Kitchen Host (Culinary- FT/PT)

The Gables - Raleigh; Raleigh (NC); On-site; USD 26,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

The Gables - Raleigh is seeking a Kitchen Host to join our kitchen team. This flexible role blends prep, steward, and junior sous responsibilities in a hoodless kitchen focused on preparation, warming, and finishing rather than a traditional line.

Shifts vary across breakfast, lunch, evening service, and events. The ideal candidate brings kitchen experience, strong mise en place and plating skills, and a flexible attitude to support a high-quality guest experience.

Qualifications

• Previous professional kitchen experience in prep, line cooking, catering, culinary production, or a similar food-service environment.
• Strong foundational culinary skills, including knife skills, mise en place, recipe execution, portioning, plating, and safe equipment use.
• Ability to follow recipes and production standards while maintaining quality, presentation, timing, and consistency across changing service volumes.
• Working knowledge of food handling, sanitation, temperature control, storage, labeling, rotation, allergen awareness, and kitchen safety.
• Ability to work independently, manage prep and dishwashing responsibilities, prioritise tasks, and maintain awareness of pars, waste, product use, and service timing.

Responsibilities

• Prepare mise en place for breakfast, lunch, evening service, and events according to established recipes, portions, production levels, and presentation standards.
• Assemble, warm, finish, and plate menu items accurately and efficiently while maintaining food quality, timing, and consistency.
• Maintain menu and allergen knowledge, replenish prep based on volume, minimize waste, and support seasonal or event preparation as directed.
• Take ownership of kitchen readiness for the assigned shift, including prep lists, station setup, refrigeration, smallwares, serviceware, and communication of items that may affect service.
• Be responsible for plating and expediting during service and work closely with front-of-house teammates to maintain accurate ticket flow and timing; assist with running or restocking when needed.
• Troubleshoot routine kitchen and service challenges resourcefully, maintain a calm organized workspace, and communicate larger operational concerns promptly.
• Monitor food, prep, serviceware, cleaning supplies, and kitchen pars and communicate ordering needs before shortages affect service.
• Receive, label, date, rotate, store, and organize products according to food safety and quality standards.
• Monitor freshness, portions, yields, and waste; maintain organized refrigeration and dry storage and assist with counts or prep planning as needed.
• Share responsibility for dishwashing throughout the shift and maintain enough clean tableware, kitchenware, and equipment for service.
• Keep dish, prep, equipment, refrigeration, floor, and storage areas clean, sanitized, organized, and service-ready; care for equipment and report maintenance or safety concerns promptly.
• Follow all food handling, sanitation, temperature-control, storage, allergen-awareness, health, and safety requirements and handle products and equipment carefully to minimize injury, contamination, breakage, and waste.
• Communicate openly with front-of-house teammates, management, vendors, and kitchen support about timing, availability, quality, or anything that may affect service.
• Support private events and catering through advance prep, execution, cleanup, dishwashing, and resetting the kitchen for the next service.
• Remain flexible for morning, evening, weekend, holiday, and event shifts and take pride in leaving the kitchen organized, efficient, and ready for the team.

Skills

Kitchen experience

Knife skills

Mise en place

Plating

Food safety awareness

Job description

JOB TITLE:Kitchen Host (Culinary Operations & Guest Experience)

JOB TYPE:Full and Part-time, Morning/Evening/Event Shifts

PAY:$22 per hour

REPORTS TO:F&B Manager, Property Leadership: Innkeeper, Assistant Innkeeper

OUR WHY

At The Gables, we are humble ambassadors of our community. We believe hospitality begins with kindness, curiosity, and a genuine desire to care for others. Through thoughtful details, intentional design, and authentic, meaningful connections, we create experiences where every guest feels welcomed, valued, and at home.

OUR CORE VALUES

INSPIRE WONDERInnovation and Creativity | Surprise and Delight

FOSTER HOSPITALITYInclusive Culture | Home Away from Home

PURSUE EXCELLENCEExceptional Experiences | Attention to Detail | Focus on Quality

DEMONSTRATE INTENTIONALITYEmpathetic Engagement | Anticipatory Service | Sense of Ownership

CULTIVATE COMMUNITYTeam Collaboration | Community Engagement | Take Time to Celebrate

POSITION SUMMARY

As a Kitchen Host at The Gables, you turn the Alcove food program into a thoughtful, consistent part of the guest experience through careful preparation, assembly, finishing, plating, organization, and kitchen readiness.

