Head Chef – Coastal Café, Bar & Restaurant Full Time
Location: Barwon Heads, VIC
Venue opening hours: 7 days/week. Friday – Monday 8am-late, Tues – Thurs 11am-late. Venue hours will extend to 8am-late Monday – Sunday during the Summer period.
Salary: Competitive, commensurate with experience + potential performance bonus + staff meals
Who We Are
We're a relaxed yet vibrant coastal café, restaurant and bar, now under fresh ownership, blending restaurant favourites with a broad range of beverages to be enjoyed inside by the fire or outside on the large deck out the front in the afternoon sunshine. Friendly, creative, delicious - we're all about seasonal, local ingredients, warm service, and an atmosphere where team and guests feel at home.
At full capacity, we seat roughly in the inside dining area, and another 30-40 on the front deck. We also enjoy hosting a range of different functions throughout the year from 10-50 people where set menus or roaming food items are designed and offered to guests based on their budget and dietary requirements.
About the role
You'll lead our kitchen - designing menus that evolve with the seasons and our vision, managing stock and suppliers, shaping a kitchen culture rooted in quality, teamwork & communication.
Day-to-day you'll:
* Develop and refresh menus with seasonal flair
* Supervise and help support training of kitchen team: prep, service & quality control
* Manage inventory, ordering, supplier relationships, costings
* Maintain food safety, hygiene and equipment standards
* Collaborate with front-of-house and leadership team on specials, events and aligned service
* Lead by example: fostering open communication, creativity and mutual respect
We'd love you to have
* Proven experience in a Head or Senior Chef role, preferably in a hospitality environment
* Excellent communication and teamwork with other kitchen staff, the FOH and leadership teams
* Leadership mindset: encouraging, calm under pressure, with mentoring instincts
* A creative flair for designing seasonal dishes and an openness to continue enhancing and evolving dishes based on feedback
* A genuine passion for quality, consistency and local sourcing
* Strong organisational skills: inventory, ordering, budgeting
Why join us?
* Be part of shaping something new and meaningful in a coastal setting
* Creative freedom to develop seasonal menus and specials
* A supportive, collaborative team culture
* Competitive salary, staff meals, and potential performance rewards
* Work where your leadership and creativity make a real difference
Please note: to be considered for this role, you must be available over the busy summer period (Late Nov through to end of Feb).
Interested?
Shoot us your resume (and a few lines about what makes your cooking style shine) to
We'd also love to invite you in for a relaxed chat and to sample what we're all about.
Note quite the right fit but love the vibes? We're also looking for casual kitchen staff and seasonal support over the busy summer period. Get in touch to find out more
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $70,000.00 – $90,000.00 per year
Experience:
* senior chef: 1 year (Preferred)
Work Authorisation:
* Australia (Preferred)
Work Location: In person