Chef - Casual
SummersetSummerset is hiring a casual Chef to join the kitchen team at St Johns Village in Auckland, NZ. The company is focused on bringing the best of life to residents by building villages that feel like home, with a strong team ethos behind every meal and moment. This role sits onsite in the village kitchen, perfect if you enjoy hands-on cooking and working closely with residents and visitors.
As the Chef, you’ll help run resident production meals, deliver the vibrant café menu, and curate the cabinet selections to cover a range of dietary needs. Your day will include creating set meals for residents who can’t get to the cafe, taking short orders for cafe customers, and collaborating on a cafe specials menu. You’ll also ensure compliance with the approved Food Control Plan and provide guidance to the kitchen team on prep techniques. There’s also room to exercise your creativity by catering for village fine dining and themed events.
This is a casual role, working on an as and when needed basis, designed for someone who loves food and community and wants to contribute to meals that matter in daily life.
A day in the life at St Johns Village
In this kitchen, you’ll balance producing meals for residents with serving cafe guests, keeping a steady rhythm between prep, cooking, and service. You’ll help shape the cafe offerings and contribute to a flexible cabinet assortment, ensuring everything aligns with dietary requirements and quality standards.
Beyond day-to-day cooking, you’ll support and mentor the kitchen team on different preparation techniques and best practices. You’ll also have opportunities to bring your culinary flair to special village occasions, from fine dining experiences to themed events, all while staying true to the village’s food safety and service standards.
Ultimately, you’ll play a meaningful part in the dining experience for residents and visitors alike, in a role that remains casual and needs-based according to village demand.
Your must-haves and nice-to-haves
- A professional cookery qualification
- Experience working as a cook or a chef
- Solid understanding of Food Safety Plans
- A team player who enjoys passing on culinary knowledge to colleagues
- An interest in growing your career across a variety of roles within Summerset
- Willingness to pursue additional recognised culinary qualifications
Pay, benefits and practical details
The position is casual and on an as-needed basis, located onsite at St Johns Village in Auckland, NZ. Weekend additional penal hourly rates apply, and there are opportunities to grow your career within Summerset as well as to gain further recognised culinary qualifications.
Tips to stand out for this casual chef role
Lead your resume with your professional cookery qualification and relevant chef experience so the hiring team sees you meet the must-haves at a glance.
Back up your qualifications with concrete examples of fast-paced kitchen work, how you’ve applied Food Safety Plans, and a track record of sharing culinary knowledge with teammates.
Be ready to discuss how you balance resident meals with cafe orders, and how you would contribute to the café specials and any themed events while maintaining quality and safety standards.
Ask a targeted question about how the village menu accommodates a range of diets and how the casual role collaborates with fine dining and event catering within Summerset.
How to apply
Applications for this role will close on Tuesday 20th October. This role may close early due to an increased number of applications, so apply as soon as possible to avoid missing out. The opportunity is onsite at St Johns Village, Auckland, NZ, and the standard apply process on this page is the way to submit your materials.