Courtenay BC, Vancouver Island

Position: Kitchen Coordinator
Organization: LUSH Valley Food Action Society
Location: 2342 Rosewall Crescent, Courtenay (primarily) and North Island College Comox Valley Campus (as needed)

• Wage: $28.01/hour – Plus holiday, benefits and wellness package
• Schedule: 40 hours a week Mon-Friday
• Generally Monday – Friday, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM with some flexibility, and occasional evenings and weekends
• Posting Opens: Feb 11th, 2026
• Posting Closes: Feb 25th, 2026
• Start/End date: March 23rd or ASAP
• Interviews: March 3rd & 4th
• Benefits: Benefits package, wellness spending and three weeks vacation

GENERAL OVERVIEW

LUSH Valley Food Action Society is a Comox Valley based non-profit organization. We envision a region where healthy, local food is at the heart of community wellbeing. We support the Comox Valley community to gain food-systems tools, engage in just and resilient local food systems and receive equitable access to nourishing food.

When you work with LUSH Valley, you become part of an energetic and passionate team making positive change in the Comox Valley.

ROLE SUMMARY:

LUSH Valley is looking for a dynamic and experienced chef/cook to coordinate our Kitchen programs, which include the Hot Meal program, prep for North Island College Cafeteria and catering support. Experience with baking is also an asset. This role will support the smooth functioning of day-to-day operations in the kitchen and the delivery of programs, working under the supervision of the Kitchen Manager.

The Kitchen Coordinator will prepare batch lunches for the Hot Meal Program, develop fun, creative menus for catering events ranging from 25–300 guests, support food prep and baking for the North Island College Cafeteria, build on existing farm relationships to source local products and support other programs and staff as required. The ideal candidate will have a depth of experience in professional cooking for groups, be passionate about serving low income people experiencing food insecurity, understand local and seasonal food and be skilled at developing creative menus and recipes, while working within a set budget and accurately tracking costs. They will be skilled at maximizing the use and shelf life of seasonal produce gluts, integrating ingredients into existing programs and developing value-added products. Candidates must be experienced in a production kitchen and on a line. Duties may include baking for the LUSH Valley Cafe, depending on the candidate’s skill set.

This role requires someone who is self-directed and comfortable working independently, while confidently directing volunteers and seasonal or contract staff with minimal supervision: experience working with volunteers is an asset, strong kitchen leadership is essential.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Coordinate and work with volunteers to prepare and cook up to 150 meals a day for the Hot Meal Program
• Working compassionately to assist and accommodate community partners and volunteers in picking up their Hot Meals
• With the Kitchen Manager, prepare menus and food for LUSH Valley catering events
• Prepare standardized menu items highlighting local and seasonal foods
• Create diverse menus highlighting local and seasonal foods
• Understand and be guided by a budget
• Managing inventory: conducting weekly counts, receiving orders, rotating products, and monitoring quality and food safety
• With the Warehouse and Kitchen Managers, food/product ordering from farms and retailers
• Shopping for ingredients and products from retailers as needed
• Tracking cross-program food sharing data
• Keeping accurate records of donated product, volunteer engagement, labour hours and the value of local goods
• Collecting and recording impact data in tracking platforms (including Google Sheets and Monday) in a timely way to support reporting
• Engage with and be sensitive and accommodating to a variety of LUSH Valley clients, including those with allergies or food sensitivities
• Collaborate with various staff, board, volunteers, farmers and community partners
• Candidate-dependent: baking for LUSH Valley Cafe
• Additional tasks as required to support the Kitchen Manager or other programs
• Meeting Food Safe requirements and keeping a clean and organized kitchen and workspace
• Attending staff meetings and other organizational planning meetings,
• Occasionally cooking and/or baking for organizational meetings, lunches or celebrations
• Supporting other program and organizational tasks as needed, particularly when other staff are sick or on vacation.

SKILLS and ABILITIES

• Ability to take a leadership role in the kitchen, and to maintain calm under pressure
• Understanding of one’s capacity to complete tasks at a high quality under a timeline and communicating clearly when additional help is needed.
• Having proven systems in place to keep kitchens and workspaces organized and efficient
• Ability to use spreadsheets and the google suite and to learn and consistently use new digital programs and systems for tracking data and organizing work plans and to keep self updated with the latest organizational tools and systems.
• Ability to adapt to dynamic responsibilities and a workload that shifts seasonally
• Ability to organize, multitask, problem-solve, and be self-directed to prioritize and complete tasks to a high standard
• A positive, collaborative attitude- and an interest in working with a team towards a shared vision
• Strong English language written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to receive and provide feedback in a way that focuses on improving skills and program outcomes
• Ability to work independently and/or part of a team
• Comfortable lifting up to 50 pounds and dealing with physically demanding and repetitive tasks.
• Proven record of positive working relationships with co-workers, partners and clients.
• Excellent customer service skills and experience
• Ability to develop training materials and train other staff on daily operations

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• 3+ years of culinary experience
• Formal culinary training
• Valid FoodSafe Certification
• Criminal record clearance
• Class 5 driver's license with a clear driver's abstract
• Working knowledge of Google Workspace (including Google Drive, Google Docs, and Google Sheets)
• Experience with online tracking systems, spreadsheets and sales platforms an asset
• Food security, and food systems knowledge and experience an asset
• Basic first aid an asset

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

LUSH Valley’s cooking programs operate out of the LUSH Valley kitchen at our building in Tin Town. On occasion, the Kitchen Coordinator will also work out of the North Island College (NIC) Comox Valley Campus Kitchen and The Farmer’s Kitchen (TFK) food truck.

The LUSH Valley, NIC and TFK facility includes a large walk-in cooler, walk-in freezer, a small deep fryer, a six burner stove, two commercial ovens and a flat-top grill, induction burners and a large processing space with necessary equipment. The ideal candidate will have experience using, cleaning and maintaining these pieces of equipment, working in close quarters with others in varying temperatures. The kitchen also requires the ability to work in small spaces and use stairs with ease. Some heavy lifting is required in this role. Business-casual attire may be required for certain events.

TO APPLY:

Please submit your resume and cover letter to Natasha at: support@lushvalley.org

Please mention you saw this at GoodWork.ca.

LUSH Valley is grateful to receive all applications, but we can only contact shortlisted candidates.

LUSH Valley believes in diversity, employment equity and social justice. We encourage applications from all community members, but would be especially interested in receiving them from Indigenous peoples, visible minorities, persons with disability, LGBTQIA2S+ people and members of marginalized communities.