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.