Chef

WhitePage Consultancy; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 75,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Superannuation

Job summary

Nikos Tavern in Ringwood East, VIC, is seeking an experienced Chef to join a family-run Greek restaurant serving Melbourne's eastern suburbs since 1987. This full-time, on-site role covers lunch and dinner Tuesday to Sunday, with late finishes on Fridays and Saturdays, and includes responsibility for quality across every plate leaving the pass.

Responsibilities include menu development, cost control, staff training, and strict food safety standards.

Qualifications

• Experience as a Chef with at least 1 year.
• AQF Associate Degree, Advanced Diploma or Diploma qualification.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and cook the tavern's Greek menu across lunch and dinner service, from dips, mezze and saganaki through to slow-cooked classics, souvlaki, charcoal-grilled meats and fresh seafood, along with house desserts.
• Taste and check dishes at every stage, from prep and marinating through to plating at the pass, so flavour, portion size and presentation stay consistent with the generous, traditional style guests expect.
• Develop and refresh the à la carte, banquet and daily special menus around seasonal produce, work out food and labour costs for each dish and function package, and place orders for meat, seafood, fresh produce and dry goods while keeping stock levels and wastage under control.
• Plan and run kitchen production for group bookings, functions and offsite catering, scaling recipes, timing banquet courses and coordinating takeaway and app orders so they run smoothly alongside a full dining room.
• Talk through food preparation issues with management and the floor team before and during service, brief waiting staff on specials, ingredients and allergens, and work with them to meet guests' vegetarian and dietary requests.
• Show junior cooks and kitchen hands the right way to handle traditional Greek techniques, including marinating and charcoal grilling, filo work and sauces, and advise them on cooking procedures and recipe standards.
• Explain and enforce food safety and hygiene practices across the kitchen, including temperature and cleaning records, allergen control, safe handling of seafood and meat, and care of the charcoal grill and other equipment.
• Take part in selecting new kitchen staff, and induct and train them so the team can hold its standard on the busiest nights of the week.
• Freeze, preserve and store food correctly, such as batching and freezing stocks, sauces and marinated meats, preparing syrups and preserves, and labelling and rotating stock so nothing is wasted.

Skills

High-volume kitchen

Calm under pressure

Team player

Communication

Education

AQF Associate Degree/Advanced Diploma/Diploma

Job description

Job Type: Permanent position | Full time position

Job Description

Nikos Tavern at Ringwood East, VIC, is a family-run Greek restaurant that has been feeding Melbourne's eastern suburbs since 1987. What began as a small neighbourhood tavern has grown into a local institution, known for honest Hellenic cooking built on fresh seasonal produce, generous servings and fair prices. Nikos Tavern is now looking for an experienced Chef to join the team.

This is a hands-on, full-time position in a kitchen that trades lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Sunday, with late finishes on Friday and Saturday nights. You will take responsibility for the quality of everything that leaves the pass, whether it is a table of two, a large function banquet or a catering order heading out the door. Chef | Nikos Tavern | Ringwood East, VIC Key responsibilities:

• Prepare and cook the tavern's Greek menu across lunch and dinner service, from dips, mezze and saganaki through to slow-cooked classics, souvlaki, charcoal-grilled meats and fresh seafood, along with house desserts such as baklava, galaktoboureko and loukoumades.
• Taste and check dishes at every stage, from prep and marinating through to plating at the pass, so flavour, portion size and presentation stay consistent with the generous, traditional style guests expect.
• Develop and refresh the à la carte, banquet and daily special menus around seasonal produce, work out food and labour costs for each dish and function package, and place orders for meat, seafood, fresh produce and dry goods while keeping stock levels and wastage under control.
• Plan and run kitchen production for group bookings, functions and offsite catering, scaling recipes, timing banquet courses and coordinating takeaway and app orders so they run smoothly alongside a full dining room.
• Talk through food preparation issues with management and the floor team before and during service, brief waiting staff on specials, ingredients and allergens, and work with them to meet guests' vegetarian and dietary requests.
• Show junior cooks and kitchen hands the right way to handle traditional Greek techniques, including marinating and charcoal grilling, filo work and sauces, and advise them on cooking procedures and recipe standards.
• Explain and enforce food safety and hygiene practices across the kitchen, including temperature and cleaning records, allergen control, safe handling of seafood and meat, and care of the charcoal grill and other equipment.
• Take part in selecting new kitchen staff, and induct and train them so the team can hold its standard on the busiest nights of the week.
• Freeze, preserve and store food correctly, such as batching and freezing stocks, sauces and marinated meats, preparing syrups and preserves, and labelling and rotating stock so nothing is wasted.

Education and Experience

• At least 1 year of experience working as a Chef.
• An AQF Associate Degree, Advanced Diploma or Diploma qualification.

About you

• Confident in a high-volume kitchen and calm under pressure during busy services and large functions.
• A genuine passion for fresh, traditional cooking and a sharp eye for detail and consistency.
• A clear communicator and team player who works well with both the kitchen and front of house.
• Reliable, well organised and happy to work a roster that includes evenings and weekends.

Salary & Employment Conditions

• Permanent position, full time (38 hours per week).
• $75,000 to $85,000 plus superannuation per annum.

If this sounds like you, we'd love to hear from you! Please be sure to combine a covering letter addressing the key criteria set out above as the first page of your resume.