Culinary Assistant

General Description: The Culinary Assistant is a key member of the Center of Effort Hospitality Team, who will support the Culinary Manager in the execution of culinary offerings intended to elevate guest experience during Tasting Appointments, Private Dining Offerings and Member Events. This role requires observing quality food handling, preparation & storage standards; maintaining cleanliness, sanitation & organization; routine care of kitchen equipment & service ware. Standards of quality and presentation must be enforced, with a focus on details, accuracy, and quality guest interaction. This position is eligible for gratuity compensation as clarified in the Corbett Vineyards, LLC Employee Handbook.

Essential Responsibilities and Duties:

Food Service / Preparation

Follow all Health and Safety requirements required to maintain our SLO County EHS Food Service Permit in good standing, in addition to complying with internal SOPs established by the Culinary Manager and Direct to Consumer Manager.

Support the Culinary Manager in producing culinary offerings including daily menus and pairing boards, and in support of winery Member Events and Private Dining.

Ensure all food production is completed to a high standard in a safe and timely manner, and that food production areas are kept clean, sanitary, and organized at all times.

Responsible to follow SOPs for receiving, labeling, handling, and storing produce, meats & cheeses, and rotating perishables to minimize waste.

Observe Culinary Manager’s direction on food preparation, kitchen organization, and stock-to levels. Perform cooking, baking, plating, and service at the direction of Culinary Manager.

Washing and proper storage of all cook/service-ware, bussing tables and production areas, daily general and periodic deep cleaning of kitchen and prep areas, maintenance and cleaning of kitchen and preparation equipment according to SOP. Proper removal and disposal of all kitchen waste, recycling, and food waste daily.

Become knowledgeable on all techniques and products that are a part of our regular menus, in order to respect guest dietary restrictions / allergies and to support general team understanding of our offerings.

Daily Operations/Guest Experience

The Culinary Assistant must be fully cross-trained and responsible for all requirements of the Hospitality Attendant position. Please refer to this job description for full scope.

Assist in maintaining appearance, cleanliness, organization, and stock levels of all Hospitality areas, including handwash stations, restrooms, guest arrival and parking, seating, and service areas indoors and out.

Ensure that guests feel welcomed and comfortable at all times during their visit.

Member Events / Private Dining

Assist Culinary Manager with planning, preparation, and breakdown of Private Dining / Member events. Observe the BEO process, with attention to personal accountable items as well as overall team success.

Transport of equipment, food products, wine, service-ware, furnishings and fixtures ahead of events, and proper cleaning, breakdown, transport, and storage at the end of events.

Additional Roles & Duties

Assist with wine orders, shipments, packaging, and wine club shipments as requested.

Represent Center of Effort from time to time at Estate and off-site events.

Harvest fruit, herbs, and vegetables from Estate Orchards / Garden beds. Collect produce / product from Farmer’s market or producers at direction of Culinary Manager.

Flexibility in meeting guest, management, and ownership requests.

Other tasks as requested – no ask is too big or small – we all wear many hats!

Position requirements:

Positivity, enthusiasm, and willingness to offer exceptional customer service to all guests.

Team player who is an effective communicator, open minded, exhibits good listening skills and is willing to adapt and learn in a changing environment.

Passionate about food and Hospitality. Wine knowledge helpful but not required.

Previous experience in a commercial kitchen / hospitality environment, or culinary program.

Demonstrate basic knowledge of food preparation techniques, ingredients, industry health standards, and event support. Ability to read and scale recipes, measure portions, and measure temperatures accurately.

Must maintain Food Handlers and Responsible Beverage Certification from an accredited source.

Reliable and available to work a flexible schedule including evenings, weekends, and many holidays.

Self-motivated, detail-oriented, and able to prioritize multiple responsibilities.

Completes all required personnel paperwork, i.e. timecards, missed meal forms, incident reports, etc.

Must be at least 21 years old.

Please submit a resume when applying.