Careers

Job Description: Hawthornden Brooklyn Caterer/Chef Organization

Hawthornden Foundation is a U.S. private charitable foundation supporting contemporary writers and the literary arts. Established by Drue Heinz, the noted philanthropist and patron of the arts, the Foundation is named after

Hawthornden Castle in Midlothian, Scotland, where an international residential residency program provides month-long retreats for creative writers from all disciplines to work in peaceful surroundings. Hawthornden also supports a second residential program at Casa Ecco, on Lake Como in Italy, the site of “Conversazioni”, private conferences attended by many celebrated writers and others in the arts, and a retreat for invited authors to complete a literary work in progress. In 2024, Hawthornden Foundation launched a new site in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn and non-residential writers’residency sessions began in 2025. In addition, the Foundation sponsors the annual Hawthornden Prize, one of Britain’s oldest and foremost literary awards, and provides grant support to other literary programs.

We are committed to building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable working environment for all staff. We encourage applicants of all backgrounds and perspectives to apply. Qualified applicants will receive

consideration for employment without regard to age; ethnicity; gender; gender identity and expression; nationality; parental status; physical, mental and developmental abilities; race; religion; sexual orientation; skin color; socioeconomic status; and human styles.

Position

Hawthornden Brooklyn hosts five to seven writers for a six-week non-residential residency term, five times a year. During the summer, we host a six-week writing workshop for public high school students, followed by a two-week writing residency for public school teachers.

Reporting to the Site Director, Hawthornden Brooklyn is seeking a local chef/caterer to prepare meals for our writers during the residency sessions, and the students and teachers during the summer. 

We will need lunch and dinner prepared for the writers Monday through Friday. Two of these meals are served family style, the rest are individually portioned. Each session will present a different set of dietary restrictions that will need to be taken into account. Menus will need to be prepared in advance of each week and approved by the Site Director.

For the summer, we will need lunch prepared for approximately 10 students and one instructor in the summer program, and lunch and dinner prepared for the 7 teachers in the two-week residency.

We have a fully operational kitchen for onsite meal preparation, the schedule of which will be worked out between the chef and the Hawthornden Brooklyn Site Director.

Responsibilities

● Preparing a diverse array of healthy meals according to a revolving list of dietary needs

● Maintaining the highest standards of food safety and kitchen cleanliness

● Preparing each week’s menu at least 4 days in advance

● Choosing sourcing preferences and managing ordering within budget

● Creating a recommended list for cooking equipment for Hawthornden to purchase

● Hawthornden Brooklyn is a quiet space of work for the writers in residence, and any meal preparation done onsite must take this into account.

Qualifications

● Must have at least 2 years experience as a personal chef

● Up to date paperwork including: food safety certification; insurance; additional culinary certifications a plus but not required

● Previous work experience with writers in an office or residency environment preferred but not required

● Must be punctual

● Strong communication skills

● Interpersonal skills essential to communicating with staff

● Ability to maintain confidentiality and professionalism 

Compensation

$38 per hour

Application Process

Interested applicants should send a proposal and resume to brooklyn@hawthornden.org with the subject line “Hawthornden Brooklyn Chef Proposal” by Monday, August 18. The proposal should include the following:

● Overview of business, how long it has been running, equivalent experiences

● Two references

● Food safety and any other culinary certifications clearly stated

● Proof of insurance

● Cleanup details (please note that we do have a management company that does a light kitchen clean every morning and handles trash disposal)

● Sample menus and budget for two weeks worth of lunches and dinners (healthy, locally grown/sourced, organic foods preferred), that take into account dietary restrictions & allergies such as a nut allergy or a vegan diet

● Coverage plan in case of illness or vacation

● Proposed schedule of food shopping and in-house cooking