New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is looking for a new cook at Gracie Mansion, with the city seeking someone experienced in preparing South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine to serve the mayor, his wife and their guests for a $64,500 annual salary.
The city posted the opening earlier this month for a “Cook” to join the kitchen staff at the mayoral residence on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Beyond culinary skills, applicants are expected to exercise considerable discretion about what they see and hear while working inside the mayor’s home.
“Reporting to the Senior Executive Chef, the Cook is responsible for preparing and serving high-quality meals for the Mayor, the Mayor’s family, and their guests for daily service, events, and official functions,” the job posting states.
The listing makes clear that privacy is a significant part of the position.
“Must maintain strict confidentiality regarding the Mayor, Principals, guests, and household operations,” it adds.
The successful applicant will also need experience preparing the types of food favored by Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji.
“The role requires experience with multiple cuisines with a focus on South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine.”
The listing does not specify exactly which dishes the new cook will be expected to prepare. Mamdani has previously named biryani, paan and lamb adana laffa among his favorite foods while discussing his preferred New York City restaurants.
Mamdani also marked his election victory as the city’s first Muslim mayor by sharing an aloo dum lunch with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in November.
The opening was created after a member of the Gracie Mansion kitchen staff left to take a restaurant job. The four remaining members of the five-person culinary team all served at the mayoral residence during the administration of Mamdani’s predecessor, Eric Adams.
In addition to maintaining confidentiality, applicants are expected to have at least three years of culinary experience, possess “strong knife skills,” be capable of lifting as much as 50 pounds and “adapt quickly to shifting kitchen demands,” according to the posting.
The city did not provide specific working hours for the full-time position, but anyone hoping for a predictable schedule may be disappointed. Applicants must be prepared for a “fully flexible schedule including days, nights, weekends, holidays, and short notice shifts.”
At $64,500 annually, the Gracie Mansion position pays considerably more than the average compensation for comparable cooking jobs in New York City, according to Salary Expert.
It also pays more than some other culinary positions within city government. A senior cook opening posted last month by the New York City Department of Correction offered a maximum salary of $52,242.
The newest member of the Gracie Mansion kitchen will work under Executive Chef Feliberto Estevez, who has remained in charge of the mayoral residence’s kitchen through the administrations of Bill de Blasio, Eric Adams and now Mamdani.
Mamdani confirmed in June that Estevez would remain in the position. The mayor said some of the most noticeable culinary changes under his administration included bringing meat back onto the menu while excluding pork — and ending the green smoothies that became closely associated with Adams.
Adams had posted videos showing himself preparing the unusual drink, which combined romaine lettuce, avocado, banana, orange and red apple.
Asked whether he had instructed the Gracie Mansion staff to continue making his predecessor’s vegetable-and-fruit concoction, Mamdani indicated that he had not.
“I have not asked,” Mamdani told Fox 5.
{Matzav.com}
