Culinary Production Manager

About the Manager, Event & Culinary Production Position:

Agency 21 (a21) is seeking an organized, highly motivated team player with a passion for food, hospitality, and live event execution to join our team. The ideal candidate is a versatile producer who can work across both event and culinary production, managing multiple projects and work streams simultaneously while adapting to the needs of each event.

• Support and manage end-to-end planning and production for assigned events and work streams from initial concept and ideation through onsite execution and post-event reconciliation
• Serve as an Event Producer and/or Culinary Producer across assigned festivals and events based on project needs
• Build and manage project tracking systems in , including event timelines, vendor tracking, schedules, signage and creative, credentials, run of show, culinary outreach and confirmations, menus, equipment, COIs, travel, reimbursements, and other project-specific needs
• Coordinate pre-event production and logistics including: chef communication, vendor communication, rentals, equipment, disposables, signage, floor plans and layouts, talent, entertainment, and onsite operational needs
• Research and compile food and beverage talent rosters, identifying chefs and culinary talent aligned with event concepts, themes, and audiences
• Manage culinary talent communication from initial outreach and confirmation through advancing, load-in, onsite execution, and load-out
• Create and distribute culinary and event-facing materials including invitations, fact sheets, load-in documents, menus, schedules, run of shows, and event briefing documents
• Lead menu development and advancing conversations with culinary talent, coordinating dish concepts, dietary considerations, portion planning, equipment, disposables, staffing, and service needs
• Support the planning and execution of seated meals, chef demonstrations, tasting events, chef stations, and other food-and-beverage activations
• Coordinate spending, rentals, talent, culinary, and vendor costs in alignment with project budgets, maintaining an understanding of the overall financial picture and assigned scopes
• Work closely with internal departments, clients, sponsors, venues, talent, and vendors to communicate project needs and ensure alignment across teams
• Participate in and, as assigned, lead production and planning meetings, helping drive action items, deadlines, and follow-through
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Partnership, Partnership Fulfillment, Accounting, Marketing, and other internal departments
• Cultivate and maintain strong vendor, venue, talent, and client relationships, representing a21 with professionalism and care
• Assist with city, state, venue, health department, and other permitting and compliance requirements, including food safety and culinary-specific regulations
• Execute onsite event operations including load-in and load-out, vendor and delivery coordination, rentals and equipment, signage, talent check-in, culinary station setup, registration, and real-time troubleshooting
• Work collaboratively across event and culinary teams onsite, stepping into operational needs as they arise to ensure successful event execution
• Support post-event closeout including vendor reconciliation, invoices, reimbursements, expense tracking, recap materials, and other post-event deliverables

• 3+ years coordinating meetings, Festivals, experiential events, or other live events
• 3+ years managing vendor, talent, client, or partner relationships
• Experience in the food and beverage industry, with exposure to culinary events or hospitality operations, strongly preferred
• Demonstrated understanding of live event production, including vendors, rentals, floor plans, timelines, load-in/load-out, and onsite operations
• Experience working with chefs, culinary talent, menus, kitchen equipment, food service operations, or culinary event production strongly preferred
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple projects, work streams, deadlines, and stakeholders simultaneously
• Self-starter with a strong sense of initiative, accountability, and follow-through
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with a high level of professionalism
• Ability to adapt quickly and problem-solve in fast-paced, live event environments
• Experience with project management principles and tools; familiarity with , Canva or similar platforms preferred
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite…