Executive Chef

About Just Fare 

Just Fare is building a just world where food is a force for social change. We make good food — for people who enjoy eating, and for those who want a more equitable and just food system. Based in Oakland, CA, we offer food services for the workplace, event catering, design commercial kitchens and food programs, and operate a community kitchen. We ground everything we do in service of creating a more responsible and ethical world.

1% of our revenue supports donated meals made by our charitable arm, Just Fare Community Kitchen. So far, we have delivered over 500,000 meals to communities fighting food insecurity in the Bay Area.

Tastes good. Does good.

About Workplace

Our Workplace business unit prepares and serves food for a variety of Bay Area companies and institutions. Prepared to satisfy refined palettes and a diverse range of dietary sensitivities and preferences, our nourishing meals aim to delight employees. Our Workplace business unit offers multiple food program solutions to meet our clients' needs.

Position Overview

The Executive Chef will oversee and manage all aspects of our office catering program, which produces roughly 1,000 meals a day, five days a week from our commissary kitchen. They will spend the majority of their time working from the kitchen with occasional visits to client locations around the Bay Area. 

This position has great growth potential, contributing to future concepts, planning and management of future food programs. Fare is evolving during an exciting time and is looking for a unique EC who is a great people person and knows how to get the best from everyone. This role requires great attention to detail, the ability to improve and implement systems and tools efficiently and effectively. They will be a true problem-solver, no matter the challenge. Executive Chef reports to the CEO and works collaboratively with leadership and other managers.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Food & Menu Development

• Uphold and evolve Just Fare’s food vision rooted in sustainability, justice, and hospitality.
• Lead the menu development process, ensuring alignment with responsible sourcing, seasonality and dietary inclusivity.
• Collaborate with our clients, sourcing and operations teams to develop menus that are cost-effective, low-waste, and efficient to execute at scale.
• Drive innovation by exploring new formats, global flavors, and creative techniques that meet client and community needs.
• Identify and implement measurable strategies to reduce food waste and improve kitchen sustainability.

Sourcing & Partnerships

• Build and maintain strong relationships with farmers, vendors, and suppliers.
• Evaluate ingredient quality, availability, and price to ensure alignment with our culinary and impact goals.
• Collaborate with strategic partners to integrate minimally processed, regional ingredients into our menus.
• Participate in sourcing strategy discussions to improve cost of goods while supporting local, sustainable supply chains whenever possible.

Culinary Operations

• Oversee daily culinary operations across workplace catering, community kitchen, events, and special projects — ensuring consistency, quality, and safety.
• Lead the BOH team to meet production timelines, service expectations, and food safety protocols across multiple client sites.
• Develop and refine systems that support production planning, ordering, prep, plating, and service execution.
• Manage culinary infrastructure — including kitchen equipment, smallwares, maintenance, and space utilization.
• Collaborate with cross-functional leaders to improve operational flow across FOH, BOH, and Logistics teams.

Team Leadership

• Hire, train, and mentor culinary staff across all kitchens, from line cooks to sous chefs and prep teams.
• Set clear expectations for performance, safety, and professional growth; coach staff and lead by example.
• Create and manage schedules that align with labor budgets and client needs.
• Lead with equity and inclusion, modeling Just Fare’s values in communication, accountability, and collaboration.
• Conduct performance evaluations and participate in disciplinary processes as needed

Client Collaboration & Communication

• Partner with the Hospitality Manager and FOH teams to deliver outstanding service and client satisfaction.
• Support client communication on menu planning, dietary needs, and service enhancements.
• Respond to daily feedback and use it to make thoughtful, efficient operational adjustments.
• Represent the culinary team in client meetings, tastings, some sales pitches and quarterly reviews as needed.

Finance & Metrics

• Collaborate with the Finance team to manage food and labor costs, ensuring financially sound operations.
• Review weekly and monthly financial reports to identify trends and drive decision-making.
• Lead culinary team education around budgeting, COGS, waste, and profitability.
• Track key kitchen metrics — including food cost, waste reduction, production efficiency, and satisfaction scores — and use data to inform improvements.

Sustainability & Impact

• Lead sustainability efforts in the kitchen, including waste reduction, resource conservation, and sourcing practices.
• Ensure compliance with any certification standards or internal commitments related to environmental and social impact.
• Contribute to Just Fare’s role as a thought leader in equitable, sustainable institutional food.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Minimum 5 years experience as an Executive Chef and/or Culinary Operator within a commissary, restaurant or relevant food operation.
• Perform highly detailed work under fluctuating and concerted deadlines.
• High levels of organizational development; systems creation, structure implementation and ongoing tracking and management.
• Experience as a proven leader with the desire and ability to train others with measurable goals, outcomes and success metrics. Must be inclusive, respectful and considerate.
• Ability to uphold high standards for the team through positive discipline and fostering of teamwork. 
• Ability to be self-sufficient and make sound decisions on-the-fly. 
• Desire to work with the best local purveyors and products the region has to offer.
• Ability to think through the life cycle of food and develop plans to optimize operational efficiency, mitigate waste, and decrease environmental impact. 
• Extensive culinary skills (knife, prep, preservation, etc).
• Ability to set goals, then plan and execute a roadmap to achieve them.
• Honest, clear, and strong oral and written communication skills.
• Proficient computer skills (docs, spreadsheets, etc). 
• Courage to think differently, take risks, ask questions and see outcomes as positive no matter the results.
• Multi-unit operational experience and bilingual are big bonuses.

Compensation & Benefits 

• Salary Range of $95,000 to 100,000/Annually Depending on Skills and Experience.
• Competitive wages in an equitable tiered pay structure for all positions. 
• Cell Phone Stipend
• Health, dental, and vision insurance - After 90 Days
• Self Managed Vacation, Paid Time Off (PTO) - After 90 Days
• All employees 401K (retirement account) -After 90 days
• Commuter (pre-tax) - After 30 Days
• Meals provided daily onsite at Oakland Commissary Kitchen
• Opportunity to develop your skills, work with amazing people & be a part of a force for social change!

Schedule & Expectations

Typical operating hours are is Monday through Friday with hours dependent on the service. You are responsible for managing your schedule, based on your shift availability, with your supervisor.