Culinary Instructor

Culinary Instructor – Petaluma, CA

We are seeking an experienced Culinary Instructor to teach and mentor adult students at a federal training center in Petaluma, California. This role is ideal for chefs, bakers, or food service professionals who enjoy teaching and want a stable, primarily weekday schedule while working in a hands-on culinary environment.

Role Overview

As a Culinary Instructor, you will deliver classroom instruction and hands-on kitchen training using an established training curriculum. You will teach students preparing for professional food service roles in both small instructional kitchens and high-volume dining facilities.

All training curriculum, lesson plans, and instructor onboarding will be provided. Instructors are supported through structured instructor training and are not expected to design coursework from scratch.

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver classroom instruction and hands-on culinary training for adult learners
• Demonstrate professional cooking and baking techniques
• Oversee practical training in instructional kitchens and large-scale dining facilities
• Teach food safety, sanitation, menu planning, inventory management, and budgeting
• Evaluate student performance and provide coaching, feedback, and remediation as needed
• Mentor students and model professionalism, teamwork, and kitchen leadership
• Maintain training documentation and support continuous improvement of instruction

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional experience as a chef, baker, or food service manager
• Experience in high-volume or institutional food service (restaurants, hospitals, universities, catering, cruise ships, or similar)
• Previous experience teaching, training, or mentoring in a culinary or food service setting
• Strong communication skills and a passion for developing others
• Ability to work on your feet in a fast-paced kitchen environment

Schedule & Benefits

• Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday–Friday (daytime hours). Occasional nights or weekends may be required during special events.
• Holidays: 12 paid federal holidays
• Compensation: Competitive hourly pay plus a separate health and welfare stipend
• Additional Benefits: 401(k), medical, dental, and vision insurance, life insurance, short- and long-term disability coverage, paid sick time, and paid time off beginning in year two

This position offers a unique opportunity to combine culinary expertise with teaching and mentorship in a structured, professional training environment with strong work-life balance.