Cook I, Alteno

SH Hotels & Resorts; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 22,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Starwood Hotels is seeking a Cook I to join our culinary team in Austin. You will prepare dishes per recipes, uphold quality, and work under pressure to maintain service standards across shifts. The role emphasizes teamwork, cleanliness, and adherence to safety protocols in a dynamic hotel kitchen.

The position offers opportunities to develop skills, mentor staff, and contribute to menu execution and operational efficiency in a luxury hospitality setting.

Qualifications

• Prepare food according to recipe specifications and standards.
• Maintain high kitchen standards during peak periods.
• Ensure ingredients are fresh and of high quality.
• Lead and mentor other team members.
• Communicate professionally with staff.

Responsibilities

• Stand and/or walk for extended periods.
• Write recipes, procedures and prep lists.
• Develop and maintain positive working relationships with coworkers.
• Communicate professionally with team members.
• Coordinate daily with Sous Chefs and Executive Chef on status, dietary restrictions and kitchen needs.
• Ensure kitchen sanitation and log completeness for audits.
• Daily assignment of tasks to stewards and follow up on cleanliness.
• Pursue ongoing food service knowledge through reading and training.
• Lead by example for the team.
• Oversee proper handover to next shift with clean stations.

Skills

Culinary skills

Food safety

Team leadership

Communication

Job description

Grow with us...

Life at Starwood Hotels is based on a simple idea: the world is beautiful and we want to keep it that way. But we can’t do it alone. That’s why hiring thoughtful and inspiring Team Members and Leaders who understand that our people, collaboration, stellar service, and respect for nature are so important to us.

Grow with us...

Life at Starwood Hotels is based on a simple idea: the world is beautiful and we want to keep it that way. But we can’t do it alone. That’s why hiring thoughtful and inspiring Team Members and Leaders who understand that our people, collaboration, stellar service, and respect for nature are so important to us.

This exciting concept is developed in partnership with Chef Johnny Curiel and Kasie Curiel, co‑founders of Fonda Fina Hospitality—the team behind the Michelin‑starred Alma Fonda Fina. The original Alteño in Denver, Colorado, was recently named to Condé Nast Traveler’s "Best New Restaurants in the World: 2026 Hot List." Chef Johnny Curiel is also a current James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef: Mountain Region.

MAIN DUTIES:

As Cook I, you will be responsible for preparing food according to recipe specifications and ensuring the overall success of our daily culinary operations. The Cook I should ensure that all ingredients used in dishes are of the highest quality. Additionally, the Cook I should work well under pressure and maintain restaurant standards during busy periods.

GENERAL DUTIES:

• Must be able to stand and/or walk for extended periods of time.

• Always have a notebook to write recipes, procedures and prep lists with.

• Develop and maintain a positive working relationship with other employees.

• Clearly communicate using professional language

• Daily communication with Sous Chef(s), Executive Sous Chef and/or Executive Chef. Discuss hotel status, special attention arrivals and /or special attention guests with dietary/allergic restrictions, kitchen status (equipment repairs, cleanliness, and special needs projects), kitchen morale, suggestions of ways to improve guests experiences through new food offerings and ideas to drive revenue.

• Daily communications with stewards to ensure kitchen is running at the highest possible sanitary standards.

• Give and log daily, weekly and monthly projects to the stewards for areas of concern.

• Constantly pushing self to learn more about food service through books, magazines and dining out.

• Confident leader and perfect example for other team members.

• Ensure complete wash and sanitized kitchen is passed over to the next shift.

• Ensure stewards have followed their daily, scheduled cleanliness of walk‑ins, lines and general area of stewarding and kitchen.

• Daily line checks with team members ensuring quality and shelf life of product. Responsible for utilizing product through alternative outlets to minimize product loss.

• Closely monitor portion sizing to ensure consistency.

• Assist Supervisor in maintaining all logs and checklists for State and Internal audits.

• Responsible for assisting with updating recipe books with proper procedures.

• Responsible for protein/plate counts for service.

• Responsible for (Preventative) Maintenance log in Chef’s office with engineering team.