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From fine dining restaurants to residential dining, USC Hospitality serves over 65,000 students, athletes, faculty, and staff, as well as our many visitors. Hospitality is one of the six core business units that comprise USC Auxiliary Services and one of the largest employers on campus. We are renowned for our fresh take on self-operated food concepts with 43 restaurants between both campuses. The team at USC Hospitality is led by innovative executive chefs and directors who strive every day to craft nourishing and wholesome alternatives for our hungry Trojan Family and our guests. 

We at USC Hospitality take pride in offering the best in residential dining options to our students, athletes, faculty, and staff. From Parkside Restaurant & Grill to Everybody’s Kitchen (EVK) to Café 84, our team works hard to make sure there are fresh, healthy options for all of our developing Trojans. We look forward to meeting the changing needs of the USC community, including the introduction of locally sourced whole foods to fuel our guests for studying and student life and home-style meals to welcome every guest into our family. Each restaurant offers a unique communal dining experience appealing to a variety of dining preferences and nutritional lifestyles of our diverse student population.

We are seeking a Culinary Specialist to join our rapidly growing team.

The Opportunity:

Are you passionate about serving quality food and providing exceptional customer service? Are you eager to construct award-winning meals? Join us! The Culinary Specialist will have the opportunity to prepare food for our guests, utilizing fresh, locally sourced ingredients. You will ensure that our high standards of excellence are maintained throughout our kitchens, keeping our inventories and facilities clean, organized and up-to-date. As a member of our team, you will take pride in exceeding the expectations of all of our customers and keeping the Trojan spirit alive!

The Accountabilities:

• Prepare food items according to the recipe or instructions provided by the Chef. Adhere to proper knife handling procedures.

• Provide customer services to faculty, staff, students, and guests.

• Assist the Chef by working in other areas of the kitchen as assigned.

• Maintain inventories.

• Maintain cleanliness of facilities.

• Maintain kitchen sanitation program. Comply with standard food handling and sanitation procedures.

• Adhere to department service standards and to all health, safety and University rules and regulations.

• Attend and participate in meetings as required. Report to station, ready to work at the time work assignment is scheduled to begin.

• Perform other related duties as assigned or requested. The University reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.

The Qualifiers:

• Education: High School degree not required.

• Experience: 1 year.

• Expertise:

  • Knowledge of all kitchen equipment, small or large scale.

  • Knowledge of both restaurant and banquet style cooking.

  • Demonstrated customer service experience.

  • Experience working in a fast paced working environment.

  • Ability to effectively communicate in English.

  • Knowledge of standard food handling and sanitation procedures.

  • Ability to lift up to 50 lbs.

What We Prefer:

• High School Diploma.

• Culinary School Diploma.

• 2 years of experience in a restaurant, hotel, or high-volume banquet and catering environment.

• Ability to oversee student, temporary, and/or resource workers.

The Trojan Family Rewards:

We pride ourselves in creating the BEST USC EXPERIENCE, and that begins with our employees! We offer a wide variety of benefits and programs that support our staff and their families including:

• Benefits: dental and vision plans, tuition assistance for our employees and their families, paid time off, flexible spending accounts, 2:1 retirement plan contributions, child care centers and up to $50,000 housing subsidy. And because we are a qualifying public service organization, you may qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) for educational loans. Don’t believe us? Visit benefits.usc.edu.

• Perks: discounts to USC sporting events, USC Bookstores, wireless plans, travel, accommodations, and local entertainment. 

• Career Growth: We are the largest private employer in Los Angeles offering tremendous development opportunities in multiple fields and industries. The Trojan Network connects current and previous members of the Trojan family to create an endless professional network.

This support advocates work-life balance and employee well-being. As members of the Trojan family, employees are connected by the traditions and history that make us proud to be Trojans!

As an equal opportunity employer, USC values and promotes diversity and inclusion in the workplace. The work culture thrives on mutual respect, trust, and synergy amongst all of its members.

USC has great minds that transform the world with their talents and research. Will you be one? Join us!

FIGHT ON!