On‑Site Culinary Production Cook (Freelance)

ZATV Inc.; Burbank (CA); On-site; USD 29,000 - 32,000; Part time

Job summary

ZATV is seeking an experienced Culinary Production Cook to support recipes across our on-set culinary programming in Burbank. The role requires strong cooking and baking fundamentals and the ability to manage multiple dishes in a fast-paced production environment.

The ideal candidate has 3+ years in professional cooking, is organized, and can handle on-camera food presentation and plating. This freelance, on-site position reports to the Culinary Producer and will work primarily at our Burbank

Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional cooking and/or baking experience in a restaurant, catering, test kitchen, private chef, production, or similar professional culinary environment.
• Strong cooking and baking fundamentals with the ability to confidently execute a wide variety of recipes.
• Experience in culinary production, catering, food styling, or on-set environments is a plus but not required.
• Strong recipe execution skills with the ability to adapt, problem-solve, and troubleshoot under time constraints.
• Experience with plating and food presentation; experience styling food for photo or video is preferred.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, including the ability to coordinate prep, ingredient sourcing, and production timelines.
• Ability to manage multiple recipes and competing priorities simultaneously without sacrificing quality.
• Working knowledge of kitchen safety, food handling, sanitation, and proper food storage practices.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.
• Detail-oriented, resourceful, flexible, and able to remain composed under pressure.
• Comfortable working on-site in a fast-paced studio and production environment.

Responsibilities

• Cook and bake a wide variety of recipes for production while maintaining consistency, quality, and accuracy.
• Execute recipes efficiently and troubleshoot as needed within production timelines.
• Collaborate with the Culinary Producer to test, adjust, and refine recipes based on creative and production needs.
• Create shopping lists, source ingredients, prep food, and organize culinary needs in advance of shoots.
• Manage multiple dishes and recipes simultaneously while staying on schedule.
• Plate and style food for on-camera presentation, including visually appealing food and beauty shots.
• Maintain an organized, clean, and production-ready kitchen throughout shoots.
• Properly store, label, and handle ingredients and prepared food in accordance with food safety standards.
• Assist the Culinary Producer with tracking production-related expenses and accurately organizing and reconciling receipts.
• Communicate proactively with the Culinary Producer and production team regarding timing, ingredient needs, substitutions, or other culinary considerations.
• Adapt quickly to production changes and remain calm and solutions-oriented in a fast-paced studio environment.
• Collaborate effectively with culinary, production, creative, and other cross-functional teams on set.
• Perform additional ad hoc duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Skills

Cooking

Baking

Food Safety

Time Management

Recipe Execution

On-set Cooking

Communication

Team Collaboration

Job description

ZATV is seeking an experienced Culinary Production Cook to support recipes across our on-set culinary programming in Burbank. The role requires strong cooking and baking fundamentals and the ability to manage multiple dishes in a fast-paced production environment.

The ideal candidate has 3+ years in professional cooking, is organized, and can handle on-camera food presentation and plating. This freelance, on-site position reports to the Culinary Producer and will work primarily at our Burbank