Chef/Cook - Part-Time

Summerset Retirement Villages; Waikanae; On-site; NZD 52,000 - 68,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Weekend penalty hourly rates apply

Career growth across Summerset roles

Opportunities to gain culinary qualific

Southern Cross Health Essentials

Job summary

Summerset Waikanae is seeking a dedicated Chef/Cook to join our village kitchen. You’ll prepare resident meals, café items, and cabinet selections, delivering nourishment and joy to our residents. The role emphasizes teamwork, quality, and variety across menus and special events.

Responsibilities include producing set meals, café orders, and adhering to the Food Control Plan, while sharing culinary knowledge with teammates. Weekend hours and rotating Sunday shifts form part of the schedule.

Qualifications

• Professional cookery qualification or equivalent.
• Experience as Cook or Chef in fast-paced kitchens.
• Knowledge of Food Safety Plans and practices.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and cook meals for residents and café orders.
• Deliver set meals and café items while ensuring quality.
• Ensure compliance with the approved Food Control Plan.
• Mentor and support kitchen team on cooking techniques.

Skills

Cookery qualification

Cook/Chef experience

Food safety

Mentoring/knowledge sharing

Education

Professional cookery qualification

Job description

Summerset Retirement Villages – Waikanae, North Island

You can help bring our villages to life!

At Summerset, from the moment we start developing a village, to when our residents call it home, it’s the passion and dedication of our people that brings our villages to life. We are one team united by being part of something bigger – to bring the best of life to our residents.

Job Description

We’re looking for a dedicated Chef/Cook to join our team at SummersetWaikanae. This is more than just a kitchen job — it’s a chance to be part of something meaningful, where every meal you prepare brings joy, comfort, and nourishment to the lives of our residents.

As our Chef you are not only responsible for resident production meals but delivering the vibrant café menu and varied cabinet assortment to entice guests and visitors and catering to a range of diets.

Your day-to-day responsibilities will include:

• Preparing and cooking set mealsthat are delivered to residents that can’t come to the café
• Cooking short orders for yourcafe customers
• Complying with the approved Food Control Plan
• Providing support and guidance to the kitchen team regarding food preparation techniques

Alongside your day to day you can demonstrate your creative culinary flair catering our village fine dining and themed events.

The hours for this role are: Friday, Saturday 7:30am-3pm & every second Sunday 10am-6pm

Qualifications

You will be an experienced and passionate Chef who loves to put people at the heart of their food. You will be used to a fast-paced kitchen where you will be preparing set meals as well as café orders. This role is ideal for someone who takes pride in their work, loves bringing people together over food, and enjoys going the extra mile for their customers.

To be successful you will bring:

• A professional cookery qualification
• Experience working as a Cook or a Chef
• Sound understanding of Food Safety Plans
• A team player who loves passing on their culinary knowledge to their colleagues

At Summerset, we believe diversity strengthens our team and enriches the care we provide. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences, and walks of life.

Additional Information

We are proud to show our appreciation for the passion and commitment our people show every day, by offering a selection of employee benefits:

Our benefits include:

• Weekend additional penal hourly rates apply
• The ability to grow your career across a variety of roles in Summerset
• Opportunities to gain further recognised culinary qualifications
• Southern Cross Health Essentials Insurance

Next Steps

Applications for this role will close on 4/10/2026. This role may close early due to an increased number of applications - apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment!