-Time

Head Chef

Updated on 8/23/2026

Upper Crust Food Service

Upper Crust Food Service

201-500 employees

On-campus Greek-life catering and meal prep

No salary listed

Athens, OH, USA

In Person

Bachelor's

Category
General Maintenance & Repair (1)
Required Skills
Inventory Management

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Requirements
  • The candidate must demonstrate proficiency in various cooking methods, cuisines, ingredients, equipment, and procedures.
  • The candidate must maintain accurate kitchen and staff management records.
  • The candidate must be able to work in a loud, busy kitchen environment with hazards including hot surfaces and liquids, sharp knives, slippery floors, and cleaning chemicals.
  • The candidate must be able to work in extreme heat or cold, stand for up to eight or more hours, walk, bend, stoop, and lift or move objects weighing up to 50 pounds.
  • The candidate must be able to pass a background check.
  • The candidate must hold a valid manager-level sanitation certification or obtain one within 30 days of employment.
Responsibilities
  • Create, plan, and execute fresh, from-scratch weekly menus with input from the client and management team.
  • Direct all food preparation and kitchen staff in accordance with the company's core values and culture.
  • Prepare, design, and execute menus.
  • Attend required menu meetings with the chapter.
  • Create high-quality meals with excellent presentation and flavor.
  • Send photos of meal presentations to management regularly.
  • Maintain a clean and sanitary kitchen and dining room.
  • Wash kitchen utensils, equipment, and dishes.
  • Ensure the kitchen operates in a timely manner.
  • Oversee and train kitchen staff, manage schedules, and assess performance with management's approval.
  • Order supplies within budgetary requirements and stock inventory.
  • Enforce sanitation and food safety standards under state and local regulations.
  • Assist in planning and executing special events as directed by management.
  • Communicate regularly with management by calls, emails, and texts.
  • Ensure staff compliance with all company policies.
  • Maintain communication with management and customers while consistently delivering outstanding products and customer service.
Desired Qualifications
  • At least three years of professional, high-volume food production or catering experience, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
  • A culinary degree is preferred.
  • Familiarity with industry best practices.
Upper Crust Food Service

Upper Crust Food Service

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Upper Crust Food Service caters university dining with a focus on Greek life, serving fraternities and sororities across many organizations. Professional chefs plan, cook, and deliver fresh, nutritious meals daily under long-term contracts. Outsourcing kitchen operations reduces on-campus burden for Greek chapters while ensuring higher meal quality and predictable revenue for the service. The goal is to provide convenient, high-quality dining for Greek organizations and build steady partnerships that boost member satisfaction and retention.

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

Columbia, Missouri

Founded

2009

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Copley Equity Partners invested in June 2023, giving Upper Crust growth capital.
  • The January 2025 College Fresh deal added 2,000+ professionals and 100+ campuses.
  • Upper Crust now markets a larger national footprint, helping win multi-house university contracts.

What critics are saying

  • Integrating College Fresh, Campus Cooks, and College Chefs strains service quality through 2025.
  • Greek-life dependence exposes revenue to fraternity budget cuts and chapter consolidations by 2026.
  • A service failure at one flagship campus can trigger contract losses across 100 campuses.

What makes Upper Crust Food Service unique

  • Upper Crust bought College Fresh in January 2025, consolidating Greek-life catering leadership.
  • It serves 45 states and 100+ campuses, creating rare national scale in niches.
  • Jack Dawson joined as president, pairing founder-led execution with acquisition integration.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Pet Insurance

401(k) Company Match

Paid Vacation

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

31%

1 year growth

31%

2 year growth

31%
Business Wire
Jan 9th, 2025
Upper Crust Food Service Announces Acquisition of College Fresh

Upper Crust Food Service, LLC (“Upper Crust”) and College Fresh, Inc (“College Fresh”), two of the largest contract food service management companies

Venture Capital
Jan 8th, 2025
Upper Crust Food Service Acquires College Fresh, Expands Market Share

Upper Crust Food Service, LLC has acquired College Fresh, Inc, expanding its market share in the contract food service management industry.

Phoenix Media Network, Inc.
Jan 11th, 2024
Upper Crust Food Service Announces Acquisition of Campus Cooks

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Upper Crust Food Service, LLC ("Upper Crust") and Campus Cooks, LLC ("Campus Cooks"), two of the largest providers of contract food service management companies serving Fraternity and Sorority houses, announced today that they are combining operations via Upper Crust's acquisition of Campus Cooks.

Business Wire
Jan 11th, 2024
Upper Crust Food Service Announces Acquisition of Campus Cooks.

Upper Crust Food Service, LLC (“Upper Crust”) and Campus Cooks, LLC (“Campus Cooks”), two of the largest providers of contract food service management

Phoenix Media Network, Inc.
Jun 30th, 2023
Upper Crust Food Service, Leading Provider of Contract Food Services, Announces Investment from Copley Equity Partners

Late last year, Upper Crust announced a merger with College Chefs, another leading food service provider serving the Greek community.