From Kitchen to Career: Boosting NYC Culinary Workforce Recruitment

The New York City Mayor’s Office is responsible for overseeing city services throughout the five boroughs, coordinating public agencies and departments, and managing public property. The Office of Food Policy (Food Policy) is a Mayoral office that works to advance the City’s efforts to increase food security, promote access to and consumption of healthy foods, and support economic opportunity and environmental sustainability in the food system. The Office has a critical role to play integrating an equity frame into food policy priorities and solutions and ensuring an equitable and sustainable economic recovery in the food sector. To accomplish this mission, the Office acts as a thought leader, facilitator, and convener.

NYC agencies, including the Department of Education, have reported persistent challenges in recruiting qualified culinary staff, which undermines the City’s ability to achieve these values. This project will define challenges underlying these staffing shortages and develop actionable recommendations to recruit culinary staff into City food service positions. The team will assess wage competitiveness, job requirements, and hiring processes, and identify promising practices—both within government and the private sector—for strengthening recruitment pipelines. Findings could inform future City workforce development efforts and help ensure the long-term stability of food service operations in City facilities.