Farm-Based Culinary Lead

Culinary Lead – Prepared Foods & Value-Added Products

Turn an 8-acre urban farm's daily harvest into a thriving line of ready-to-eat meals, sauces, ferments, bowls, dips, pickles and more.

We're looking for a systems-minded, food-obsessed creator who wants to own and grow an entire prepared-food program from the ground up — with real support, existing infrastructure, and a clear path to building your own small team.

This role starts part-time (10–25 hrs/week) and is designed to become full-time or salaried as the product line scales.

Please apply on the website (under about us), or message us for more information.

You'll never be doing this alone

• Owners are ServeSafe Manager and food-safety certified and stays hands-on
• Dedicated purchasing team member sources jars, lids, packaging, and outside ingredients
• Established co-packer relationships and seasonal schedules already in place
• Farm production team flags surplus and harvests specifically for value-added
• Eager retail, CSA, delivery, and wholesale customers waiting to buy what you make

Pay & Benefits

• $20–26/hour to start (higher for proven experience)
• Clear path to full-time salaried + building your own 1–3 person processing team
• Meaningful profit-share from the prepared-food line + performance bonuses
• Unlimited farm seconds & blemished produce for personal use
• 15% employee discount on everything at the farmstand
• Flexible schedule and the chance to work at one of the most innovative urban farms in the Midwest

What You'll Do

• Create, test, and perfect new recipes using exactly what we grow
• Build the annual value-added calendar (what we make and when)
• Manage on-farm kitchen days and co-packer production runs
• Cost recipes, track margins, and set pricing
• Keep us 100% compliant (ODA, FDA, local health) with owner and copacker backup
• Gather customer/team feedback and iterate fast
• Eventually help hire, train, and lead 1–3 kitchen assistants

Real-Life Examples of What This Job Actually Looks Like

• First week of June: 400 lbs of strawberries are coming in hot. Sunday night you text the freeze-dry co-packer, Monday you schedule two kitchen assistants, pull biscuits from the freezer, confirm cream, and set up a strawberry-shortcake-kit assembly line for the farmstand foodtruck.
• Tuesday: 4 gallons of milk about to code + a case of slightly sad cauliflower. By Thursday afternoon you've roasted, blended, labeled, and frozen 60 pints of "Farmhouse Cauliflower Chowder" for CSA and the farmstore freezer. Or, maybe our copacker has capacity and you deliver the product, and our systems-based recipe over for their processing.
• August: 100 lbs of split cherry tomatoes. Two days with one assistant → fire-roasted salsa through the co-packer
• October: you see excess kale and cabbage coming. You develop and test a kimchi recipe, lock in a 400-lb co-packer run, and by December we have a new winter bestseller.
• Every January: you review harvest forecasts and last year's sales, decide the year's new jams, hot sauces, pestos, and pickles, order jars six months early, and book co-packer dates before anyone else is awake.

This is fast, practical, profitable, and a little scrappy. If those examples made you grin and think, "I would crush that," you're our person.

Who You Are

• 2–3+ years professional kitchen experience (some supervisory a plus)
• Love seasonal ingredients and hate food waste
• Systems thinker who geeks out on efficient processes, recipe costing, and food safety
• Understands food safety, comfortable with inspectors, but willing to question the status quo.
• Self-starter who thrives with autonomy yet loves being part of a tight team
• Physically capable (lift 30 lbs, come to work even when its snowing)
• Clean driving record and reliable transportation
• Looking for a long-term home (this is a career-track role, not a season)

We run background checks on final candidates. We believe in grace, second chances, and honest conversation — your past does not disqualify you here.

Please apply on the website (under about us), or message us for more information.

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time

Pay: $ $26.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Flexible schedule
• Food provided

People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply

Experience:

• Culinary: 1 year (Preferred)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Carlisle, OH 45005