Do you want to work for a global company that creates remarkable experiences through people, products, and food? If you want to be part of a rewarding People First culture that values relationships, trust, and taking the long view, then this is the place for you. Henny Penny was named the 2021 Dayton Business of the Year for many good reasons. Read on to learn more!
As a Culinary Specialist II - will play a vital role in supporting the culinary team by meticulously planning, tracking, and executing a wide range of events to help achieve company goals. Your responsibilities will encompass overseeing the overall success of our culinary and foodservice operations, both within our establishment and for off-site events.
Why You'll Love Working Here:
An opportunity to work for a company that is 100% employee-owned. As an employee-owner, you will be enrolled in our employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) program following one year of service.
Flexibility to work from home 2 days per week
Defined career paths so you’ll always know what’s next and what steps can get where you want to go
Professional development opportunities including tuition reimbursement and unlimited free access to LinkedIn Learning courses
A competitive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, 401(k) with company match, PTO, and paid holidays
Expanded onsite wellness clinic offering preventive care services such as wellness screenings, annual physicals, and related lab work at no cost to employee-owners
Achieve total well-being at our new Wellspring and Owners Hall facility, featuring 24/7 fitness center with a wide variety of cardio and strength training equipment. This facility reflects our continuous evolution in supporting our valued employee owners.
Activities including department outings, holiday parties, and our annual company-wide Thanksgiving Dinner
What You'll Be Doing:
Partner with the culinary team to plan, coordinate, and execute events with excellence, ensuring a high level of customer satisfaction.
Prepare and serve meals following standardized recipes while accommodating dietary preferences, VIP needs, and special occasions.
Supports Corporate Chef with daily kitchen operations, including inventory management, ordering, receiving, food safety, sanitation, and temperature logging.
Ensure all food items are properly dated, labeled, rotated, and stored according to HACCP guidelines.
Maintain cleanliness and readiness of dining rooms, training areas, conference spaces, and kitchen/hot bar environments.
Track and maintain kitchen equipment, smallwares, dry stock, paper goods, and manage culinary equipment across buildings.
Assists with monitoring food and labor costs, identify opportunities for efficiency, and implement cost‑control measures without compromising quality.
Assists with managing event billing, track expenses, generate invoices, and maintain comprehensive financial records.
Develop strong relationships with vendors to ensure timely delivery of ingredients, beverages, and equipment.
Oversee beverage cooler stocking and coordinate food donations to local food banks.
Supports culinary planning and execution for trade shows, including booth setup, inventory transport, equipment packing, and onsite support.
Train staff and volunteers in safe food handling, equipment cleaning, and culinary procedures.
Organize catering requests and hospitality tasks, conduct demos, and maintain accurate event tracking.
Demonstrate company values and foster a collaborative, positive work environment.
Perform additional duties as required to support culinary operations.
What We're Looking For:
Level 2 ServSafe Certification
Food allergen awareness certification
Food handler’s certification preferred
Food protection certification
Strong knowledge of HACCP standards
2–4 years of culinary experience in contract foodservice, fine dining, or restaurant operations, including inventory and purchasing
Highly organized, detail‑oriented, and collaborative
Able to prioritize multiple tasks with a sense of urgency
Passionate about people, food, and delivering exceptional experiences
Proficient in Microsoft Office and basic administrative tasks
Able to lift up to 50 lbs. and stand for up to 8 hours
Ability to work evenings or weekends for events as needed
Travel up to 20%
About Us
We’re known in our industry for making the best commercial food equipment in the world. Every day, millions of people eat in restaurants operating Henny Penny equipment. We’re a behind-the-scenes engine in the world’s most demanding kitchens, including long-term partners like McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, KFC, and Wendy’s. We’re 1,000+ employee-owners who thrive by living a People First mission: to support employees in becoming the best version of themselves both personally and professionally.
We recently completed the largest expansion in our history with the addition of 150,000 square feet on our Eaton campus. This expansion drives development of the world’s most reliable, easy-to-use equipment with an innovative new space for global research and development. We have several collaborative spaces for our project teams, a dedicated electrical engineering lab for our hardware and software engineers, a full model shop for rapid prototyping, and a brand-new test lab that has 300 feet of hood space to test new equipment on our product roadmap. On top of that, we have a new state-of-the-art kitchen for our food science group to meet with our customers, understand what they need, and then dial in our equipment to help them make legendary menu items.
Henny Penny is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants are considered without regard to race, creed, color, religion, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, physical or mental disability or handicap, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth and pregnancy-related conditions), marital status, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity or expression (including transgender status), or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.
