Assistant Chef – Sessional (Residence Dining)

Western University; London; On-site; CAD 48,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

Western University is seeking an Assistant Chef for a full-time, on-site role in Hospitality Services. The position runs from September to April each year, focusing on high-quality food preparation, portion control, and maintaining sanitary kitchen conditions.

Ideal candidates will have a 2-year culinary program with Red Seal, 5 years’ cooking experience, and strong leadership and customer service skills to support daily operations and menu execution.

Qualifications

• 2 year post-secondary culinary training program (such as Chef’s apprenticeship program, culinary skills program).
• Red Seal Certification.
• 5 years’ cooking experience in a commercial or institutional environment.
• Experience with a variety of food preparation techniques with an artistic flair.
• Experience in a large volume operation.

Responsibilities

• Prepare high quality food in a productive, customer service driven environment.
• Ensure proper portion sizes, quality standards and recipe adherence.
• Maintain cleanliness and sanitary conditions of the unit; meet production and scheduling needs.
• Demonstrate excellent customer service and leadership in daily operations.

Skills

Culinary skills

Team leadership

Food safety

Time management

Menu planning

Knife skills

Quality control

Customer service

Communication

Education

Culinary training

Red Seal Certification

Job description

Please note, this is a full-time sessional position working from September to April each year.

About Western

Since 1878, Western University has been committed to serving our communities through the pursuit of academic excellence and by providing students, faculty, and community members with life-long opportunities for intellectual, social, and cultural growth. We seek excellent students, faculty, and staff to join us in what has become known as the "Western Experience" - an opportunity to contribute to a better world through the development of new knowledge, new abilities, new connections, and new ways to make a difference.

About Us

Hospitality Services consists of five distinct divisions - Campus Eateries, Residence Dining, Catering, Conference Services and Vending Services. We have over 600 employees working in the various divisions. We service over 23,000 customers per day in 20 campus operations providing our guests with a wide variety of options and choices including many of your favourite franchises.

Responsibilities

The Assistant Chef will prepare high quality food in a productive and profitable customer service driven environment. The Assistant Chef is directly responsible for ensuring food products are properly prepared, inspecting the quality and verifying recipe adherence for proper preparation and service techniques. The Assistant Chef is responsible for ensuring proper portion sizes are served, quality standards are met, and departmental policies and procedures are followed in the food service unit.

The Assistant Chef is responsible for general cleanliness and sanitary conditions of the unit. The Assistant Chef meets daily with the Chef/Unit Manager to discuss cooking techniques, production schedule, ordering requirements, staff and customer concerns. The Assistant Chef demonstrates excellent customer service and has excellent knowledge of culinary techniques.

Qualifications

Education:

• 2 year post-secondary culinary training program (such as Chef’s apprenticeship program, culinary skills program)
• Red Seal Certification

Experience:

• 5 years’ cooking experience in a commercial or institutional environment
• Experience with a variety of food preparation techniques with an artistic flair
• Experience in a large volume operation

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Knowledge of food service operations including large quantity food preparation, new food trends, nutrition, vegetarian cooking, etc.
• Familiarization with order procedures and menu planning within a large institutional/commercial operation
• Familiarization with menu terminology and culinary terms which are used on a daily basis
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment
• Exceptional customer service skills with a positive, professional attitude and genuine customer service orientation
• Demonstrated ability to safely operate kitchen equipment and practice safe knife skills
• Strong time management skills to ensure an efficient and timely meal service
• Ability to ensure sufficient back-up food is prepared to meet the demands of the entire meal service
• Ability to oversee the total operation of the unit and make decisions on a daily basis involving menu changes, product utilization, schedule changes, etc.
• Strong interpersonal skills with an ability to communicate effectively and courteously with fellow members and customers
• Ability to perform duties in a professional and safe manner, adhering to WHMIS, HACCP and food safety practices
• Demonstrated leadership skills with the ability to take on different tasks
• Ability to work well under pressure and handle multiple conflicting priorities in a fast-paced environment with frequent interruptions
• Ability to perform physically demanding work and physically capable of prolonged standing, pushing, pulling, lifting and carrying up to 20kg and movement of equipment as required
• Strong skills in oral and written communication with an ability to comprehend verbal and written instructions, including recipes
• Basic mathematical skills with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail
• Basic computer skills and the ability to learn new software
• Ability to establish and build healthy working relationships and partnerships with customers, peers and supervisors
• Demonstrated dependability and cooperative nature
• Must be 18 years old to serve alcohol and be smart serve certified
• To perform driving functions, must hold a Valid Class ‘G’ drivers license
• Ability to work all shifts, including early mornings, late nights, weekends and holidays

Union Statement

Western welcomes applications from all qualified individuals; however, it is the university's policy to give first consideration to qualified CUPE 2692 applicants.

Western Values Diversity

The University invites applications from all qualified individuals. Western is committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace and welcomes applications from women, members of racialized groups/visible minorities, Aboriginal persons, persons of disabilities, persons of any sexual orientation, and persons of any gender identity or gender expression.

Accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. If you require accommodations for interviews or other meetings, please contact Human Resources or phone [phone].

Please Note:

This position is an existing vacancy. This position is fully in-person, on-site. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those chosen for an interview will be contacted.