Chef's & Catering Attendant

Talent Acquisition Group; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Talent Acquisition Group is seeking a Chef/Catering Attendant to prepare and cook a wide variety of hot and cold meals for airline passengers. You will follow fixed menus, HACCP guidelines, and presentation standards to ensure every dish meets exact quality.

Based at Brisbane Airport, you will work early mornings or late shifts in a high-volume kitchen, coordinating with teams to meet flight delivery timelines while separating Halal, vegetarian, and allergen-specific meals.

Qualifications

• Certificate III Commercial Cookery or higher qualifications preferred or equivalent level of experience.
• Minimum 3 years’ experience as a Chef in a commercial or institutional kitchen.
• Experience in high-volume or airline catering kitchens with batch cooking and strict timelines.
• Proficient with knives and preparing large volumes of ingredients quickly and accurately.
• Ability to follow fixed menus, recipes, and portioning guides precisely.
• Knowledge of HACCP food safety systems including allergen separation and temperature logs.

Responsibilities

• Prepare 100+ portions per batch following fixed menus and airline standards.
• Lead or support kitchen sections to meet daily production targets.
• Follow plating guides, portion specs, and presentation standards.
• Apply HACCP practices – batch labelling, allergen separation, and temperature logs.
• Work in a fast-paced, high-volume kitchen and meet flight delivery timelines.
• Coordinate with team to ensure prep timelines and clean, organized workstations.
• Use tray set-up systems, portion tools, and labelling equipment.
• Handle Halal, vegetarian, and allergen-specific meals with care.
• Work early mornings or late shifts (3:00am starts required).
• Stand for extended periods and maintain accuracy under pressure.

Skills

High-volume kitchen

Airline catering

Food safety HACCP

Knife handling

Education

Certificate III Commercial Cookery

Equivalent experience

Job description

About the Role

As a Chef/ Catering Attendant you will be preparing and cooking a wide variety of hot and cold meals for airline passengers. You will follow set recipes and presentation guidelines to ensure every dish meets exact standards. This is a hands-on kitchen role suited to someone who can work quickly, stay organised, and maintain quality under pressure.

You will be working in a large commercial kitchen environment where food safety and teamwork are essential to daily success. You will manage the separating of Halal, Vegetarian, and Allergen-specific meals during food preparation and be working to tight deadlines where delivery, accuracy and speed directly impacts the business.

About Our Client

This is your chance to join one of the most recognised names in global airline catering, based at the Airport. Their professional kitchens are known for their speed, structure, and high international standards. Whether you’ve worked in restaurants, banquets, or production kitchens before, you’ll find a supportive team here that values good food, reliability, and strong work ethic.

Your Responsibilities

As a Chef, your daily tasks will include:

• Prepare 100+ portions per batch following fixed menus and airline standards
• Lead or support kitchen sections to meet daily production targets
• Follow detailed plating guides, portion specs, and presentation standards
• Apply HACCP practices – batch labelling, allergen separation, and temperature logs
• Work efficiently in a fast-paced, high-volume kitchen environment
• Coordinate with team to meet strict flight delivery timelines
• Manage prep timelines and maintain clean, organised workstations
• Use tray set-up systems, portion tools, and labelling equipment
• Handle Halal, vegetarian, and allergen-specific meals with care
• Work early mornings or late shifts (3:00am starts required)

The Required Experience

To be successful in this role, you’ll need:

• Certificate III Commercial Cookery or higher qualifications is preferred or equivalent level of experience
• Have a minimum of 3 years’ experience working as a Chef in a commercial or institutional kitchen.
• Demonstrated experience working in high-volume or airline catering kitchens where batch cooking, bulk production, and delivery deadlines are standard.
• Proven ability to work confidently with knives and prepare large volumes of ingredients with accuracy and speed.
• Comfortable working to set menus, following exact recipes and portioning guides without deviation.
• Knowledge and hands-on experience with HACCP food safety systems, including cold chain compliance, temperature logs, allergen separation, batch tracking, and cross-contamination procedures.
• Ability to coordinate multiple preparation timelines while communicating with the team to meet tight flight schedules and production deadlines.
• Willingness and physical capability to stand for extended periods (8–10 hours), perform repetitive food prep or cleaning tasks, and work in a fast-paced environment.
• Able to separate and prepare Halal, vegetarian, allergen-free, and other specific meal types in accordance with production requirements.
• Comfortable working early mornings, late evenings, weekends, and public holidays as part of a rotating roster (shifts starting as early as 3:00am or finishing late depending on flight operations)
• A strong work ethic, high attention to detail, and a reliable, team-oriented attitude.
• Reliable personal transport to attend shifts at Brisbane Airport at varying hours

Other Requirements

• Must be willing to undergo a National Police Check
• Must be able to pass a pre-employment medical assessment
• Must comply with workplace drug and alcohol testing protocols