Chef

Lion Majestic Pty Ltd Trading As The Oxford Bathurst; Bathurst; On-site; AUD 80,000 - 83,000; Full time

Job summary

The Oxford Bathurst, operated by Lion Majestic Pty Ltd trading as The Oxford Bathurst, seeks an experienced Chef to lead a high-volume, two-restaurant kitchen and event trade in Bathurst.

You will manage a team of 15 cooks and apprentices, plan menus, control costs, supervise food preparation, and ensure food safety and quality across Italian and barbecue offerings, including peak event periods.

Qualifications

• Certificate IV in Kitchen Management or Diploma of Hospitality Management.
• Minimum of one year of experience as a chef in a commercial kitchen.
• Strong leadership and communication skills with ability to direct a large kitchen team.
• Sound knowledge of NSW Food Safety Supervisor requirements and WHS practices.

Responsibilities

• Plan and develop menus for restaurants, bars and functions, estimate costs and order supplies.
• Prepare and cook food to a high standard across Italian and barbecue menus.
• Liaise with management and staff to ensure timely service and dietary requirements.
• Recruit, train and supervise kitchen staff and apprentices; manage rosters.
• Demonstrate techniques and supervise portioning, plating and presentation.
• Enforce food safety, WHS and cleaning schedules across shifts.
• Oversee receiving, labeling, storage and stock rotation to minimise waste.
• Monitor performance against cost targets and quality standards; propose changes.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Menu planning

Food costing

Stock control

Staff training

Food safety knowledge

Team coordination

Education

Certificate IV in Kitchen Management

Certificate IV in Commercial Cookery

Diploma of Hospitality Management

Job description

Position: Chef

Type: Full-time, 38 hours per week

Employer: Lion Majestic Pty Ltd trading as The Oxford Bathurst

Location: Bathurst NSW 2795

Salary: $80,000 to $82,500 per annum, plus superannuation

About the Business

Lion Majestic Pty Ltd is a regional New South Wales hospitality group whose flagship venue, The Oxford Bathurst, has traded under the group's ownership since 2003 and stands on William Street in the heart of Bathurst, the gateway to Mount Panorama and the Central West. Following a major redevelopment, The Oxford now operates as a two-level hospitality precinct: Brock's, a 600-seat Italian restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week; B Town BBQ, the venue's Texas-style smokehouse and southern dining room; a public bar and sports bar; rooftop terrace bars overlooking the city; a dedicated function space with its own private bar that hosts weddings, corporate events and community celebrations; a gaming room; a bottle shop; and family-friendly outdoor areas with a children's play space. The group also operates the Lawson Park Hotel in Mudgee and the Crown Hotel in Wentworth and employs a team of around 88 people across the business. Lion Majestic's approach is built on quality casual dining, generous country hospitality and venues that serve as genuine community hubs for locals, visitors and the many travellers that Bathurst's sporting and entertainment calendar brings to town, supported by a culture that values high standards, teamwork and long-term investment in its people and its venues.

About the Position

The Chef is a newly created full-time position based at The Oxford Bathurst, responsible for the day-to-day running of a high-volume kitchen operation that serves two large restaurants, the bars and the venue's function and event trade. Leading a kitchen team of 15 cooks, kitchen hands and apprentices, the Chef plans and costs menus, orders supplies, directs food preparation and cooking across the Italian and barbecue menus, trains and supervises staff, and ensures that food safety, workplace health and safety and cleaning standards are met on every shift. Working closely with the Hotel's management and front-of-house team, the Chef is central to maintaining the consistency, quality and presentation that The Oxford's diners expect, from a weekday lunch service to a Saturday wedding and the peak trading weeks of Bathurst's major events.

Key Responsibilities

• Plan and develop menus for the venue's restaurants, bars and functions, estimate food and labour costs for each menu, and order food supplies to meet forecast trade.
• Prepare and cook food to a consistently high standard across all sections of the kitchen, including entrées, mains, desserts and pastry, and across the venue's Italian and barbecue menus.
• Liaise with management, kitchen staff and front-of-house staff on food preparation, dietary requirements and service issues so that dishes leave the kitchen correctly and on time.
• Select, recruit and train kitchen staff and apprentices, supervise cooks and kitchen hands during preparation and service, and assist management with planning kitchen rosters.
• Demonstrate cooking techniques and advise staff on correct cooking procedures, portioning, plating and presentation.
• Explain, implement and enforce food safety regulations, workplace health and safety guidelines and cleaning schedules throughout the kitchen.
• Freeze and preserve food as required, and oversee receiving, labelling, storage and stock rotation to minimise waste and maintain quality.
• Monitor kitchen performance against food cost targets and quality standards and recommend menu or process changes to management.

Requirements

• Australian citizens and permanent residents are encouraged to apply.
• Certificate IV in Kitchen Management or Certificate IV in Commercial Cookery, or a Diploma of Hospitality Management.
• A minimum of one year of relevant experience as a chef in a commercial kitchen.
• Demonstrated skills in menu planning and food costing, ordering and stock control, and the preparation of food across multiple kitchen sections in a high-volume setting, together with a sound working knowledge of food safety and hygiene standards, including NSW Food Safety Supervisor requirements, and of workplace health and safety practices in a commercial kitchen.
• Strong leadership and communication skills with the ability to direct, train and motivate a large kitchen team, work constructively with front-of-house and management staff, remain calm and decisive under pressure, solve problems during service, and work a rotating roster that includes evenings, weekends, public holidays and Bathurst's major event periods.