Chef - Aged Care/Retirement

Cater Care; Central Coast Council; On-site; AUD 40,000 - 57,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary sacrifice options

Discounts across major companies

Training & accreditation support

Leadership development program

Job summary

Cater Care is seeking a Chef for the Central Coast NSW site serving residents with high-quality meals in a warm, community-focused environment. You will lead a kitchen team, manage weekend shifts (Saturday and Sunday 9:00 am to 5:30 pm), and ensure meals meet IDDSI texture-modified requirements while upholding safety and nutrition standards in aged care settings.

This permanent part-time role requires a Certificate III in Commercial Cookery and experience in high-volume kitchens; weekend

Qualifications

• Trade Qualified Professional with Certificate III in Commercial Cookery or equivalent.
• Proven high-volume kitchen experience in aged care, healthcare, hospitality, or catering.
• Strong focus on resident satisfaction and dietary needs.
• Ability to lead weekend kitchen operations independently.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily meal services and kitchen operations.
• Prepare standard menus and texture-modified diets with care.
• Ensure taste, nutrition, temperature and presentation meet standards.
• Maintain hygiene, sanitation and food safety documentation.
• Collaborate with kitchen team to keep operations organized.

Skills

Certificate III in Commercial Cookery

Culinary Experience

Resident-Focused Care

Autonomous Leadership

Education

Certificate III in Commercial Cookery

Job description

Salary: $35.00 - $35.00

Job Type: Permanent - Part Time

Location: NSW: Central Coast

Job Category: Aged Care/Retirement,Care Services,Customer Service,Food Safety,Indigenous Participation,Texture Modified Food,Trade Qualified - Chef

Location: Uniting - Nareen Gardens, Bateau Bay Central Coast NSW 2261

Schedule: Saturday & Sunday 9:00 am to 5:30 pm

Status: Permanent Part-Time

Job Description

For our residents, exceptional food is frequently the highlight of their day, as we truly believe it is one of life's greatest pleasures. Rather than someone who simply follows a recipe, we are seeking a Chef who also has a strong understanding of the IDDSI standard. Stepping into this role, you will lead our kitchen, dedicated to ensuring our residents enjoy delicious, nutritious, and high-quality meals within a warm, community-centered environment.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Kitchen Leadership: Overseeing and directing daily meal services to ensure smooth, efficient operations.
• Inclusive Culinary Services: Preparing standard menus alongside specialized texture-modified diets and dietary requirements with dignity, precision, and care.
• Quality Assurance: Ensuring every dish meets rigorous standards for taste, nutritional value, temperature, and visual presentation before service.
• Safety & Compliance: Upholding strict kitchen hygiene, sanitation, and food safety documentation standards.
• Team Collaboration: Partnering with a dedicated kitchen team to maintain a supportive, organized, and effective working environment.

Who You Are

• Trade Qualified Professional: Possess a Certificate III in Commercial Cookery (or equivalent standard qualification).
• Culinary Experience: Proven experience in high-volume, fast-paced kitchen environments. Experience in aged care, healthcare, hospitality, or corporate catering is highly regarded.
• Resident-Focused Care: A genuine commitment to resident satisfaction, displaying empathy, patience, and flexibility in catering to individual dietary preferences and needs.
• Autonomous & Dependable Leader: Demonstrated capability to manage weekend kitchen operations independently, maintaining high standards of food quality and service consistency.

What We Offer

• Competitive wage with salary sacrifice options available
• A suite of discounts across major companies
• Support around further training, licensing and accreditations
• Structured leadership development program

Who We Are

Cater Care is a leading, 100% Australian owned contract catering service provider, operating across multiple sectors (Aged care, Education, Retirement, Retail and Remote services).

Through our values of Care, Pride and Community, we pride ourselves on diversity, work/life balance, providing excellent career opportunities to our employees. We encourage First Nations people to consider a career with us.

Please Note

As a result of revised standards around health & well-being in the aged care industry, all applicants must have a current year flu vaccination and undertake a National Criminal History Check and NDIS Worker Screening Check.