Chef Instructor for Teens

Chef Instructor for Teens 

Organizational Description

Sunflower Bakery is a non-profit, kosher, social enterprise that uses food as a lever to enable pathways for employment for young adults with learning differences through skilled job training and employment opportunities in the baking, culinary and hospitality industries. Sunflower workforce development training programs include Pastry Arts, Culinary and Hospitality Employment, as well as a pre-employment Teen Exposure Program. The Sunflower Teen Exposure Program offers baking and work exposure classes for students in high school ages 16 through graduation, with a variety of learning disabilities, ADHD, Level 1 or 2 Autism Spectrum Disorders and more. The classes offer real-time opportunities to experience baking in a kosher professional kitchen, learn basic baking skills, safe food handling and kitchen safety, while having a taste of job expectations and job exploration.

Position

The Teen Pastry Chef Instructor is an integral and essential member of the Sunflower Bakery organization. The Sunflower Bakery staff operates in a collaborative manner with some overlapping areas of responsibility. The Teen Pastry Chef Instructor is a part-time, hourly position, requiring 16-20 hours per Session, each session including 4 classes of 2.5 hours of actual class time.  The Teen Pastry Chef Instructor, in consultation with the Associate Director, will implement, modify, evaluate, and fine-tune in an on-going manner, a teen exposure program for teens with learning differences. Teens will be exposed to opportunities for employment in baking or related industries. Compensation is competitive and commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Position Requirements/Essential Functions

• Ongoing development and implementation of a curriculum in pastry arts that includes following recipes, measuring and weighing ingredients, using equipment and tools, piping, mixing, scooping, rolling and cleaning.
• Sharing information regarding the path they have taken to this point in their career, including education, training and on-the-job training, as well as that of others in the food industry.
• Reinforcing in the kitchen the “soft skills” desired by employers in the food industry, such as following directions, focus, time management, sharing equipment/tools, appropriate workplace/kitchen and other communication, and being a team member.
• Individualizing the curriculum to address each participant’s skill development and learning need
• Physically assisting the students while standing, using hand-over-hand when necessary or re-positioning them at their workstations for efficiency of movement or safety in the professional kitchen.
• Not only introducing skills to students, but also visually observing and getting a feel for their aptitude for possible further training in the field, with recommendations to Sunflower’s 6-month career training, as appropriate.
• Adding input to the Job Exploration Counseling Report required by DORS for each student at the end of each 10-hour session.
• Teaching multiple 10-hour class sessions per year, either in 4 weekday afternoons, for 2.5 hours/class, 4-6:30pm (Mondays and Tuesdays for a 4-class session) during the school year and in July (4 days in one week) or on four consecutive Sundays for 2.5 hours, depending on the season and schedule. Calendar and schedule modifications may be agreed upon during the year. Four to six students will attend each session.
• Preparing the kitchen for class. Doing “set-up” before each class, providing tool boxes, ingredient trays, bowls, containers, mixers, scales, baking trays, sanitation buckets, etc., for each work station, according to lesson plan for each session. Preparing ingredients in smaller containers for each student. Posting daily schedule on white board.
• Doing “wrap-up” at the end of each class, assuring the kitchen is clean, ingredients are properly stored, and any partially completed products are stored appropriately in the freezer, refrigerator, or as otherwise appropriate.
• Utilizing teen peer/other volunteers by engaging them actively in assisting students hands-on and guiding them to clear work stations of used tools, ingredients, etc., to keep work flow running smoothly.
• Maintaining a calm and professional atmosphere when faced with challenging circumstances during classes.
• Consulting with the Associate Director and/or Director of Student Services on a regular basis to better understand the individual participants’ disabilities and accommodations.

Qualifications

• Training in pastry arts, work experience or personal skill-development in baking.
• Experience, personal or professional, working with individuals with learning differences.
• Training, degree, or experience in a related field.
• Knowledge of/experience in training others in the work place.
• Must be reliable, maintain a professional attitude, be highly organized and be team- oriented.
• Demonstration of willingness to teach teens with a range of disabilities in a supportive manner, accepting differences and creatively accommodating them in helping students maximize the learning opportunity.
• Knowledge of/experience with how to provide necessary accommodations to meet individual, group, and program needs with patience.
• Must be able to speak, read, write, and understand English.
• Demonstration of ability to positively and effectively communicate with people of diverse abilities.
• Must be able to bend, lift, and carry heavy mixers, bowls and baking trays.
• Must have excellent time management skills.
• ServSafe Certification desirable.

Sunflower Bakery is an equal opportunity employer committed to

employing a diverse workforce and sustaining an inclusive culture.