Mediabistro logo
job logo

A.M. Cook

Olympia Hospitality, Virginia Beach, VA, United States


Olympia Hospitality seeks experienced cooks to prepare and cook menu items, maintain kitchen safety, and contribute to menu development.

Responsibilities

Prepare and cook menu items in accordance with established recipes, portion sizes, and quality standards, ensuring consistency and adherence to food safety guidelines.

Follow proper cooking techniques and methods, including grilling, frying, roasting, baking, and sautéing, to achieve desired flavors, textures, and appearances.

Monitor food temperatures, cooking times, and ingredient quantities to prevent waste and ensure that food is cooked and served at optimal quality.

Collaborate with the culinary team and management to develop and refine menu items, specials, and promotions that appeal to guests’ preferences and dietary needs.

Experiment with new ingredients, flavors, and cooking techniques to create innovative and unique dishes that showcase the restaurant’s culinary expertise and creativity.

Stay informed about culinary trends, industry developments, and seasonal ingredients, and incorporate these insights into menu planning and execution.

Maintain a clean, sanitized, and orderly kitchen environment at all times, including workstations, equipment, utensils, and storage areas, in compliance with health and safety regulations.

Assist with inventory management, including receiving, storing, and rotating ingredients and supplies, and conducting regular stock checks to ensure adequate levels for production.

Follow proper food handling and storage procedures to minimize the risk of contamination, spoilage, and foodborne illness, and ensure that all kitchen equipment is maintained and operated safely.

Communicate effectively with kitchen staff, servers, and management to coordinate food preparation, cooking times, and service priorities, and ensure smooth operations during peak hours.

Support and assist colleagues as needed, including dishwashing, food plating, and garnishing, to maintain efficient workflow and meet service deadlines.

Skills Required

High-level customer service; effective communication with guests and team members; ability to follow instructions, learn quickly, pay attention to detail, and maintain composure under pressure.

Technical Skills

Safe and appropriate use and operation of kitchen equipment.

Knife skills, grill, broiler, sauté, and Expediter skills; garde manger experience.

Speed in meal production while ensuring high-quality food.

Experience / Education

Minimum 2 years’ experience; high school diploma and/or equivalent work experience; experience with receiving orders and inventory control helpful; Culinary Arts education preferred; Serve‑Safe Certification and Allergy Awareness Training preferred.

Benefits

Health coverage: up to 80% contribution toward individual health plans, dental and vision insurance, FSA and HSA options.

401(k) plan with discretionary yearly match.

Paid group term life insurance for select positions, shared cost short‑term disability, optional additional paid life insurance.

Robust PTO plan and 7 paid holidays.

Earned wage access program.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP), sober support network, and recovery‑friendly workplace.

Exclusive hotel travel discounts for team members.

The Olympia Companies is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to qualified applicants without regard to such characteristics as race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status or any other factor protected by applicable law.

#J-18808-Ljbffr