This flexible culinary role blends prep cook, steward, and junior sous responsibilities in a compact, hoodless kitchen focused on preparation, warming, and finishing rather than a traditional line. Depending on the shift, you may independently manage production and dish flow, support breakfast or evening service, or execute event prep and service. Organization, consistency, timing, and ownership are essential.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

• Executes Alcove food consistently, maintaining established recipes, portions, presentation, timing, and quality standards.
• Keeps the kitchen service-ready through strong mise en place, organization, cleanliness, dish flow, and awareness of product levels.
• Works confidently and independently when needed, anticipates the next priority, and communicates issues before they affect service.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Food Preparation and Menu Execution

• Prepare mise en place for breakfast, lunch, evening service, and events according to established recipes, portions, production levels, and presentation standards.
• Assemble, warm, finish, and plate menu items accurately and efficiently while maintaining food quality, timing, and consistency.
• Maintain menu and allergen knowledge, replenish prep based on volume, minimize waste, and support seasonal or event preparation as directed.

Kitchen Operations and Service Support

• Take ownership of kitchen readiness for the assigned shift, including prep lists, station setup, refrigeration, smallwares, serviceware, and communication of items that may affect service.
• Be responsible for plating and expediting during service and work closely with front-of-house teammates to maintain accurate ticket flow and timing; assist with running or restocking when needed.
• Troubleshoot routine kitchen and service challenges resourcefully, maintain a calm organized workspace, and communicate larger operational concerns promptly.

Inventory and Product Management

• Monitor food, prep, serviceware, cleaning supplies, and kitchen pars and communicate ordering needs before shortages affect service.
• Receive, label, date, rotate, store, and organize products according to food safety and quality standards.
• Monitor freshness, portions, yields, and waste; maintain organized refrigeration and dry storage and assist with counts or prep planning as needed.

Cleanliness, Equipment, Health, and Safety

• Share responsibility for dishwashing throughout the shift and maintain enough clean tableware, kitchenware, and equipment for service.
• Keep dish, prep, equipment, refrigeration, floor, and storage areas clean, sanitized, organized, and service-ready; care for equipment and report maintenance or safety concerns promptly.
• Follow all food handling, sanitation, temperature-control, storage, allergen-awareness, health, and safety requirements and handle products and equipment carefully to minimize injury, contamination, breakage, and waste.

Communication, Teamwork, and Property Support

• Communicate openly with front-of-house teammates, management, vendors, and kitchen support about timing, availability, quality, or anything that may affect service.
• Support private events and catering through advance prep, execution, cleanup, dishwashing, and resetting the kitchen for the next service.
• Remain flexible for morning, evening, weekend, holiday, and event shifts and take pride in leaving the kitchen organized, efficient, and ready for the team.

EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS

Must be eligible to work in the United States.

Must be able to meet all applicable food handling and sanitation requirements.

Must be able to work assigned morning, evening, weekend, holiday, and event shifts as scheduled.

QUALIFICATIONS

Experience & Skills

• Previous professional kitchen experience in prep, line cooking, catering, culinary production, or a similar food-service environment preferred.
• Strong foundational culinary skills, including knife skills, mise en place, recipe execution, portioning, plating, and safe equipment use.
• Ability to follow recipes and production standards while maintaining quality, presentation, timing, and consistency across changing service volumes.
• Working knowledge of food handling, sanitation, temperature control, storage, labeling, rotation, allergen awareness, and kitchen safety.
• Ability to work independently, manage prep and dishwashing responsibilities, prioritize tasks, and maintain awareness of pars, waste, product use, and service timing.
• Dependable attendance and flexibility for early mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, and event shifts; catering, breakfast, small-plate, compact-kitchen, or high-volume experience is a plus.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to be on your feet and alert for extended periods and lift and carry up to 50 lbs. as needed.
• Continuous use of hands and arms, including repetitive motions associated with food preparation, plating, washing, and equipment use.
• Ability to bend, reach, lift, twist, stoop, and safely work in hot, wet, humid, and sometimes noisy kitchen conditions around hot equipment, sharp tools, cleaning products, liquids, and glassware.
• Maintains a polished, professional appearance consistent with The Gables’ hospitality and kitchen sanitation standards.

If you find satisfaction in thoughtful preparation, a well-run kitchen, and helping a small team succeed, we'd love to meet you.

Note: This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees will be required to perform any other job-related duties assigned by their supervisor.