Chef Job in Markdale, Ontario

Position: Farm-To-Table Kitchen Manager/Chef Company/Farm: The Conscious Farm Kitchen Location: Grey Highlands, near Owen Sound/Markdale, Ontario Type: Full Time Position – 4-5 days per week (35-40 hrs per week) Starting pay: $60,000 - Plus benefits & paid time off Start: February 2024 About The Conscious Kitchen: We are a farm-to-table prepared meal delivery service that helps people eat in alignment with their values delivering to the Collingwood/Thornbury, Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo, Orangeville & Caledon areas. That means local & seasonal ingredients, plant-based, and zero-waste packaging, and creating bold & exciting weekly menus & dishes! We are a small business, with weekly dedicated customers, and have many relationships with local farms & food businesses. We operate on our farm, 30 minutes south of Owen Sound. The Conscious Kitchen is a proud women owned business, powered by a team of food industry professionals not interested in working restaurant hours. If this sounds weird & wonderful, continue reading! The Opportunity: We are looking for someone who wants to step away from the grind of high-stress kitchens, and find a more sustainable & passionate career in the food industry to cook up fresh & creative food. We have historically been a small team of young women, and strive to run this business from a perspective of work-life balance – no early mornings, no working past 5 pm, and flexible schedules for time off. The kitchen atmosphere is a mix of calm, laid-back prep days, and really fast-paced & fueled cook and delivery days. It is super important to us that you feel comfortable & fit in with our work environment & atmosphere! Our team is upbeat and positive, fun and creative, fast working & efficient, and extremely focused on cleanliness & detail (cleanliness is key, but messiness is inevitable!). Profanities, dark humor, and lots of sarcasm can sometimes make an appearance when we’re working. We want to find someone who is prepared to be handed a lot of responsibility, and in turn receive room for creativity, flexibility, respect, and feel valued with yearly raises & benefits. This role is multifaceted – mainly focusing on managing our kitchen, prep and cook days – but may also include delivering orders one day per week. This is a full-time position, with a changing and flexible schedule. We mainly alternate between four and five day work weeks. The main working days are Sundays-Fridays with Saturdays always off. Key Duties & Responsibilities: Kitchen Work (20-28 hrs per week): Prepping/chopping significant amounts of fresh vegetables Preparing base ingredients such as rice, legumes, sauces, and marinades Cooking dishes using our recipes - very large batches of up to 75 servings per dish, with 4-5 recipes per shift Plating & packing finished dishes in our reusable containers - up to 250 servings per shift Some recipe creation Washing & sanitizing tools, equipment Unloading shipments of ingredients (lifting up to 50 lbs frequently) General cleaning & upkeep of kitchen Admin/Cleaning Work (5-10 hrs per week): Washing & sanitizing our reusable containers Managing inventory on our website Taking photographs of food/business tasks Delivery Driving (6-9 hrs per week): Driving orders to customers using our refrigerated cargo van one day per week (delivery route can span up to 9 hours in one shift) Driving in all weather conditions, such as snow & rain (not in extreme conditions) Keeping the van extremely organized & ensuring customers get their correct orders Picking up supplies & ingredients from local suppliers Critical Skills: At least 3 years working as either a kitchen manager/lead cook or chef (diploma or chef school not required) *preference given to catering experience* Extremely detail oriented & independent A natural inclination to want to be meticulously clean!! (not extreme-but cleaner than average!) A decent knowledge of seasonal & plant-based cooking-preferably from a professional setting Experience working with a large variety of unique produce Experience with batch cooking Strong work ethic, attention to efficiency and ability to handle responsibility Confidence & experience driving in rural winters & various road conditions At least 3 years driving experience & a fairly clean driving record Above average ability to multitask! Ideally the candidate will already be living in the Grey-Highlands/Blue Mountain Area. We are close to Markdale, Owen Sound, Thornbury, Meaford, Collingwood, etc. If you plan on relocating, you must have experience living/working in a rural location. Women and/or trans/non-binary folks will be given priority. The initial pay is $60,000. The position will involve yearly raises. We also hope to offer basic health benefits after 3 months — we want to support costs like therapy, massage therapy, and other costs related to self care!