Full time chef

About us

We are a busy dine-in cafe restaurant serving a wide range of breakfast, lunch and dinner menu items seven days a week. The restaurant offers table service to customers and prepares a broad range of meals through its on-site commercial kitchen. We are well established in the local community and are seeking a reliable, suitably qualified Chef to join our kitchen team on a full-time ongoing basis.

About the role

The Chef will be responsible for planning, organising and participating in the preparation and cooking of food for our dine-in cafe restaurant operations. This is a hands-on Chef position in a commercial kitchen and is not a limited-service, takeaway-only or mass-production factory role.

 Key duties and responsibilities

·   Plan, develop and assist with executing menu items for breakfast, lunch and dinner service, balancing customer demand, food quality and operational efficiency.

·      Prepare, season and cook a wide variety of dishes, including cafe restaurant menu items such as breakfast dishes, grill items, steak, fish and other hot meals, ensuring consistency and presentation standards.

·      Monitor the quality of dishes at all stages of preparation and presentation, including ingredient freshness, portion control, plating and service timing.

·      Inspect ingredients and supplies for quality and freshness, check deliveries for accuracy, and ensure proper storage to maintain food safety and reduce waste.

·      Manage kitchen stock and inventory, including assisting with ordering food supplies and estimating kitchen supply needs.

·      Demonstrate cooking techniques and advise kitchen staff on food preparation, cooking procedures, presentation standards and service workflow.

·      Prepare meals to meet special dietary requirements and reasonable customer requests where required.

·       Implement and monitor food freezing, preserving, temperature control and storage procedures where required by kitchen operations.

·       Enforce workplace health, safety and food hygiene requirements, maintain kitchen cleanliness and organisation, and complete relevant food safety records.

·      Supervise, train and support kitchen staff as required, including assisting with onboarding, shift coordination, staff training and maintaining a cooperative kitchen environment.

·       Review customer feedback relating to meals and assist management with practical improvements to menu items, food quality and kitchen procedures.

 Skills and experience required

·      Certificate IV in Commercial Cookery and Diploma of Hospitality  

·      At least one year of relevant full-time experience as a Chef or in a commercial cookery role;

·      Ability to work independently and as part of a team in a fast-paced dine-in restaurant kitchen;

·      Strong knowledge of food safety, hygiene, temperature control and commercial kitchen procedures;

·      Ability to work rostered shifts, including weekends and public holidays; and

·      Good communication skills and ability to train or support other kitchen staff where required.