Kitchen Manager

About Pat’s Pastured
Pat’s Pastured is a Rhode Island-based leader in pasture-raised, regenerative meat production. Since 2002, we’ve focused on humane animal care, sustainable land practices, and building a thriving local food economy. We believe good food starts with good farming—and it ends with good cooking.

Position Overview
We are seeking a skilled and organized Farm Kitchen Manager to lead the production of our prepared foods and seasonal event and food cart operation. This hands-on culinary leadership role is ideal for someone who loves to cook simple, high-quality meals using clean ingredients and pasture-raised meats—and who thrives on building systems, managing costs, and collaborating across teams.

You’ll be responsible for weekly production of our value-added food products (like heat-and-eat meals, broths, and specialty condiments), cooking at on-farm events and farmers markets, managing inventory and ordering, and maintaining a clean and efficient kitchen operation. You’ll work closely with our processing, fulfillment, and marketing teams to develop recipes that showcase the full value of our products—from nose to tail—and meet customer demand.

This is not a fine dining chef position. It’s a professional culinary operations role focused on consistency, efficiency, and creativity within a mission-driven food business. We’re looking for someone who takes pride in making food that’s delicious, nourishing, clean, and accessible.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead weekly production of prepared foods (heat-and-eat meals, broths, sausage mixes, spice blends, ghee, etc.) for retail and wholesale

• Order, prep, cook, and package products while meeting quality, cost, and yield goals

• Maintain cost tracking and recipe costing systems to ensure profitable production

• Uphold our standards for clean ingredients—no seed oils, no refined sugar, and minimal processing

• Maintain inventory systems for ingredients, packaging, and finished goods

• Run our seasonal food cart at the farmers market (May–October), including short-order cooking and team coordination

• Prepare staff meals twice weekly using farm-raised ingredients

• Collaborate with processing and fulfillment teams to align availability and maximize use of all cuts of meat and eggs

• Maintain and monitor commercial kitchen, food cart, refrigeration, and dry storage areas to high standards of cleanliness, safety, and organization

• Conduct regular maintenance checks and temperature logs

• Test and refine recipes, develop SOPs, and assist in scaling for production in USDA and RI Department of Health-inspected facilities

• Build and maintain relationships with local farms, food partners, and vendors

• Plan and cook for monthly farm events and educational workshops (e.g., Burger Nights, Butchery Classes)

• Participate in weekly manager meetings and support cross-department collaboration

• Coordinate logistics for getting prepared products to our fulfillment center

• Contribute to annual event planning, including our signature summer farm dinner

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of professional kitchen experience, preferably in a production or high-volume setting

• Strong understanding of kitchen operations, food safety, and cost controls

• Experience with ordering, inventory, and efficient ingredient sourcing

• Reliable, self-directed, and capable of managing solo and team-based tasks

• Comfortable short-order cooking in high-pressure environments (e.g., food cart)

• Able to lift and carry up to 50 lbs regularly

• Strong organizational, leadership, and communication skills

• Commitment to using clean, whole ingredients—aligned with our no-seed-oils, no-refined-sugar values

• Familiarity with farm-to-table concepts, nose-to-tail cooking, and working with underutilized cuts or offal a plus

• Ability to work collaboratively with non-kitchen teams like production, fulfillment, and marketing

• Must be available for some nights and weekends (especially during seasonal event months)

Why This Role Matters
The Farm Kitchen Manager is central to how we connect customers with our products in accessible, ready-to-eat ways. Whether it’s a busy market morning or a prepared meal heading out the door, you’ll be the bridge between the farm and the fork—crafting great food while helping us reduce waste, increase sales, and deliver a memorable customer experience.

Why Work With Us?

• Be part of a purpose-driven, growing business focused on regenerative agriculture and sustainable food

• Opportunity to shape a fast-growing prepared foods program with room for innovation

• Work in a collaborative, supportive environment that values people and good food

• Access to ongoing professional development, team lunches, and discounted farm products

Compensation:

• $20.00 - $24.00 per hour • 40 hours/week; flexible daily hours; Saturdays required in season

• Health insurance is not provided

• $300 farm store credit (resets monthly)

• $700 professional development fund (annually)

• HACCP manager certificate training provided