First Cook

Gategroup; Virginia (MN); On-site; USD 25,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free on-site cafeteria with hot meals

Free uniforms and laundering

Weekly pay

Employee referral bonuses

Life Insurance (36000)

Job summary

Gate Gourmet is seeking a Head Cook to lead kitchen prep and cooking for airline catering, ensuring recipes are followed and production runs smoothly. The role acts as a lead, coordinating cooks and maintaining quality across high-volume shifts.

The position requires culinary training, strong teamwork, and reliable attendance, including weekends and holidays. Employees benefit from the company’s comprehensive perks and growth opportunities.

Qualifications

• Culinary degree or cook certification is preferred.
• Read, write, and follow food specs and menus.
• Communicate effectively with supervisors and co-workers.
• Will work weekends and holidays when required.

Responsibilities

• Assembles equipment according to airline specifications following procedures and diagrams.
• Packages and prepares alcoholic beverages for airline flights.
• Maintains sanitation and compliance with standards and customer requirements.
• Documents inventory and logs.
• Follows directions and works as a team member.
• Supports leadership in monitoring production quality and efficiencies.

Skills

Effective communication

Teamwork

Attention to detail

Education

Culinary degree or cook certification

Job description

Compensation & Competitive benefits that let you see the world

Starting rate: $22.00/hr

Job Summary

A Head Cook is responsible for preparing and cooking various food items according to recipes and monitors cooks production acting as a lead

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Assembles equipment according to airline specifications following procedures and assembly diagrams.
• Packages and prepares alcoholic beverages for airline flights.
• Keeps production areas in compliance with sanitation standards and customer requirements
• Documents inventory in compliance with requirements
• Follows directions.
• Works as a member of a team.
• Supports Hot Food leadership in monitoring team's production quality and efficiencies
• Additional duties may be assigned as deemed necessary by management

Qualifications

Education

• Culinary degree and/or cook certification is preferred

Work Experience

• At least 2 years of experience cooking in a high volume institutional catering environment is preferred
• Experience with maintaining temperature logs for all food items prepared.
• Recipe conversion experience required to accommodate the kitchen’s daily production needs.

Technical Skills: (Certification, Licenses and Registration)

• Not applicable

Language / Communication Skills

• Read, write, and follow food specifications and menu guidelines
• Communicate effectively with supervisors and co-workers

Requirements of the Job

• Handle various food products such as seafood, beef, pork, poultry, fruits, and vegetables.
• Handle knives and kitchen tools properly.
• Work assigned schedule which may vary and could include weekends and holidays
• Work overtime when required
• Arrive to work on-time
• Completes paperwork and related administrative duties
• Complies with company policies

Benefits of Joining the Gate Gourmet Team

• Free on-site cafeteria with hot and healthy meals
• Free uniforms and uniform laundering
• Weekly pay
• Employee referral bonuses
• Company sponsored $10k Life Insurance (basic and supplemental available as well)
• Vacation and sick benefits after 1 year
• Holiday pay after 1 year
• Recognition program including company merchandise
• Optional employee paid benefits include:
• Medical coverage, Dental, Vision, Flexible Spending Account, short and long term disability
• 401k with up to 3% company match for most locations and employees
• Employee Assistance Program

Work Environment

• Handles pork, poultry, meat and fish products
• Will be exposed to extreme temperature changes and noise.
• Must be able to lift, push, pull, and move product, equipment and supplies up to fifty (50) pounds frequently during shift.
• Regularly stands, bends, lifts, and moves intermittently during shifts of 8+ hours.

Demonstrated Values to be Successful in the Position

Employees at gategroup are expected to live our Values of Excellence, Integrity, Passion and Accountability. To demonstrate these Values, we expect to observe the following from everyone:

• We treat each other with respect and we act with integrity
• We communicate and keep each other informed
• We put our heads together to problem solve and deliver excellence as a team
• We have passion for our work and we pay attention to the little details
• We foster an environment of accountability, take responsibility for our actions and learn from our mistakes
• We do what we say we will do, when we say we are going to do it
• We care about our coworkers, always taking an opportunity to make someone’s day better

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the individual(s) assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required. Management reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties and to assign other duties as necessary. In addition, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

gategroup is an equal opportunity employer committed to workforce diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status or other category under applicable law.

For further information regarding Equal Employment Opportunity, copy and paste the following URL into your web browser: http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf

We anticipate that this job will close on: 12/31/2026