Lead KItchen cook/manager

Job Title: Kitchen Manager / Lead Cook (Full-Time)

Location: Manassas, VA
Pay Range: $18.00 – $22.00 per hour (Based on experience)
Job Type: Full-Time, Hourly

About Us:
The American Legion Post in Manassas is looking for a dependable, organized, and skilled Kitchen Manager / Lead Cook to lead our kitchen operations. We take pride in serving our veterans, their families, and our local community with high-quality, hearty comfort food.

If you are tired of the corporate restaurant grind—the high stress, late-night 2 AM finishes, and unpredictable schedules—our kitchen offers a stable, respectful, and rewarding environment with a community-focused mission.

Position Overview:
We need a hands-on leader who can run the kitchen independently. You will be responsible for preparing and cooking our established menu items, tracking inventory, and ensuring high standards of cleanliness. A core requirement of this role is excellent food cost management and creativity—someone who knows how to stick to standardized recipes, but also possesses the culinary knowledge to safely and creatively repurpose leftovers (such as turning a weekend brisket into a delicious soup, stew, or chili for the next day) to minimize waste. Beyond the core menu, our cook has full freedom to create their own recipes and specials, both daily and on weekends.

Key Responsibilities:

• Food Preparation & Cooking: Prepare, season, and cook a variety of classic American comfort foods following established recipes to ensure consistency for our members.
• Kitchen Management: Oversee daily kitchen operations, including opening/closing duties, health code compliance, and keeping a highly clean and organized workstation.
• Waste & Cost Control: Monitor food inventory and creatively manage leftovers to maximize food usage and eliminate unnecessary food waste.
• Ordering & Inventory: Track stock levels and coordinate with management to order food, supplies, and kitchen essentials efficiently.

Qualifications:

• Experience: 3+ years of experience as a Lead Cook, Kitchen Manager, Sous Chef, or similar working kitchen role. Military culinary experience (92G/CS) is highly valued!
• Skills: Strong knowledge of scratch cooking, traditional comfort foods, and menu flexibility. Excellent understanding of portion control and food-utilization strategies.
• Food Safety: Deep understanding of food safety guidelines, particularly the correct time and temperature controls for cooling, storing, and reheating cooked foods.
• Certification: Current ServSafe Manager Certification (or willingness to obtain one quickly) is preferred.
• Attributes: Reliable, punctual, self-motivated, and respectful of a veteran-centric community environment.

What We Offer:

• Consistent, predictable full-time hours
• A much better work-life balance compared to traditional commercial kitchens (no late-night finishes)
• A friendly, appreciative, and stable work environment
• Full creative freedom to design your own daily and weekend specials
• The opportunity to directly support local veterans and the Manassas community

To Apply:
Please submit your resume or a brief summary of your kitchen experience along with your contact information to [email protected] or you may come in person to the post at 9950 Cockrell Rd, Manassas, VA 20111.

Pay: $18.00 - $22.00 per hour

Expected hours: 40.0 per week

Benefits:

• Flexible schedule

Work Location: In person