Free to Feed is hiring a Full Time Head Chef in North Fitzroy!

Background

Free to Feed is a not-for-profit social enterprise championing people who have sought refuge and asylum in Australia. Free to Feed is committed to providing work for people seeking asylum, refugees and new migrants who are passionate about food and are talented cooks. In alignment with this we have designed a Commercial Cooking Training and Employment (CCTE) program designed to develop skills, provide certification and increase the employability of our participants.

The Free to Feed Catering kitchen is a busy, dynamic environment, led by professional Chefs that is deeply supportive of Participants and seeks to provide them with a high quality employment and training experience as well as produce delicious global menus and offerings that meet the discerning tastes of Melbournian consumers.

Role Description

As Free to Feed’s Head Chef you will be a big part of developing Free to Feed’s seasonal menus and talented team of Chefs and Participants. The goal is to create delicious food that is authentic yet modern, culturally diverse, seasonal, fun and high quality.

You will ensure the smooth and professional running of the kitchen including rostering, ordering and production of food for a range of formats including: functions/events, take home meals, grazing tables, pop ups and corporate catering.

You will be a role model and leader for Free to Feed’s Chef team and Participants.

​Use your experience and excellent communication skills to make a long lasting difference in the lives of recent arrivals and prepare them for success.

Key Responsibilities

• Responsibility for developing Free to Feed’s seasonal catering and events recipes and menus working closely with the Sous Chef and incorporating Participant cuisines/influences.
• Maintain excellent food quality standards, while overseeing the food production in Free to Feed’s kitchen, from preparation to presentation.
• Keep the kitchen staff engaged, focused, calm, and working to their best capacity, providing professional and positive support and guidance.
• Responsibility for ordering, stock control and food costs/budgets. You will be supported in the cost management with easy-to-use tools created by Free to Feed’s experienced CFO.
• Nurture the existing compassionate and supportive working environment for participants, understanding their additional vulnerabilities and needs and how this might impact on their performance and role.
• Proactively engage with the Program Manager to understand the individual circumstances and goals of participants, seeking to foster and mentor them at every opportunity.
• Maintain an organised, hygienic, safe and productive kitchen environment. Including management of food safety guidelines, cleanliness and infection control / Covid safety in the kitchen team.
• Responsibility for planning for the successful delivery of income generating activities. This may involve assigning special projects within your Chef team including: designing new menus, working with guest chefs, bake sales, curry nights, take home meals or special products including preserves, grazing boxes or spices.
• Establish and maintain strong and respectful relationships with suppliers
• Build and create a compassionate and supportive working environment for the kitchen team by being a good people leader and communicator.
• Rostering and resource planning to ensure that all shifts and kitchen roles are allocated including in peak season. This involves recruiting new kitchen staff as needed. Keep the CEO informed of kitchen capacity and resource constraints for bookings.
• Attend Free to Feed events (classes, dinners, events and catering) in order to supervise cooks, review menus, sample foods and assess cooks performance in order to ensure continuous improvement and feedback.
• Brief, supervise and support our catering team and participants, providing

Please view the Position Description for Key Selection Criteria and Application Instructions.