Culinary Experience Coordinator - Retail Hospitality and Tourism Mgmt - UTK

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville is a renowned flagship land-grant university that has been shaping leaders, changemakers, and innovative thinkers since its founding in 1794. Home to more than 38,000 students and 10,000 employees known as Volunteers, the university embraces a strong tradition of leadership and service. UT Knoxville offers over 900 programs of study through its 14 degree-granting colleges and schools and holds the highest Carnegie classification for research activity. The university boasts powerful partnerships with industry leaders and renowned national laboratories such as Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Situated on the Knoxville campus are cutting-edge institutes including the Institute of Agriculture, the Space Institute, and the Institute of Public Service. UT Knoxville values its employees immensely, prioritizing work-life balance, competitive compensation, and innovation leadership. Staff members have access to a wide range of professional development opportunities, including career coaching and continuing education. The university culture emphasizes involvement, engagement, and a strong sense of community, ensuring a supportive environment for all employees. Over the years, UT Knoxville has received multiple accolades including "Best Employer for New Graduates," "One of America’s Best Large Employers," "Best Workplace for Women," and "Best Place for Working Parents" by Forbes Magazine. This recognition reinforces the university’s role as a desirable workplace. Joining the Tennessee Volunteer community means becoming part of an institution committed to its land-grant mission of learning and community engagement, carrying that Volunteer spirit locally and globally.

The Culinary Experience Coordinator role at UT Knoxville plays a pivotal role in integrating operational food systems management with experiential education, applied research support, and community-based extension programming. This position is responsible for the daily execution of food recovery and meal production operations, including managing the production of over 600 meals daily during academic semesters. Key responsibilities involve overseeing the Food4VOLS program which recovers food from campus dining locations and community partners, coordinating large-scale meal production, and supervising all facets of food preparation, packaging, labeling, and distribution to campus and community food access points. The Coordinator recruits, trains, and supervises volunteers and Federal Work-Study students involved in Food4VOLS operations while ensuring strict compliance with food safety, sanitation, and handling standards. Inventory control, ordering, and supply procurement fall within this role’s scope, along with maintaining meticulous data records and coordinating logistics for food distribution sites such as the Big Orange Pantry.

Additionally, the role supports academic culinary laboratory instruction in collaboration with Hospitality & Tourism Management and Nutrition & Dietetics faculty by coordinating culinary lab activities, managing food and supply inventories, demonstrating culinary techniques, and maintaining laboratory cleanliness and functionality. The coordinator promotes student compliance with safety and lab procedures and prepares culinary labs and facilities for academic use.

Beyond campus operations and instructional support, the Coordinator contributes to food and nutrition security outreach initiatives year-round, with extended responsibilities during academic breaks. This includes assisting with menu planning and food preparation for food-as-medicine and nutrition security programs, supporting youth food security initiatives such as Food4VOLS Jr., coordinating culinary demonstrations for K–12 intervention programs, and engaging with community partners like River Valley Health. The role also facilitates applied research projects that require culinary implementation and collaborates closely with faculty and community scholars to ensure alignment with research and extension objectives. An essential requirement is maintaining inventory and budget tracking for outreach initiatives.

This position requires obtaining Servsafe certification within seven days of hire and offers an anticipated hiring range in UT’s market range MR 07. The work location is onsite at 2712 Neyland Drive, Knoxville, TN. The role offers an excellent opportunity to contribute meaningfully to food security, education, and research within a vibrant higher education environment, fostering professional growth while supporting community well-being.