Culinary Director

About Us: 

Proudly serving our San Francisco Bay Area communities since 1986, Mollie Stone’s Markets is a local, family-owned grocery store chain. With over 38 years of exemplary performance, Mollie Stone’s Markets continues to make a difference in people’s lives through food. We succeed in the industry by ensuring we deliver a large variety of exciting and quality products in an attractive and positive environment. Our roots remain in healthy, natural and specialty foods. Mollie Stone’s Buyers work closely with local producers around the greater Bay Area to bring high quality products to every aisle. Our goal is to surprise and delight our customers.

We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice, and we are proud to offer competitive wages, paid time off, physical and mental health benefits, 401(k) or pension plan, as well as career training programs through our professional partnerships. As a local, family owned and operated business, we are grateful to our customers as they support our vision, which allows us to care for our employees by making a difference in their lives.

About the Role:

The Culinary Director provides strategic and operational leadership for culinary teams across multiple locations, overseeing food preparation for Prepared Foods counters and Grab-and-Go cases. This role leads recipe development, food costing, production standards, and training for the Prepared Foods program.

The Culinary Director will drive innovation and menu development while also leading culinary store leaders to excellence. The elevated Prepared food program will cater and appeal to store guests, and drive sales to this growing department.

This role requires ensuring a positive company image by providing courteous, friendly, and efficient service to guests and Team Members at all times.

Essential Functions:

• Provide strategic and operational oversight for production across all Prepared Foods venues and locations.
• Ensure that food quality, quantity, freshness, and presentation meet all health and company standards.
• Maintain high productivity levels and ensures that kitchen schedules are kept within budget.
• Ensure that production is done using the correct tools, measurements, and that all recipes are followed consistently.
• Responsible for catering production.
• Minimize waste and spoilage, keeps appropriate records and documents, and meets all related targets.
• Provides outstanding customer service, leads by example, addresses needs of customers in a timely and effective manner.
• Model suggestive upselling techniques
• Responsible for hiring, training, retaining and motivating Kitchen Staff.
• Maximize sales potential across all Mollie Stone’s Markets through effective and proper procedures for prepping, storing, rotating, stocking, and merchandising product.
• Follow and comply, as well as ensure of team’s compliance, with established procedures including but not limited to: Weights and Measures, health and sanitation, and safe work practices.
• Maintain and ensure maintenance of a clean and sanitary working and shopping environment.
• Maintain equipment in accordance with cleanliness and food safety standards; ensure walk-ins and freezers are clean and organized.
• Perform opening, mid, and closing duties as assigned; ensure accuracy of signs and pricing.
• Immediately report safety hazards and violations.
• Responsible for SOP development and implementation.
• Perform other duties as assigned by Corporate Leadership.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Minimum of Ten (10) years of experience in prepared foods, culinary operations, food retail, and multi-unit food environments within the specialty grocery industry.
• Minimum of Seven (7) years' experience managing staff and operations across multiple grocery retail locations with training and development experience.
• Minimum of Three (3) years’ experience in a senior leadership capacity overseeing multiple locations or large-scale culinary operations
• Experience building elevated food programs, merchandising strategies and customer-driven experiences.
• Knowledge and handling experience with a variety of dietary foods.
• MS Office experience, including Word, Excel, Power Point.
• Experience with Food Management Software.

Physical Requirements:

• Lifting: min. of 50 lbs.
• Standing: Up to 8 hours per day.
• Seating: Up to 1 hour per day.
• Walking: Up to 8 hours per day.
• Reaching: Up to 6 hours per day.
• Supervisory Responsibility:
• Executive Chefs and all Kitchen Chef’s.

Travel Requirements:

• Travel as needed (75-100%) around the SF Bay area.
• Travel between stores and corporate offic

Compensation & Benefits:

• Competitive salary: $100,000–$135,000, depending on experience.
• Medical and full Dental and Vision Benefits
• Retirement 401(k) Plan
• Profit Sharing
• Dynamic and exciting work environment.
• PTO: Vacation, Sick, Personal Days and Paid holidays

Other Duties:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time.

Mollie Stone’s Markets is an Equal Opportunity Employer