Chef de Partie

Richmond Oysters; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 72,000 - 88,000; Full time

Job summary

Richmond Oysters in Melbourne’s vibrant dining scene is seeking an experienced Chef de Partie to lead a kitchen section, ensuring top-quality seafood dishes from filleting to oyster shucking. The role focuses on menu planning, cost control and maintaining high standards during busy service periods.

You will work a full-time, on-site roster Tuesday to Sunday, with opportunities to mentor junior staff and contribute to a dairy-free, allergen-aware kitchen. Salary is competitive with superannuation.

Qualifications

• Diploma-level or higher qualification in commercial cookery, hospitality or related field; or 3+ years experience as a Chef in lieu.
• At least 1 year of relevant Chef experience in a commercial restaurant or hospitality environment.
• Experience planning menus, estimating food costs and ordering ingredients.
• Strong food preparation and cooking skills.
• Experience monitoring food quality, portion sizes and presentation standards.
• Knowledge of food safety, hygiene, allergen management and stock control.
• Ability to supervise and guide kitchen staff.
• Strong communication, organisation and time-management skills.
• Ability to stay organized and maintain quality during busy service periods.
• Experience preparing fresh fish, oysters, shellfish and other seafood (highly regarded).
• Availability to work a flexible roster Tue–Sun, including evenings, weekends and holidays.

Responsibilities

• Plan and develop menus with management, considering seasonal seafood, demand, availability and costs.
• Estimate food and labour needs and cost of ingredients.
• Order seafood, produce and kitchen supplies; monitor stock levels.
• Prepare and cook fish, oysters, shellfish and other menu items; fillet fish and shuck oysters.
• Manage an allocated kitchen section during prep and service.
• Monitor dish quality throughout preparation and presentation.
• Ensure meals meet taste, freshness, portion size, presentation and service time standards.
• Collaborate with management and staff to resolve prep and service issues.
• Demonstrate techniques and guide staff on prep, cooking and presentation.
• Allocate duties and supervise cooks and kitchen hands during prep and service.
• Assist with staff selection, induction and training as required.
• Monitor storage, rotation, portion control and waste.
• Ensure food safety, hygiene and WHS compliance.
• Maintain a clean, organized and efficient kitchen.

Skills

Menu planning

Food cost estimation

Ingredient ordering

Food safety

Allergen management

Stock control

Staff supervision

Communication

Organisation

Time management

Seafood preparation

Education

Diploma in Commercial Cookery

Job description

Richmond Oysters is a family-owned seafood business that has operated from Church Street, Richmond since 1959. Founded by brothers Tony and Nick Anassis and now led by the second generation of the family, the business operates a full-service seafood restaurant, a retail fish market, a wholesale division and an event catering service.

Our restaurant is a licensed, full-service seafood restaurant offering seated dining with table service for lunch and dinner, Tuesday to Sunday. Our menu is driven by seasonal, market-fresh produce, including freshly shucked oysters, our signature seafood platters, scallops, calamari, paella and daily specials. Our fishmongers source whole local fish from the wholesale markets Monday to Saturday, and all fish is filleted and all oysters shucked on the premises.

Position purpose

We are seeking an experienced Chef de Partie to join our restaurant kitchen team. The Chef de Partie is a hands-on member of the Richmond Oysters kitchen team, responsible for running an allocated section of the kitchen during preparation and service, planning menus, preparing and cooking food, and maintaining quality and food-safety standards. Working closely with management, our fishmongers, kitchen staff and front-of-house staff, the Chef de Partie helps deliver the venue’s ocean-to-plate dining experience and supports the efficient operation of the kitchen.

Key responsibilities

• Planning and developing menus in consultation with management, taking into account seasonal seafood, customer demand, ingredient availability and food costs.
• Estimating food and labour requirements and the cost of ingredients.
• Ordering seafood, produce and other kitchen supplies, and monitoring stock levels.
• Preparing and cooking fish, oysters, shellfish, seafood dishes and other restaurant menu items, including filleting whole fish and shucking oysters.
• Managing an allocated kitchen section (pan, grill or larder) through preparation and service.
• Monitoring the quality of dishes throughout preparation, cooking and presentation.
• Ensuring meals meet high standards for taste, freshness, portion size, presentation and service time.
• Working with management, kitchen staff and front-of-house staff to resolve food preparation and service issues.
• Demonstrating cooking techniques and advising kitchen staff on food preparation, cooking procedures and presentation standards.
• Allocating duties to and supervising cooks, kitchen hands and other kitchen staff during preparation and service.
• Assisting with the selection, induction and training of kitchen staff where required.
• Monitoring food storage, stock rotation, portion control and food wastage.
• Ensuring compliance with food safety, hygiene, allergen management and workplace health and safety requirements.
• Maintaining a clean, organised and efficient kitchen environment.

Skills, qualifications and experience

The successful candidate will demonstrate the following:

• A Diploma-level or higher qualification in commercial cookery, hospitality or a related field, or at least three years of experience as a Chef in place of this.
• At least one year of relevant experience as a Chef in a commercial restaurant or hospitality environment.
• Experience planning menus, estimating food costs and ordering ingredients.
• Strong food preparation and cooking skills.
• Experience monitoring food quality, portion sizes and presentation standards.
• Sound knowledge of food safety, hygiene, allergen management and stock control requirements.
• The ability to supervise and guide kitchen staff.
• Strong communication, organisation and time-management skills.
• The ability to remain organised and maintain consistent quality during busy service periods.
• Experience preparing fresh fish, oysters, shellfish and other seafood products (highly regarded).
• Availability to work a flexible roster across Tuesday to Sunday, including evenings, weekends and public holidays as required.

Working conditions

This is a full-time, hands-on position within the kitchen of a busy, full-service seafood restaurant. The successful applicant will work 38 ordinary hours per week on a rotating roster and will be paid a salary of $80,000 per annum plus superannuation.