Head Chef - Pastry

Millbrook; Arrowtown; Remote; NZD 47,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

Millbrook Resort in Arrowtown, NZ, is seeking a Head Pastry Chef to lead the pastry team and work with the Executive Sous Chef to deliver five-star dining across restaurants, cafés, functions, and events. Bring creativity, leadership, and high culinary standards to elevate Millbrook’s pastry offering.

You will develop menus, train staff, manage food costs, and uphold impeccable safety and presentation. A Full NZ Driver Licence is advantageous; weekend shifts are required.

Qualifications

• Relevant culinary qualifications.
• Two years' experience in a similar role.
• Strong leadership and people development.
• Budget, costs and wastage control.
• Passion for fresh ingredients and culinary creativity.
• Excellent communication and organisation.
• Willingness to work weekends and public holidays.
• Full NZ Driver Licence advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support the kitchen team to deliver consistently exceptional food quality, presentation and service.
• Develop and review menus with creativity and a passion for fresh, locally sourced ingredients.
• Support team development through training, motivation, daily briefings and ongoing performance support.
• Manage budgets, food costs, product quality and wastage while maintaining high operational standards.
• Collaborate with Food & Beverage, Banquets and MICE teams to deliver exceptional restaurant, function and event experiences.
• Maintain outstanding food safety, cleanliness and kitchen standards while identifying opportunities for improvement.

Skills

Pastry leadership

Menu development

Team training

Budget management

Food safety

Communication

Time management

Ingredient sourcing

Creativity

Flexibility

Education

Culinary qualifications

Job description

Thank you for your interest in this position.

We have received your application from Indeed, so the first step of your application is complete.

To finish your application we will email you further details.

Head Chef - Pastry

Proudly Awarded New Zealand’s Leading Hotel at the 2025 World Travel Awards and New Zealand’s Best Incentive Hotel at the 2025 World MICE Awards

Our work ethos is nurturing and supportive. We are the Millbrook family and take great pride in being one of New Zealand's best places to work.

Overview

Millbrook Resort is New Zealand’s leading lifestyle resort, renowned for delivering exceptional guest experiences and world-class hospitality.

As our Head Pastry Chef, you will play an important role within our culinary team, supporting the Executive Sous Chef to deliver outstanding food experiences across our restaurants, cafés, functions and events. You will bring creativity, leadership and exceptional culinary standards to the role, ensuring quality and presentation consistently reflect Millbrook’s five-star offering.

Combining a passion for fresh, quality ingredients with strong operational and people leadership skills, you will help develop our culinary offering while inspiring and supporting the wider kitchen team.

What will your day look like?

• Leading and supporting the kitchen team to deliver consistently exceptional food quality, presentation and service
• Developing and reviewing menus, bringing creativity and a passion for fresh, locally sourced ingredients to our culinary offering
• Supporting team development through training, motivation, daily briefings and ongoing performance support
• Managing budgets, food costs, product quality and wastage while maintaining high operational standards
• Collaborating with Food & Beverage, Banquets and MICE teams to deliver exceptional restaurant, function and event experiences
• Maintaining outstanding food safety, cleanliness and kitchen standards while continually identifying opportunities for improvement

What makes you right for the role?

• Relevant culinary qualifications
• A minimum of two years’ experience in a similar role within a comparable environment
• Strong leadership experience, with the ability to train, motivate and develop a kitchen team
• Previous experience managing budgets, costs and wastage
• A genuine passion for working with fresh, quality ingredients and the creativity to push culinary boundaries
• Excellent communication, organisation and time-management skills
• Exceptional food safety standards and a commitment to quality
• Flexibility to work weekends and public holidays as required
• A Full NZ Driver Licence would be advantageous

Location: Arrowtown, Queenstown

Hours: Full time, permanent (30 hours minimum per week guaranteed)

Pay:$34.00-$36.00 gross per hour (baes on experience)

Life at Millbrook

We believe our people are our greatest asset and love recognising and rewarding our team. We actively support your growth and development within hospitality. When you join our team, you will enjoy a range of benefits, including:

• Exclusive discounts on resort products and services
• Dedicated Learning & Development opportunities
• Complimentary staff meals every day and free onsite parking
• Social and wellbeing events, staff parties and more
• A daily travel allowance if you live more than 25km from the resort

If you're looking for an opportunity to bring your creativity, leadership and passion for exceptional food to a world-class resort environment, we'd love to hear from you.