| Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
Culinary Coordinator
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Department: Cafe Back of House Reports To: Manager, Restaurant Operations Schedule: Full-Time, Hourly, Non-Exempt Be Part of a World-Class Employee Experience At Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, exceptional culinary experiences complement our world-class gardens, sculpture, exhibitions, and events. From casual café dining and seasonal concessions to elegant catered gatherings and large-scale concerts, our Culinary Arts & Events team plays an essential role in creating memorable experiences for our guests. We are seeking an experienced Culinary Coordinator who combines strong culinary skills with hands-on leadership, organization, and a passion for quality. This position supports culinary operations across multiple venues, helping our teams deliver consistent, high-quality food and exceptional service in a dynamic, fast-paced environment. Why This Role Matters The Culinary Coordinator serves as a working culinary lead, coordinating daily back-of-house operations across our café, concessions, ice cream parlor, catering, and large-scale events. This role helps ensure culinary teams are prepared, production schedules remain on track, and food quality and safety standards are consistently maintained. By providing on-the-floor leadership, supporting team development, and collaborating across departments, the Culinary Coordinator helps create seamless dining experiences while keeping our diverse culinary operations running efficiently. What You’ll Do Lead Culinary Production & Daily Operations - Coordinate daily back-of-house production across café, concessions, catering, and event operations, providing hands-on cooking and station coverage as needed.
- Organize production timelines, station readiness, and equipment usage to support efficient service and event execution.
- Maintain recipe accuracy, portion control, flavor consistency, and presentation standards across à la minute and high-volume production.
Support Events & High-Volume Service - Help plan and execute culinary operations for concerts, seasonal programs, catered functions, and large-scale events.
- Coordinate food preparation, batch cooking, replenishment, and service timing to meet event requirements.
- Support specialty culinary experiences, including action stations, carving stations, tastings, and other catering presentations.
Maintain Food Safety, Quality & Inventory Standards - Reinforce food safety, sanitation, allergen, labeling, storage, and temperature-control procedures throughout culinary operations.
- Conduct line checks, monitor food quality, and address production or equipment concerns to maintain safe, consistent service.
- Support inventory organization, product rotation, par levels, waste tracking, and accurate production documentation.
Guide, Train & Support Culinary Teams - Provide daily direction, task coordination, and hands-on coaching to culinary and stewarding team members.
- Support onboarding and skill development while reinforcing established recipes, operating procedures, and performance expectations.
- Promote a positive, collaborative, and accountable work environment focused on quality, productivity, and teamwork.
Coordinate Across Teams & Improve Operations - Partner with front-of-house teams and culinary leadership to align production timing, service flow, and guest expectations.
- Maintain preparation lists, production records, temperature logs, inventory documentation, and effective shift-to-shift communication.
- Identify and resolve real-time operational challenges, support scheduling coordination, and recommend improvements to workflows and efficiency.
What You Bring
Required Qualifications - High school diploma or GED.
- Minimum of three years of professional culinary experience in high-volume, multi-venue, catering, or event-based food service environments.
- ServSafe Food Handler certification.
- Strong culinary skills, including food preparation, knife techniques, recipe execution, portioning, and presentation.
- Working knowledge of food safety, sanitation, allergen protocols, storage procedures, and temperature controls.
- Ability to coordinate multiple production activities, prioritize tasks, and maintain quality in a fast-paced environment.
- Experience operating commercial kitchen equipment and troubleshooting routine production challenges.
- Strong communication, organization, problem-solving, and teamwork skills.
- Ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends, and holidays.
Preferred Qualifications - Culinary certificate, associate degree in Culinary Arts, Hospitality, or a related field, or equivalent progressive culinary leadership experience.
- At least one year of experience in a lead, station lead, or production coordination role.
- ServSafe Manager certification, or ability to obtain within 60 days of hire as required by policy.
- Allergen awareness and First Aid/CPR certifications.
- Experience supporting large-scale events, concessions, catering, or specialty culinary presentations.
- Familiarity with inventory management, production documentation, scheduling coordination, and basic kitchen technology.
What Makes This Opportunity Unique - Work in an extraordinary setting. Bring your culinary talents to one of the nation’s premier horticultural and cultural destinations, where food and hospitality are part of a larger guest experience.
- Experience a diverse culinary environment. Support everything from everyday café operations to concerts, catered celebrations, seasonal events, and specialty dining experiences.
- Make a direct impact on quality and service. Help ensure consistency, operational readiness, and exceptional culinary execution across multiple venues.
- Develop your leadership capabilities. Build experience guiding teams, coordinating production, coaching colleagues, and collaborating with culinary leadership.
- Be part of a mission-driven organization. Join a team that values excellence, innovation, collaboration, and responsible stewardship of resources.
Our Values
We seek team members who embody our shared Values: - Welcoming: Fostering joy and an inclusive, accessible environment for everyone
- Excellence: Approaching all we do with world-class intentionality
- Innovation: Creating engaging experiences in art, culture, and nature
- Integrity: Operating with honesty, transparency, and accountability
- Stewardship: Preserving and enhancing our community and resources
If you enjoy hands-on cooking, leading by example, coordinating fast-paced culinary operations, and creating exceptional dining experiences, we’d love to hear from you!
Working Conditions: Work is performed in a dynamic, event-driven culinary environment that includes commercial kitchens, cafés, concessions, catering spaces, and occasional outdoor service locations. The position requires frequent movement between venues and work areas, exposure to kitchen equipment, heat, steam, refrigeration, varying noise levels, and high-volume service conditions. Schedules vary based on operational and event needs and include evenings, weekends, holidays, and potentially extended hours during peak seasons. Regular interaction with culinary teams, other departments, vendors, and guests is expected.
Physical Requirements: This position requires extended periods of standing and walking, frequently six to eight hours or more per shift, along with bending, reaching, stooping, pushing, pulling, and navigating kitchen and event spaces. Duties involve lifting, moving, and carrying food products, kitchen equipment, and supplies typically weighing 20–50 pounds. The role also requires fine motor coordination for knife work, food preparation, portioning, plating, and equipment operation; the ability to review recipes, labels, temperature readings, and food quality; and effective communication in active culinary environments, with or without reasonable accommodation.
As part of our onboarding process, all new hires are required to complete our background check.
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
We believe in fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace.
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