Senior Sous Chef / Kitchen Lead

Bowie; Newcastle; On-site; AUD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Bowie, a busy café in Hamilton, NSW, is seeking a hands-on kitchen leader to run a small team during breakfast and lunch service. You’ll cook, plate, and oversee daily operations with straightforward management duties built into the role.

You are an experienced Sous Chef or Senior Sous Chef who thrives under pressure, keeps the kitchen organised, controls labour and food costs, and leads by example with a positive attitude. Collaboration with the Talulah sister venue is encouraged.

Qualifications

• Experienced Sous Chef or Senior Sous Chef in a busy environment.
• Organised, calm under pressure, and able to lead a team.
• Strong cooking skills with attention to plating and presentation.
• Comfortable working in a high-volume café kitchen and managing service

Responsibilities

• Lead from the front during breakfast and lunch services.
• Maintain excellent food quality, presentation and consistency.
• Keep the kitchen clean, organised and service-ready.
• Plan ahead for prep, stock and staffing to stay under control.
• Manage ordering, stock rotation and minimise wastage.
• Train, support and hold the team to standards.
• Control labour and food costs within budgets.
• Collaborate with Talulah and wider management.

Skills

Kitchen leadership

High-volume service

Food plating

Labour cost awareness

Team training

Job description

You'll be the hands-on leader of our small kitchen team, working alongside your crew to deliver consistently great food and smooth service. This is predominantly a cooking and service role, with straightforward management responsibilities built into the daily operation.

Key responsibilities

• Leading from the front during busy breakfast and lunch services
• Maintaining excellent food quality, presentation and consistency
• Keeping the kitchen clean, organised and service-ready
• Planning ahead to ensure prep, stock and staffing are always under control
• Managing ordering, stock rotation and minimising wastage
• Training, supporting and holding your team accountable to agreed standards
• Managing kitchen labour and food costs within established budgets
• Working collaboratively with our Talulah kitchen and wider management team

About you

• An experienced Sous Chef, Senior Sous Chef or capable kitchen leader who thrives in a busy, hands-on environment
• Naturally organised, calm under pressure and confident leading a team
• Strong cooking skills and an excellent eye for plating and presentation
• Fast, efficient and comfortable in a high-volume café kitchen
• Stays calm and focused when service gets busy
• Naturally thinks ahead and keeps the kitchen organised
• Leads by example with a positive, respectful attitude
• Understands the importance of labour efficiency, portion control and food costs
• Takes pride in cleanliness, consistency and attention to detail
• Reliable, accountable and solutions-focused

About us

Bowie is a busy, established café in the heart of Hamilton, serving quality breakfast, brunch and lunch in a relaxed, vibrant environment. Our food philosophy is simple: great ingredients, thoughtful dishes, excellent presentation and consistent execution. We work closely with our sister venue, Talulah, which provides a range of centrally prepared ingredients and products. This allows our kitchen team to focus on fresh cooking, beautiful plating and delivering excellent service. We believe a great kitchen doesn't need to be complicated. It needs to be organised, efficient and run by good people who take pride in what they do.