Chef

Target Business Services

Location: 92B Acland St, St Kilda VIC 3182

Salary: $80,000 plus 12% superannuation

Position: Full-time, Permanent

Our client, Avni Hospitality Services Pty Ltd trading as La Cocina Mexicano, operates a hospitality venue located in St Kilda, Victoria, specialising in Mexican cuisine. The business provides a dining experience centred on Mexican-inspired food, with a focus on food quality, flavour, presentation and customer satisfaction.

La Cocina Mexicano is seeking an experienced and motivated Chef to support and lead the culinary operations of its kitchen. The successful candidate will be responsible for planning and preparing menu items, coordinating food production, maintaining food quality and presentation, monitoring kitchen procedures and ensuring compliance with food safety and workplace health and safety requirements.

The role requires sound culinary knowledge, practical commercial kitchen experience and the ability to coordinate food preparation in a busy hospitality environment.

Qualifications and Experience

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• Certificate IV, Diploma or higher qualification in Commercial Cookery, Hospitality or a related field, or equivalent relevant qualifications.
• At least one year of relevant full-time experience as a Chef.
• Demonstrated experience working in a busy restaurant or similar hospitality environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Plan, prepare and cook a range of Mexican-inspired and other menu items in accordance with established recipes, quality standards and customer requirements.
• Coordinate daily food preparation and kitchen production to ensure meals are prepared efficiently and are available in accordance with service requirements.
• Monitor food quality, portion sizes, presentation and consistency and make adjustments where required to maintain established standards.
• Develop, review and refine menu items and specials in consultation with management, taking account of customer preferences, seasonal ingredients and business requirements.
• Develop and maintain recipes, preparation procedures and portion specifications to support consistency across menu items.
• Supervise, guide and train cooks, kitchen assistants and other food preparation staff in cooking methods, food preparation, hygiene and kitchen procedures.
• Plan ingredient requirements, monitor stock levels and coordinate purchasing of food products, spices, sauces and other kitchen supplies to ensure sufficient availability for daily operations.
• Monitor food costs, portion control, ingredient usage and wastage and implement practical measures to improve kitchen efficiency and profitability.
• Ensure compliance with applicable food safety legislation, HACCP principles, hygiene requirements and workplace health and safety procedures.
• Monitor kitchen workflow and productivity during busy service periods and adjust work allocation where necessary to maintain efficient food production.
• Maintain accurate records relating to food preparation, stock usage, wastage, cleaning, food safety and other kitchen activities where required.
• Support continuous improvement of recipes, preparation methods, kitchen procedures and food quality standards.

Skills

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Strong culinary skills and experience preparing a diverse range of restaurant dishes, with knowledge of Mexican cuisine and cooking techniques highly regarded.
• Sound knowledge of commercial kitchen operations, food preparation techniques and kitchen equipment.
• Strong understanding of food safety, hygiene and workplace health and safety requirements.
• Experience with menu development, recipe standardisation and food costing.
• Ability to work efficiently under pressure and manage competing kitchen priorities.
• Good communication, teamwork and staff coordination skills.

To apply for this position, email your resume to [email protected].

Please note only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and your application will be treated as strictly confidential.