Cook Full Time NEW

Position: Cook

Position Type: Full-Time

Salary: $79,000 to $80,000 plus superannuation per annum

Location:  Chirnside Park VIC 3116

Our client La Cabra Chirnside Park is a licensed, full-service Mexican restaurant operated by Nexora Ventures Pty Ltd under a franchise agreement with La Cabra Franchising Pty Ltd. It trades from a pad site at the front of Chirnside Park Shopping Centre, with an indoor dining room, a full bar and a covered alfresco terrace, and offers table service, takeaway, online delivery, group banquets and weekend bottomless brunch.

The Cook prepares, seasons and cooks La Cabra’s Mexican menu from scratch to franchise standards, working on the kitchen line with the Chef. The role prepares the daily mise en place, cooks dishes to order during lunch and dinner service, and portions and plates each dish to the restaurant’s specifications. The Cook follows the restaurant’s food safety program, keeps food storage and temperature records, and guides kitchen assistants and trainees on the shift.

Key duties and responsibilities include:

Food preparation and cooking

• Check the quality of produce, meat, seafood and dry goods before use, and set aside anything that does not meet standard
• Prepare masa and press and cook corn tortillas, tostadas and totopos (corn chips) daily
• Prepare the daily mise en place from the Chef’s prep list, including trimming and marinating proteins, cutting vegetables, and making house salsas, guacamole, pickled chillies and onions.
• Slow-cook and braise proteins such as barbacoa, birria, carnitas and pollo tinga to standard recipes, and grill and char meats, seafood and vegetables.
• Set and regulate the temperatures of the combi oven, grills, fryers and stoves, and adjust cooking times to suit each dish.
• Season food during cooking and taste for flavour and consistency before service.
• Cook tacos, burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas, tostadas, share plates and mains to order during service, keeping ticket times within standard.
• Portion and plate each dish to the plating specifications, adding sauces, salsas and garnishes, and pack takeaway and delivery orders correctly.
• Prepare Mexican desserts such as churros, flan and dulce de leche, and food for banquets, functions and bottomless brunch.
• Prepare dishes for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and allergen requests in line with franchise allergen procedures.

Food storage and food safety

• Store food in temperature-controlled cool rooms, refrigerators and freezers; label, date and rotate stock on a first-in, first-out basis.
• Record temperatures for receiving, cooking, cooling, reheating and hot and cold holding in the food safety program records kept by the Food Safety Supervisor.
• Follow safe food handling, allergen controls and cleaning schedules in line with the Food Act 1984 (Vic) and the restaurant’s Class 2 food safety program.
• Clean and sanitise the work station, utensils and equipment during and after each shift.
• Follow workplace health and safety procedures for knives, hot oil, grills, chemicals and manual handling

Stock and kitchen support

• Estimate the food needed for each day’s prep and service, and tell the Chef when stock is running low.
• Receive deliveries from approved suppliers and check them for quality, quantity and temperature.
• Help with weekly stocktakes, record waste and use stock carefully to reduce wastage.
• Suggest ideas for weekly specials and help the Chef trial new dishes.

Teamwork and on-shift guidance

• Show kitchen assistants and trainees prep tasks, knife skills, recipes and food safety practices during the shift.
• Run the line, and open or close the kitchen, on shifts when the Chef is not rostered on.
• Communicate with front-of-house staff about orders, dietary requests and items that are unavailable.

Equipment

• Use kitchen equipment safely and correctly, keep it clean, and report faults to the Chef for repair.

Qualifications, Experience and Skills

Essential

• AQF Certificate III in Commercial Cookery (including at least two years of on-the-job training) or AQF Certificate IV in Kitchen Management, or at least three years of relevant experience as a Cook, or a positive skills assessment as a Cook.
• At least one year of full-time experience as a Cook in a commercial kitchen.
• Experience cooking to order during busy à la carte restaurant service.
• Food handler training and working knowledge of food safety, temperature control and allergen management.

Desirable

• Experience cooking Mexican or Latin American cuisine, including masa, salsas, moles and slow-braised meats.
• Experience in a franchise or multi-site kitchen working to standard recipes and audits.
• Food Safety Supervisor certificate.

Skills and attributes

• Strong knife skills and sound technique in grilling, braising, frying and baking.
• Ability to work quickly and accurately under pressure and keep quality consistent during service.
• Clear communication in English with the Chef, kitchen staff and front-of-house staff.
• Good organisation, time management and attention to detail.
• Reliable, hygienic and committed to food safety and allergen control.

Working conditions and key relationships

• Internal: Chef (direct supervisor), Directors, Venue Manager, kitchen assistants and trainees, and bar and section staff.
• External: approved suppliers and delivery drivers, Yarra Ranges Council environmental health officers, and franchise auditors.
• Work environment: a commercial kitchen with heat, standing for long periods, manual handling, and shift work across evenings, weekends and public holidays.
• Uniform and PPE: supplied by the employer and worn in line with franchise and safety standards.