Part-Time Catering Chef & Kitchen Operations

Flying Woks Australia – Ravenhall, Melbourne

Permanent Part-Time | Minimum 8 guaranteed hours per week + additional flexible hours

Are you an experienced chef who loves food but doesn’t necessarily want another traditional full-time restaurant job?

Flying Woks is looking for a capable, practical and flexible chef to become an important part of our small catering team.

This is a little different from a normal chef position.

We operate a mobile catering business, preparing and cooking fresh food for functions and events across Melbourne. Our workload varies from week to week, so we’re looking for someone who values flexibility and would enjoy combining their chef skills with a broader, hands-on operational role.

We envisage initially guaranteeing approximately:

Thursday – 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Friday – 10:00 am to 2:00 pm

Minimum 8 guaranteed hours per week.

We are also open to discussing alternative regular days with the right person.

There will be opportunities for additional hours before or after these shifts, as well as on other days when functions and catering work are scheduled.

Some weeks there may be considerably more work available.

Additional work can arise during normal business hours, evenings and weekends, and someone who is occasionally available at short notice would be particularly valuable to our team.

This position is broader than simply standing in a kitchen cooking.

Depending on the week, you may be:

• preparing food for upcoming functions

• cooking and coordinating food preparation

• helping organise and maintain the kitchen

• checking stock and assisting with ordering

• collecting ingredients or supplies

• loading and preparing equipment for functions

• driving one of our catering vans

• travelling to functions and cooking on-site

• maintaining food quality and consistency

• contributing ideas to menus and food presentation

• assisting with recipe costing, portion control and food-cost management

• maintaining recipes and costing information in our recipe-costing software

• undertaking some basic kitchen administration

• helping improve kitchen systems and streamline operations

• supporting the owner with the practical day-to-day running of the catering operation

When there isn’t a function to prepare for, your guaranteed hours will still be used productively preparing ahead, organising the kitchen, managing stock, updating recipes and systems, and getting ready for upcoming work.

For the right person, there may also be opportunities to take on additional administrative or operational responsibilities over time.

You’ll probably suit this position if you’re an experienced chef who:

• is reliable and takes ownership of their work

• enjoys working independently

• is organised, practical and easy to work with

• doesn’t mind doing tasks outside a traditional chef’s role

• is comfortable driving and getting out of the kitchen

• enjoys catering and working at different locations

• communicates well with customers and other staff

• enjoys solving problems and making things run better

• wants flexibility rather than a conventional 38-hour restaurant position

• is looking for a role they could potentially stay with for the long term

Experience with recipe costing, food-cost control or recipe-management software would be highly regarded, but is not essential.

Living within easy travelling distance of Ravenhall would also be an advantage, as additional hours can sometimes become available at short notice.

You might already have another job, your own small business, family commitments or another source of income.

You may also be an experienced chef who simply wants to step away from the long hours and rigid roster of restaurant kitchens while still using your skills and experience.

Flying Woks has been operating for many years and we value long-term working relationships.

Several members of our team have worked with us for more than 10 years, including two team members who stayed with the business for more than 15 years.

We’re not simply looking for someone to fill a few shifts.

We’d like to find the right person who fits comfortably into our team, enjoys the flexibility of the role and could become a trusted long-term part of the business.

Flying Woks is an established Melbourne catering business specialising in live, on-site cooking for corporate events, private functions and large-scale catering.

Our Ravenhall commercial kitchen is the base from which we prepare, load and dispatch our catering operations across Melbourne.

Because we are a small business, the right person can have a genuine influence on how our kitchen and catering operation develops.

Your experience, ideas and initiative will be valued.

Location: Ravenhall, Victoria
Employment: Permanent part-time
Guaranteed hours: Minimum 8 hours per week initially
Indicative regular hours: Thursday and Friday, 10:00 am–2:00 pm
Additional hours: Available depending on functions and workload, including some evenings and weekends

If this sounds like the sort of flexible chef role you’ve been looking for, we’d love to hear from you.

Please apply with a brief resume and tell us a little about why this particular type of flexible role suits you, your general availability, and what you’re looking for in your next position.