Production Chef

Job title: Production Chef

Overview:

Team Domenica is a Brighton-based social enterprise charity supporting young people with learning disabilities into paid employment. By removing barriers to work, we help young people to discover their full potential, to live happy fulfilled lives, and to feel included within the local community.

We are looking for a Production Chef to join our team at Café Domenica, Preston Circus, to work closely with our Commercial Development Manager. We need someone with lots of get up and go, who can work under their own initiative in the kitchen whilst supporting our candidates with learning disabilities, training them how to prepare homemade soups, cakes, sandwiches, savoury tarts, and pastries. You will supply our other cafés, contribute to menus, cater for outside events, and produce products for our online shop.

Responsibilities and duties

• Working with our candidates in all areas of the kitchen and café to help them gain independence and confidence within the workplace.
• Oversee and carry out cooking sessions with candidates, helping them gain independence and confidence in a work environment. Be an ambassador for their training and work openly with education staff.
• With the support of our management team, deliver a seasonal, cost-effective menu of the highest standard. Work collaboratively with café managers to ensure menus meet demands of individual cafés and reflect current food trends.
• Support the team to streamline production processes, increase volume of production and reduce wastage.
• Take responsibility for the daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning rota, and upkeep of the food safety (SFBB) diary daily.
• Ensuring the food preparation areas are clean and hygienic
• Preparing food in advance and to order for the café menu
• Preparing food for our other cafés in our food prep room
• Fulfil orders for outside catering events and wholesale cakes
• Be involved in new product development for the online shop
• Ordering, receiving, and storing ingredients and ensuring careful stock rotation
• Contributing to the weekly and monthly management of stock including a monthly stock take
• Ensure that all equipment is correctly working each day and to alert the manager immediately and take it out of service if anything is faulty
• Use the ‘Systematic Instruction’ training method to train candidates (training provided)
• Lead food preparation tasks, monitor and evaluate candidates’ progress.
• Keep candidates safe and adhere to charity’s safeguarding policy
• Occasionally support the Café Manager to open and close the café

Requirements

• Experience of working in a café/kitchen, preferably you will have at least two years’ experience of food preparation
• A keen baker/ cook with a willingness to support our candidates and increase their training opportunities
• Have a friendly and engaging personality, a good communicator and able to work well under pressure
• Ability to multi-task is crucial in this role, you will be willing to learn, take instruction and work under your own initiative whilst supporting the team
• Be adaptable to changing situations, willing to adapt to meet the demands of the company and across our café sites if needed
• Patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• To enjoy working with other people
• Be thorough and pay attention to detail
• Experience of working with adults with learning disabilities is preferable but not essential
• DBS check is required for this role prior to commencing employment

Salary: Up to £24,000 per annum depending on experience with 25 days holiday per annum plus 8 English bank and public holidays.

Contract: Full time (40 hours per week) - Monday to Friday, no evening work

Note: Shortlisted candidates will be emailed a Team Domenica Application Form to complete and return prior to interview as part of our Safer Recruitment policy.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Salary: £24,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Sick pay
• Wellness programme

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Day shift
• Monday to Friday

Experience:

• Food preparation: 2 years (preferred)
• Kitchen: 2 years (preferred)
• baking: 2 years (preferred)

Work Location: In person