Cook

Position: Cook

Type: Full time, 38 hours per week

Employer: The Black Truffle Food Concepts Pty Ltd trading as Black Truffle

Location: 90 Springvale Road, Springvale VIC 3171

Salary: $79,500 per annum plus superannuation

About the Business

Black Truffle has been producing restaurant-quality, chef-prepared meals from its Springvale kitchen since 2010, giving customers the experience of a fine dining meal at home without the hours in the kitchen that usually go with it. The range runs from gourmet dinners and indulgent quiches and pies to moussaka, desserts and a selected wine list, all prepared fresh on site and packaged for customers to re-heat and serve at home, alongside a catering service that supplies the same standard of food for private and corporate occasions. The business employs twenty-two people and has built its reputation on consistency — every dish leaving the kitchen must taste the way it did the last time a customer ordered it — and on a workplace culture that is organised, hygienic, respectful and genuinely collaborative, where kitchen staff are supported to develop their craft and are expected to take pride in the food that carries the Black Truffle name.

About the Position

The Cook is a hands-on production role at the centre of the Springvale kitchen, responsible for preparing, cooking, portioning and presenting the chef-prepared meals and catering orders that the business sells every day. Working within a team of twenty-two and reporting to the Operations Manager, the Cook follows the kitchen's standardised recipes and daily production schedule to turn raw ingredients into finished meals that are consistent in flavour, portion and presentation, while maintaining the food safety and hygiene standards that a business packaging food for re-heating at home must meet without exception. Because the kitchen produces both the retail meal range and catering orders with fixed delivery times, the role carries real accountability for output, quality and timing, and the Cook is also expected to guide less experienced kitchen staff in the preparation methods and standards the business relies on.

Key Responsibilities

• Washing, peeling, cutting and otherwise preparing fruits, vegetables, meats and other ingredients for cooking and service.
• Seasoning and cooking food according to the business's standardised recipes, instructions and established practical methods.
• Operating manual and electric kitchen appliances to clean, peel, slice, trim and process food safely and efficiently.
• Regulating the temperature of ovens, grills, ranges, cooktops and other cooking equipment throughout the production run.
• Carrying out food preparation, cooking and service as part of the kitchen team, meeting the daily production schedule and catering deadlines.
• Portioning, plating, packaging and presenting meals to the standard required for the retail re-heat range and for catering orders.
• Storing, labelling, dating and rotating ingredients and finished product correctly, and monitoring stock levels so shortages are identified and reported before they affect production.
• Assisting with estimating food requirements for daily production and confirmed catering bookings.
• Cleaning and maintaining work areas, benches, equipment and utensils throughout and at the close of each shift.
• Following food handling, hygiene, cooling and sanitation procedures in accordance with food safety standards, and completing the associated temperature and cleaning records.
• Guiding and training kitchen staff and apprentices in preparation techniques, portioning and the kitchen's quality and hygiene standards.
• Reporting equipment faults, quality issues and stock or wastage concerns to management promptly.

Requirements

• Australian citizens and permanent residents are encouraged to apply.
• Certificate III in Commercial Cookery.
• A minimum of 12 months' experience as a Cook.
• Competence across hot and cold food production, including knife skills, portion control, stock rotation, date labelling and the safe operation of commercial kitchen appliances, ovens, grills and cooktops.
• Working knowledge of food safety, hygiene and sanitation requirements, including cooling, storage and temperature control, and the ability to keep accurate food safety records.
• The ability to follow standardised recipes and a daily production schedule accurately so that portions, flavour and presentation stay consistent from batch to batch.
• Clear communication and strong teamwork, with the ability to work calmly and accurately under production and delivery pressure.
• Attention to detail, reliability, sound problem solving, and a willingness to guide and support junior kitchen staff.
• Availability to work a full-time roster of 38 hours per week, including weekends and public holidays as required by production and catering demand.

How to Apply

Applicants must submit their resume with a valid email address through this online portal. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.