Performance Culinary Assistant
Job Title: Performance Culinary Assistant
Department: Basketball Operations – Health & Performance
Reports To: Sports Nutrition Chef
FLSA: Non-Exempt, Part-Time (Up to 25 hours per week)
Pay Rate: $20.00–$22.00 per hour, DOE
Job Summary
The Sacramento Kings Health & Performance Team is committed to preparing champions through an interdisciplinary, high-performance approach. The Performance Culinary Assistant supports the Sports Nutrition Chef in delivering world-class nutrition services for players, coaches, and basketball operations staff. This position assists with food preparation, meal service, kitchen operations, inventory, sanitation, and daily culinary support to ensure an exceptional dining experience while maintaining the highest standards of food quality and safety.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
- Assist the Sports Nutrition Chef with preparing, cooking, plating, and serving performance-focused meals, snacks, smoothies, and hydration stations.
- Support daily food service for practices, game days, training camp, offseason workouts, draft workouts, and other team activities.
- Prepare grab-and-go items, recovery snacks, fruit displays, and fueling stations.
- Assist with meal setup, service, and breakdown while providing a professional, first-class experience for players, coaches, staff, and guests.
- Maintain the cleanliness, organization, and sanitation of all kitchen, dining, storage, and food preparation areas in accordance with food safety standards.
- Wash dishes, cookware, utensils, and kitchen equipment throughout daily operations.
- Receive, stock, rotate, and organize food products and kitchen supplies.
- Monitor inventory levels and communicate supply needs to the Chef.
- Support deep cleaning projects and kitchen organization during lighter operational periods.
- Maintain confidentiality and professionalism while working in a high-performance professional sports environment.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
- One to three years of culinary, food service, hospitality, or commercial kitchen experience preferred.
- Experience in sports performance, collegiate athletics, healthcare, or hospitality is a plus.
- Culinary education or equivalent professional experience preferred.
- Food Handler Certification required (or ability to obtain prior to employment); ServSafe certification is a plus.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Ability to work independently while contributing to a collaborative team environment.
- Positive attitude with a service-oriented mindset.
- Ability to maintain discretion and confidentiality.
- Ability to stand for extended periods and frequently lift and carry up to 50 pounds.
Work Environment
- Based primarily at the Sacramento Kings Practice Facility.
- Flexible schedule of up to 25 hours per week, including early mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, practices, games, and offseason programming as business needs require.
- Fast-paced, collaborative, high-performance environment dedicated to supporting elite athletes.