Lead Cook, Vancouver (Seasonal, until October 2025)

Rocky Mountaineer; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 30,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading luxury passenger rail service is seeking a Lead Cook to deliver exceptional culinary experiences onboard. The role involves managing a kitchen team, ensuring high food quality, and maintaining health and safety standards. Ideal candidates are energetic, motivated, and legally authorized to work in Canada.

Benefits

Hourly compensation + gratuities

Seasonal wage increases

All meals while working onboard

Health Care Spending Account

Friends and family rail tickets discount

Complimentary rail pass after the first season

Growth opportunities

Fun and inclusive team environment

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years’ experience as a line cook or restaurant cook.
• Previous experience supervising a small team.

Responsibilities

• Lead a 3-person team with minimal supervision.
• Deliver world class cuisine to luxury guests.
• Maintain food standards and quality.

Skills

Communication

Multitasking

Time management

Organizational skill

Education

BC Food Safe certification

Valid ID for travel

Job description

Rocky Mountaineer is the world’s largest privately-owned luxury passenger rail service.

We are committed to living our values : Create Meaningful Moments, Be One Team, Achieve Extraordinary Outcomes. We endeavor to foster a work environment of respect, integrity, and honesty; where diversity is valued, and talent is developed to the benefit of the individual and the company.

As Rocky Mountaineer cooks, we create culinary experiences for our guests to enjoy while they are travelling through some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. We are an integral part of our customer experience and create meaningful moments to connect our guests to the lands that we travel through by showcasing local ingredients and cuisine.

The Lead Cook reports to the Sous Chef.

This position is deemed Safety Sensitive. This position requires the incumbent to periodically access an active railway area where impaired performance could result in a significant incident affecting the health and safety of team members, guests, team members, the public, property, or the environment.

If selected to move forward in our recruitment process, candidates will be contacted via email between December 2024 and March 2025. Interviews will begin in March 2025, with successful candidates starting in role between April and July 2025. Please keep an eye on your email and junk mail for further updates.

Key Areas of Accountability

Leading the kitchen to ensure a collaborative team environment :

• Be able to lead a 3-person team with minimal supervision
• Deliver world class cuisine to luxury guests
• Maintain food standards by executing at a high level to deliver remarkable dishes
• Focus on teamwork to maintain an efficient operational flow and high morale
• Responsible for the time management of services and ensuring all team members are ready and well organized
• Provide on-the-job training for new hires to successfully perform their jobs
• Maintain quality and food inventory by completing orders and organizing deliveries
• Work closely with Onboard Hosts and Leadership to provide seamless services and address any guest issues
• Participate in waste management and reduction initiatives, including composting and recycling programs
• Ensure all meals are prepared and presented according to specifications

Food preparation and daily duties :

• Be able to adapt to a fast paced, small kitchen galley environment on a moving train
• Knowledgeable about food allergies, dietary requirements and able to cater to the guests needs
• Follow pre-established recipes and menus while completing service in a timely manner
• Timely execution of daily and on-going food preparation
• Maintain checklists and daily logs

Maintaining Health and Safety Standards :

• Ensure all daily and end of trip cleaning routines are properly followed
• Responsible for ensuring all equipment is properly maintained and handled
• Report safety issues to your supervisor in a timely manner

Qualifications

Education / Certifications / Knowledge

• BC Food Safe certification; required
• Fluency in English language
• Valid ID to satisfy domestic travel requirements (passport, driving license)

Experience

• Minimum 3 years’ experience as a line cook or restaurant cook
• Previous experience supervising a small team
• Experience managing inventory and proper product use to eliminate waste and spillage

Skills

• Communicate clearly so that others understand expectations
• Multitask to perform various cooking and managing duties simultaneously
• Time management and organizational skill

Attributes and Work Environment

• Maintains a professional and polished appearance
• Energetic, motivated, hardworking and committed to delivering culinary excellence
• Demonstrates a professional, accountable work ethic; self-motivated
• Comfortable engaging and interacting with guests
• Exceptional physical endurance and emotional resiliency with the ability to work long days
• Must be able to lift and carry up to 50 pounds
• Able to travel away from home base for up to 6 days at a time
• Must be legally authorized to work in Canada through the end of the season (April – October)

Perks and Benefits

• Hourly compensation + gratuities
• Seasonal wage increases
• All meals while working onboard
• Up to $300 in Health Care Spending Account
• Friends and family rail tickets and packages discount
• Two annual complimentary rail pass (beginning your 2nd season)
• Opportunity to experience beautiful BC & Alberta
• Exclusive discount with various partners on Perkopolis
• Growth opportunities
• Fun and inclusive team environment

Hourly wage : $27.00 / Hour + gratuities

Rocky Mountaineer is an equal opportunity employer, driven by our values of creating meaningful moments, being one team, and achieving extraordinary outcomes. Our strong company culture supports our vision of a diverse, open, safe, and respectful workplace. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all team members. If you require any accommodations during the application process or throughout your employment, please let us know. We will work with you to ensure your needs are met and to create a supportive environment.

Please ensure to opt-in for text messages when you apply in order to receive interview updates.

This job description is not exhaustive of all duties and will encompass additional duties assigned. Responsibilities, title, reporting structure and duties may be changed in response to business requirements.