Job Description

Make lives meaningful through making.

Who We Are

Penland School of Craft is an international center for craft education offering residential workshops, residencies, community education programs, and exhibitions. Located on 420 acres in the NC Mountains, Penland has 16 teaching studios and 60 historic and contemporary buildings. We are an equal-opportunity employer with a staff of 50+. Penland operates with a $54 million endowment and an annual operating budget of $8.4 million. We are located about an hour northeast of Asheville, NC.

Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

At Penland School of Craft, we believe that fostering a climate of equity, inclusion, diversity, and antiracism are essential to our work. We are committed to creating a campus community free of discrimination, and we welcome everyone who supports this commitment.

Black, Indigenous, Latine, Asian, and other people who identify as people of color or BIPOC individuals are encouraged to apply, as are people holding other marginalized identities related to gender, sexual orientation, ability, and class background.

Reports to: Evening Cook

Department: Operations

Supervision: None

Employment Status: Seasonal Full-time (June - Nov.) 40-hours weekly

FLSA Status: Non-exempt

Start date: TBD

Last Updated: May 18, 2026

The Penland Evening Prep Cook reports to the evening cook and is responsible for the preparation of ingredients and menu items to ensure the delivery of delicious food in a friendly atmosphere to meet all requested food needs at Penland. They support approximately 230 meals daily in the summer, and 130 in the spring and fall, along with various special events throughout the year. They are responsible for adhering to the kitchen storage, clean-up, and care practices to meet a high standard of kitchen cleanliness. The prep cook works with volunteers, with minimal kitchen experience in food preparation. The ability to work as a team member is important to the success of food services at Penland. This is a full-time, seasonal, benefits-eligible hourly position.

Primary Responsibilities

• Works in collaboration with the kitchen staff to support daily menus for all meals and food requests. The evening prep cook is expected to encourage and support an environment that places value on creative embellishment and garnishing of food to promote an atmosphere that values presentation.
• Communicates clearly and regularly with the head chef, kitchen manager and evening cook on menu preparation and expectations.
• Helps coordinate, organize and prepare the breakfast cart and salad cart as well as train the evening core student, work study, volunteer or scholarship student in assisting with food preparation, organizing and cleaning of the carts.
• Plans and executes special salads, salad dressings, and pickling.
• Works with the evening cook on the smooth operation and maintenance of all kitchen tools and equipment, ensuring an orderly system for food storage and care of all tools and equipment as set up by the kitchen manager.
• Ensures a high standard of cleanliness in the kitchen to meet health code standards. Keeps current on health code regulations.
• Supports the coordination and training of volunteers, on specific and general food prep, equipment use, and safety.
• Supports all special events, including the annual auction, instructor gatherings, gallery openings, board of director events, and the Lucy Morgan Luncheon.
• Participates and assists in weekly & seasonal clean-up responsibilities.
• Supports the kitchen on-call system as needed.
• Maintains SafeServe, First Aid, CPR, Bloodborne Pathogen & AED training and certification.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Be able to work from 12 noon to 8 pm and occasionally on weekends, holidays, and seasonal peak periods.
• Have at least 2+ years of commercial/catering cooking. Culinary education is preferred but not required.
• Have worked in a high-volume setting with a diverse menu.
• Experience with kitchen inventory systems and equipment maintenance coordination.
• Have clear communication and customer service skills, as well as the ability to teach others.
• Be able to work well with others and help create a positive team environment with support staff and other departments.
• Be able to perform the responsibilities above satisfactorily and work safely in a commercial kitchen environment.
• Demonstrate a commitment to uphold and implement Penland’s mission, educational philosophy, and diversity & inclusivity statement.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.

• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods (6–8 hours per shift).
• Ability to lift 25 pounds frequently and up to 50 pounds occasionally (food cases, equipment, bulk ingredients).
• Ability to bend, stoop, kneel, crouch, and reach overhead.
• Ability to push and pull carts and racks loaded with food or supplies.
• Ability to perform repetitive motions, including chopping, stirring, plating, and cleaning.
• Manual dexterity sufficient to operate commercial kitchen equipment safely.

Benefits

We take care of our staff through a wide range of benefits. For your wellness, we offer multiple medical plans, vision, dental, long-term disability, life insurance, retirement, and an EAP program. Benefits include generous vacation, sick, extended sick, PTO leave programs, access to studios, free classes, meals during programming, and other discounts. We have other generous benefits that we can explore more during the interview process.

Compensation

This is a seasonal, full-time, benefits-eligible position that works from mid-February through mid-November annually. This position will work 40 hours per week, totaling 1560 hours annually. The starting wage for this non-exempt position is negotiable within the range of $17.70 - $19.66, based on the applicant’s skills and experience they bring to the position. Employees at Penland enjoy competitive pay, attractive benefits, and a lively, creative work environment.