Kitchen Manager

Job Title: Retreat Kitchen Manager

Department: Culinary & Hospitality

Reports to: Seven Oaks Retreat Center Management

Job Type: Full-Time / Salaried

Hours: Regular schedule; adjusted as needed around retreat calendar

Location: On-site (Madison, VA)

Position Summary:

Seven Oaks Retreat Center hosts a variety of contemplative groups for residential retreats nestled in the nature of the Blue Ridge mountains. Owned and operated by the Insight Meditation Community of Washington (IMCW), Seven Oaks Retreat Center offers a spacious refuge to cultivate loving kindness, compassion and wise action.

The kitchen exists to nourish people who have come to practice, study, and heal. How the food is prepared, how the space is kept, and how people treat one another in the course of the work all matter. They are part of the environment of care that Seven Oaks Offers.

The Kitchen Manager (KM) is a key member of the Seven Oaks team holding overall responsibility for the kitchen. This includes menu planning, scheduling, staff development, maintaining this manual, managing the kitchen budget, and setting the tone and culture of the workspace. The KM reports to the Seven Oaks Retreat Center Director.

This role ensures the kitchen consistently delivers nourishing vegetarian, vegan, and meat option meals that align with the retreat center’s values of wellness, mindfulness, and sustainability. The Kitchen Manager also cooks on a regular basis for retreats. The Kitchen Manager ensures the operations follow the Seven Oaks Retreat Center Kitchen Manual.

Retreat-scale cooking requires groundedness, organization, and the ability to stay steady under pressure. The values described here are aimed at establishing the causes and conditions for these qualities to flourish. A kitchen that runs with both skill and awareness is the vision. The ideal candidate combines a positive attitude, culinary skill, operational organization, and a calm, collaborative spirit.

Responsibilities:

• Menu planning for all retreats, including dietary accommodations
• Create seasonal, whole-food-based meals using fresh, local ingredients when possible
• Staff scheduling and shift assignments
• Staff development: assessing readiness, guiding progression, conducting shadowing

transitions

• Regular coordination with AKM on menu-inventory synchronization
• Maintaining and updating this manual and all working documents
• Setting and holding the tone, culture, and values of the kitchen
• Communication with Seven Oaks management on kitchen needs, staffing, and

facilities

• Managing the kitchen budget
• Preparing and assigning GP Daily Task Sheets
• Overseeing work retreatant orientation and supervision
• Cooking as needed (with the long-term aim of transitioning to a primarily managerial role)

Required Skills and Qualifications:

• 3+ years of professional kitchen or food service management experience
• Excellent organizational and time management skills
  • Ordering, menu planning, Staff Shift management
• Strong background in vegetarian/vegan cooking
• Food safety certification
• Ability to lift 40+ lbs, stand for extended periods, and work weekends
• Calm and collaborative demeanor in a fast-paced environment

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in retreat, residential, or institutional kitchens
• Familiarity cooking with natural whole foods, and gluten-free cooking styles
• Interest in mindfulness, wellness, or contemplative living
• Experience training staff and managing volunteers

Compensation & Benefits:

• Competitive pay based on experience; Starting at $48,000 up to $62,000
• QSEHRA: health insurance reimbursement plan
• On-site meals during retreats
• Ability to participation in select retreat programs
• Possibility for on-site living accomodations.

• Competitive pay based on experience; Starting at $48,000 up to $62,000
• QSEHRA: health insurance reimbursement plan
• On-site meals during retreats
• Ability to participation in select retreat programs
• Possibility for on-site living accommodations.
• Several Weeks off in the months of January and February.