Full-Time Hospital Café Head Chef / Kitchen Leader

Silveroak Hospitality; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Silveroak Hospitality operates a busy hospital café in Parkville, Melbourne, seeking a Café Chef / Kitchen Leader to run daily kitchen operations, develop appealing menus and deliver quality meals in large quantities for staff, patients and visitors.

You will oversee bulk cooking, ensure high standards of flavour and presentation, manage stock and collaborate with kitchen and front-of-house teams in a supportive environment.

Qualifications

• Experience in busy commercial kitchens with high-volume production.
• Ability to plan and rotate daily specials and menus.
• Strong knowledge of food safety, portion control and hygiene.
• Proven time management and ability to meet production deadlines.
• Excellent teamwork and effective communication with kitchen and front-of-house.

Responsibilities

• Independently manage daily food preparation, cooking, kitchen organisation and workflow.
• Prepare hot meals in large quantities for Bain Marie service, ensuring quality and consistency.
• Create and rotate daily specials, develop new dishes and maintain an appealing menu.
• Maintain high standards of flavour, presentation, portion control and food consistency.
• Operate and maintain commercial kitchen equipment.
• Manage ingredient ordering, stock levels, rotation and inventory control.
• Monitor ingredient costs, minimise waste and maintain profitable production.
• Own your kitchen area, including prep schedules and cleanliness.
• Collaborate with other chefs, kitchen hands and front-of-house teams for smooth operations.
• Maintain high standards of food safety, hygiene and temperature control.

Skills

Bulk cooking

Menu development

Food safety

Time management

Teamwork

Communication

Job description

We are looking for an experienced, reliable and hands‑on Café Chef / Kitchen Leader who can independently manage daily kitchen operations, develop appealing menus and consistently deliver quality food in large quantities. You will work in a busy, well‑established café located within a major hospital in Parkville, Melbourne, serving hospital staff, patients and visitors. Our kitchen focuses on freshly prepared, high‑volume hot meals served through our Bain Marie food display, along with a variety of café‑style dishes and daily specials.

Key responsibilities

• Independently manage daily food preparation, cooking, kitchen organisation and workflow
• Prepare a variety of hot meals in large quantities for Bain Marie service, ensuring consistency, quality and efficient production
• Independently create and rotate daily specials, develop new dishes and maintain a varied, appealing menu
• Maintain high standards of flavour, presentation, portion control and food consistency
• Confidently operate and maintain commercial kitchen equipment
• Manage ingredient ordering, stock levels, stock rotation and inventory control
• Monitor ingredient costs, minimise food waste and maintain profitable food production
• Take ownership of your kitchen area, including preparation schedules, cleanliness, organisation and daily operations
• Work closely with other chefs, kitchen hands, front‑of‑house and sandwich preparation teams to ensure smooth operations
• Maintain high standards of food safety, hygiene, temperature control and safe food handling

About you

• Proven experience as a Chef, Café Chef, Kitchen Leader or similar role in a busy commercial kitchen
• Strong experience in bulk cooking, batch preparation and Bain Marie‑style food service
• Ability to independently operate and organise a commercial kitchen with minimal supervision
• Confident in developing menus, daily specials and new dishes independently
• Experienced in preparing a variety of Western‑style café meals, hot dishes and other popular cuisines
• Strong knowledge of food costing, ordering, stock control and waste reduction
• Excellent time management and ability to meet daily production deadlines
• Able to plan cooking quantities according to customer demand
• Organised, efficient, reliable and able to work under pressure
• Strong communication and teamwork skills
• Stable, full‑time, long‑term position
• Monday to Friday only – no weekends or public holidays
• Friendly and supportive working environment
• Opportunity to develop your own menu ideas and take ownership of kitchen operations
• Competitive salary based on experience

About us

We are a busy, well‑established café located within a major hospital in Parkville, Melbourne, serving hospital staff, patients and visitors. Our kitchen focuses on freshly prepared, high‑volume hot meals served through our Bain Marie food display, along with a variety of café‑style dishes and daily specials.