Chef

Ripe Sassafras is looking for an experienced, motivated Full-Time Chef to join our kitchen team and work closely with our Head Chef as we take this much-loved Hills venue into its next chapter.

If you’re a chef who loves quality food, thrives in a busy kitchen and wants a role with stability, creative input and genuine work-life balance, we’d love to hear from you.

• Secure full-time role with consistent, predominantly daytime hours

• Competitive salary and conditions for the right candidate

• Genuine work-life balance

• Creative input into menus, specials and the evolution of Ripe’s food offering

• Supportive, professional and values-driven team

• Involvement in special evening dining events

Ripe is a well-established destination café-restaurant in Sassafras, in the heart of the Dandenong Ranges, just 45 minutes from Melbourne.

For more than 20 years, Ripe has been part of the local hospitality landscape, serving a quality à la carte breakfast and lunch menu alongside seasonal specials, house-made cakes and produce-driven dishes.

We care about where our food comes from and how our kitchen operates. We champion local produce, ethical suppliers and inclusive menu design, including thoughtful vegan and gluten-free options.

Our culture is built around four simple values:

Quality. Fun. Ethical. Creative.

This is an important role within our kitchen team, supporting and reporting directly to our Head Chef.

You’ll be hands-on in a busy breakfast and lunch kitchen while helping maintain the food quality, consistency and kitchen standards Ripe is known for.

You’ll also have the opportunity to contribute ideas, work with seasonal produce and play a part in shaping the next phase of Ripe’s food identity.

Your role will include:

• Preparing and delivering high-quality dishes during busy service

• Supporting the Head Chef with day-to-day kitchen operations

• Maintaining excellent standards of presentation, consistency and food safety

• Contributing ideas for seasonal dishes, specials and menu development

• Working collaboratively with the wider kitchen and front-of-house team

• Helping create a positive, organised and enjoyable kitchen environment

We’re looking for someone who is reliable, capable, creative and genuinely enjoys being part of a team.

You’ll be comfortable working at pace, take pride in your food and understand that a great kitchen is built on consistency, communication and teamwork.

You will ideally have:

• Certificate IV in Commercial Cookery

• Around 5 years’ experience working as a chef

• Strong practical cooking skills and demonstrated consistency

• Experience working in a fast-paced commercial kitchen

• Excellent communication and teamwork skills

• Proficiency in English

• Current Australian working rights

• Current Police Check

While experience is important, we’re also open to chefs with fewer years behind them who demonstrate strong ability, initiative, drive and a genuine desire to grow.

This role would suit a chef who wants more than simply another kitchen job.

We’re looking for someone who wants to become part of a stable team, take pride in what they produce and contribute to a venue that continues to evolve while staying true to what has made Ripe special for more than two decades.

If you’re passionate about good food, great hospitality and being part of a positive kitchen culture, we’d love to meet you.