Head Chef

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Life doesn’t become more social than through sharing food. That’s our founding food philosophy. The food that comes out the Living Kitchen is fresh, simple, honest, healthy and local where possible. With short-end preparation times, simple ingredients and limited preparation steps, the assortment is intelligent, and service is fast. Reflecting the belief that we are what we eat, our kitchen aims to physically energize, appeal to the senses and nourish the soul. Our food is served on long communal tables – ideal for salt passing and idea swapping. 

The Head Chef’s main responsibility is to successfully operate and oversee Zoku’s Living Kitchen in Vienna and ensure it’s in line with Zoku’s food philosophy. You are responsible for any food that comes out of the Living Kitchen, from conception to execution and presentation of the food. You will manage and work closely together with the other cooks, develop menu offerings, forecast supply needs and estimate costs. You are also expected to ensure that the Living Kitchen meets all local regulations, including HACCP and safety guidelines.  

We are looking for someone who really understands Zoku’s food philosophy and is a true food artist – also in the visual sense. Someone who loves plating beautiful dishes and who makes creative buffets that not only look good, but also taste amazing. As you are cooking in an open, residential kitchen we need someone who loves chatting to guests, while cooking up a storm. 

We will be opening our third location in Vienna, Austria, in Q2 2021. Located in the central Second District of Leopoldstadt, Zoku Vienna will be close to the Vienna University of Economics and Business, the Messe Wien Conference Center, and the iconic Prater park. 

The role of Head Chef will firstly be focused on the preparation of the opening, followed by opening the property and then operating the Living Kitchen post opening. The Head Chef forms a close team with the team of chefs and the Duty Managers and reports directly to the General Manager. 
 

WHAT WILL YOU DO

Next to cooking up a storm and plating dishes that taste amazing & look beautiful, this position also focuses on other areas within the Living Kitchen: 

• Operate the Living Kitchen as leading part of a small team 
• Create seasonal menu cycles (incl. cost calculations) in line with Zoku’s food philosophy  
• Be aware of the food costs and make sure the costs are in line with budget 
• Be fully in charge of hiring and scheduling your kitchen team
• Motivate and train your kitchen team and oversee their workload 
• Make sure that you and your team can run the Living Kitchen efficiently 
• Plan and execute orders of ingredients and needed equipment 
• Continuously improve and update Zoku’s F&B offering, and processes based on guest reviews and F&B trends 
• Create a yearly F&B event calendar 
• Arrange kitchen repairs when necessary with the right parties 
• Comply with HACCP regulations and safety standards

 
WHEN WILL YOU BE SUCCESSFUL?

• When you successfully operate and oversee the Zoku’s Living Kitchen resulting in happy guests and a happy kitchen team 
• When the food that comes out of the kitchen is of high quality and consistent, resulting in high review scores 
• When the type of dishes is in line with Zoku’s food philosophy 
• When the food & beverage costs are in line with budget  

 
WE LOVE PEOPLE WHO...

• Love to cook
• Have a hands-on pro-active mentality and are creative 
• Are fully flexible, so not stuck to fixed working days and hours 
• Have experience in healthy homestyle cooking – vegan skills are a plus 
• Love to work, as we need you fulltime on shift 
• Have provable knowledge of various cooking techniques 
• Have the basic F&B financial and business knowledge 
• Have a social hygiene certificate 

MUST HAVES

• Have a minimum of 2 years working experience in a Chef de Partie, Sous Chef or similar position 
• Have experience with implementing the local HACCP guidelines 
• You are fluent English and preferably in German – other languages are a plus 
• You are an EU resident or have a working and living permit valid in Austria 
• You love to work, as we need you full time 
• You are based in Vienna 

 
WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU?

• A market conform salary of € 2.800 gross per month based on full-time
• Full time (40 hours) position at “One of the 25 Coolest Hotels in the World” according to Forbes 
• 25 vacation days to relax & unwind  (based on full time)
• An annual budget that can be applied for personal development 
• Laptop from Zoku 
• Exciting on-the-job training opportunities 
• Lots of cool wanna have benefits 

HOW TO APPLY?

Does this sound like you? Up for the challenge? Make sure to apply through our website: https://livezoku.com/job/head-chef-vienna/
 We will get in touch with you soon.