L'Avenue Cook

SAKS & CO; New York (FL); On-site; USD 23,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

Saks Fifth Avenue is seeking a Cook for L'Avenue at Saks, joining our culinary team to craft high-quality daily menu items and catered events with precision and flair in a premium hospitality environment. You will maintain station readiness, manage inventory, uphold sanitation standards, and collaborate with the culinary supervisor to ensure guest satisfaction in a luxury setting.

This full-time role requires evenings, weekends, and holidays, with opportunities for growth within Exemplar Luxury

Qualifications

• Autonomy and drive to work on a designated station in a high-volume, premium kitchen.
• Strong collaborative mindset and ability to work with a team in a luxury dining environment.
• Solid foundational culinary knowledge, knife skills, techniques, and food safety practices.

Responsibilities

• Culinary Production & Line Operations: prepare, cook, and present daily menu items per recipes and standards.
• Maintains station readiness with daily prep, coordinate with culinary supervisor for counts and special requests.
• Ensure timely service and clear communication with line cooks and front-of-house staff.
• Verify dietary restrictions with supervisor to ensure guest safety and satisfaction.
• Close, clean, and sanitize stations per health codes and prep for next day.
• Monitor inventory to minimize waste and manage costs.
• Communicate ingredient shortages or supply needs to head cook or supervisor.

Skills

Autonomy & Drive

Team Dynamics

Culinary Knowledge

Scheduling Flexibility

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Job description

WHO WE ARE

Saks Fifth Avenue is a leading destination for luxury fashion, blending bold curation with a visionary, modern point of view. Since its inception in 1924, the company has delivered one-of-a-kind shopping experiences, featuring an expertly curated assortment of fashion and highly personalized customer service. Through an integrated retail model, we deliver a seamless customer journey across our portfolio of stores in leading luxury markets, complemented by a strong digital presence and remote selling offerings. Saks Fifth Avenue is part of Exemplar Luxury Group, the luxury collective uniting coveted brands with unrivaled customer experiences.

JOB DESCRIPTION

YOU WILL BE:

As a L'Avenue at Saks Cook, you are a vital part of the culinary team, crafting top-tier food experiences that define Saks Global hospitality. In this role, you will prepare and execute high-quality daily menu items and special event catering with precision and flair. You will champion kitchen efficiency by carefully managing station inventory, minimizing food waste, and maintaining immaculate sanitation standards, ensuring every dish served reflects the premium quality our guests expect.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Culinary Production & Line Operations
• Menu Execution: Prepares, cooks, and presents daily menu items and specialized orders efficiently, adhering strictly to recipe specifications, portion controls, and presentation guidelines.
• Station Readiness: Conducts daily prep work and builds stations. Checks in with the culinary supervisor before each shift to coordinate daily menu counts, build-to sheets, and special guest requests.
• Service Pace & Flow: Maintains a smooth, timely flow of food orders by communicating clearly and professionally with fellow line cooks and front-of-house staff.
• Order Verifications: Double-checks and verifies all special orders or dietary restrictions with the designated supervisor to ensure guest safety and satisfaction.
• Shift Wrap-up: Closes, cleans, and sanitizes the station in a timely manner according to strict health codes, while organizing ingredients and prep lists for the following day's production.
• Inventory Control & Waste Mitigation
• Inventory Auditing: Consistently tracks and controls daily and weekly station inventories to minimize food waste and optimize cost-to-profit ratios.
• Resource Efficiency: Uses production and order sheets accurately to maintain a clear awareness of product costs and prevent over-preparation.
• Supply Communication: Monitors ingredient levels throughout service and proactively communicates order shortages or supply needs to the head cook or culinary supervisor.
• Food Safety, Sanitation & Grooming
• Compliance: Upholds all Health and Sanitation standards as dictated by Saks Global, the local Health Department, and third-party sanitation auditors.
• Station Cleanliness: Maintains an immaculate, safe, and organized workstation throughout the day to protect food integrity.
• Equipment Maintenance: Inspects kitchen equipment daily, keeping it clean and immediately reporting any technical malfunctions to management.
• Luxury Grooming Standards: Mainlines the highest level of personal hygiene, including a clean, pressed uniform and professionally groomed hair and nails to eliminate any food contamination risks.
• Roster & Schedule Integrity
• Arrives to the workstation on time, fully dressed in uniform, and prepared with the tools needed to perform job duties.
• Exercises absolute integrity with scheduling by punching in/out accurately for all shifts and coordinating timed meal breaks with the kitchen team.
• Follows established restaurant procedures for schedule modifications, and coordinates all holiday and time-off requests proactively with management.

WHAT YOU WILL BRING

• High School Diploma or GED preferred.
• Proven experience as a line cook, prep cook, or commis chef in a high-volume, premium, or upscale dining kitchen environment.
• Autonomy & Drive: Ability to work autonomously on a designated station while staying highly motivated and results-driven.
• Team Dynamics: A strong collaborative mindset with a "win together" approach to kitchen culture.
• Culinary Knowledge: Solid foundational knowledge of culinary terminology, knife skills, cooking techniques, and food safety protocols.
• Physical Requirements: Role requires physical stamina for extended standing on the line, bending, working in high-temperature environments, climbing stairs, and lifting/carrying up to 35 pounds.
• Scheduling Flexibility: Must be willing to work a flexible schedule tailored to premium hospitality business needs, which will include evenings, weekends, and holidays.

YOUR LIFE AND CAREER AT EXEMPLAR LUXURY GROUP

Opportunity to work in a dynamic fast paced environment at a company experiencing growth and transformation. Exposure to rewarding career advancement opportunities across the largest multi-brand luxury retailer from retail to distribution, to digital or c