Cook/FOH Assistant

Derbyshire County Council; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 25,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employer pension

Annual leave

Free parking

Impactful role

Job summary

The Deer Shed Café in Alfreton Park is seeking a friendly Front of House / Cook to join our team. This busy café role blends cooking, food prep and front-of-house duties with a focus on delivering excellent customer service.

You will work with young people aged 19-25 with additional needs, offering guidance and practical support to help them develop catering, hospitality and employability skills, while ensuring high food hygiene and cleanliness.

Qualifications

• This is a hands-on role combining food preparation and cooking with front-of-house duties and excellent customer service.
• You will help prepare and serve high-quality food and drinks, welcome and serve customers, maintain high standards of cleanliness and food hygiene.

Responsibilities

• Combine food preparation and cooking with front-of-house duties and excellent customer service.
• Help trainees build confidence and independence by involving them in meaningful, real-life tasks across both the kitchen and front of house.
• Maintain high standards of cleanliness and food hygiene.
• Support the smooth day-to-day running of the café.

Job description

Closing date: 19 October 2026

The Deer Shed is looking for a friendly, enthusiastic and reliable Front of House / Cook to join our team at The Deer Shed Café in the beautiful surroundings of Alfreton Park.

This is a varied, hands‑on role combining food preparation and cooking with front‑of‑house duties and excellent customer service. You will help prepare and serve high‑quality food and drinks, welcome and serve customers, maintain high standards of cleanliness and food hygiene, and support the smooth day‑to‑day running of the café.

This is also much more than a traditional café role. You will work alongside young people aged 19‑25 with additional needs and learning disabilities, providing encouragement, guidance and practical support as they develop their catering, hospitality, customer service and employability skills. You will help trainees build confidence and independence by involving them in meaningful, real‑life tasks across both the kitchen and front of house.

We are looking for someone who enjoys working in a busy café environment, has a positive and flexible approach and takes pride in providing great food and excellent customer service. Just as importantly, you will have the patience and enthusiasm to support our trainees and help them achieve their potential.

The Deer Shed is a charity founded by Alfreton Park School to provide a vital bridge between education and employment for young people with additional needs. Through real‑world work experience and practical training, we help young people discover their potential, grow in confidence, develop skills for life and move towards meaningful paid employment.

Benefits

• Employer pension scheme
• 15 days annual leave per annum (5 weeks pro rata), plus public holidays, pro rata
• Free on-site parking
• A unique opportunity to combine working in a welcoming café environment with a role that makes a genuine and lasting difference to young people's lives

Interested?

If you have a passion for cooking, hospitality and excellent customer service and would like a rewarding role where you can use your skills to help young people develop their confidence and independence, we would love to hear from you.