Casual Cook

Busy Bees Global; Colac; On-site; AUD 45,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Uniform and laundry allowances

Childcare gap-fee discounts for staff

Paid learning & development (First Aid

CPR & mandatory training

Busy Bees learning platform access

Job summary

Busy Bees Colac is hiring a casual chef to prepare nutritious meals for children aged 0–5 years at 91-97 Pound Road, Colac VIC 3250. You will plan healthy menus, cater for allergies, manage stock and ensure food safety in a child-focused kitchen.

The role offers casual hours with weekday daytime shifts, uniform and training support, and opportunities to contribute to nutrition education within the Busy Bees learning program.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated culinary ability with focus on nutrition for children 0–5 years.
• Knowledge of Australian Dietary Guidelines and safe food handling.

Responsibilities

• Plan and prepare healthy, balanced meals for children 0–5 years.
• Cater for allergies, intolerances and cultural dietary requirements.
• Manage food ordering, budgeting and stock control.
• Maintain a clean, safe kitchen environment per Food Safety Standards.
• Collaborate with Centre Leadership Team.
• Support nutrition education within the learning program.

Skills

Culinary skills

Food safety & hygiene

Stock control & budgeting

Meal planning

Tools

Food safety certificate

Job description

Casual Chef | $33.87 per hour + Casual Loading | Colac, VIC

Busy Bees is a leading global early learning provider, offering high-quality education in nurturing, purpose-built centres where educators are supported to grow, lead and make a real difference in children’s lives, with over 130 centres across Australia and around 3,000 employees.

Our Bee Safe Commitment: Child safety is at the heart of everything we do and is embedded in our people, places and processes. Help us give every child the Best Start in Life.

We’re seeking a passionate and organised Casual Chef to join our team at Busy Bees at Colac , located at 91-97 Pound Road, Colac VIC 3250 , on a casual basis. You will play a key role preparing fresh, nutritious meals that support the health, wellbeing, and development of children aged 0–5 years.

What you’ll do

• Plan and prepare healthy, balanced meals in line with Australian Dietary Guidelines

• Cater for allergies, intolerances, and cultural dietary requirements

• Manage food ordering, budgeting, and stock control

• Maintain a clean, safe kitchen environment in accordance with Food Safety Standards

• Work collaboratively with the Centre Leadership Team

• Contribute to children’s learning around nutrition and healthy eating

What you’ll bring

• A genuine commitment to child safety, speaking up, always doing the right thing, and alignment with Busy Bees values

• Previous experience as a Chef or Cook (experience in childcare highly regarded)

• Food Safety Supervisor Certificate

• Knowledge of safe food handling and kitchen hygiene practices

• Strong organisation and time management skills

• A genuine passion for preparing nutritious meals for children and understanding allergen management and child‑safe practices

• Current Working with Children Check for VIC or willingness to obtain

Why Busy Bees?

Because we offer the B.E.E.S. advantage:
Better pay. Everyday balance. Education for growth. Support you can rely on.
We live by our values of Care, Quality, Service, and Value to make a real impact on child safety and quality.

• Uniform and laundry allowances included, so your take-home pay stays yours.

• Family-friendly benefits; 50% childcare gap-fee discounts for permanent staff & EAP support, because your family should benefit too.

• Paid learning & development; First Aid, CPR & mandatory training covered, ongoing professional development, and access to our Busy Bees learning platform and ACCCO RTO pathways.

• Supportive leaders & inclusive teams; hands‑on leadership, strong tenure and a culture built on trust, respect and collaboration.

• Career pathways that grow with you; opportunities & training to progress from Educator to leadership, management and area roles.

• Work-Life Balance; Monday–Friday, daytime hours only - no nights or weekends within stable, well-resourced kitchens without hospitality burnout.

Employment is conditional on satisfactory, rigorous pre-employment checks (including WWCC , ID, Qualifications, Gecko Training, Work Rights, NQAITS register/Prohibited Persons & References) and child safety training, reflecting our strong commitment to safeguarding, equity, diversity and inclusion.

We are proud to be a child safe organisation, putting child safety at the heart of everything we do through our Bee Safe commitment.

Why Work for Busy Bees?

If you’re passionate about early learning, Busy Bees is the place to be. Although we are part of a global organisation, our company was founded by three families looking for better, more enriching childcare. Three decades later, we still keep the same values at heart.

We know that we couldn’t do what we do without the important people in our teams. We invest in our people and work with them to build career pathways that inspire.