Ramada Plaza Calgary Downtown - First Cook

A Day in YOUR Life as a First Cook

Every person that enters our hotel should be greeted and feel like a guest! This is YOU on your first day of work and every work day after that. You walk in with a smile, say hello to passing guests and acknowledge your colleagues, perhaps with a smile, nod or salutation. You already have a feel for how your day is going to unfold based on the flow and noise level in the outlets and you aren’t even in uniform yet! You make your way to the employee change room and transform into your sharp, sophisticated look with your professional uniform, punch in at the time clock and energetically join your teammates in the kitchen.

You may be preparing to join a shift or opening the kitchen, either way preparing great dishes, supervising and assisting your teammates is paramount. Regardless of the time of day or length of shift, you are ready to meet every guest with exceptional service and care!

As the day begins, you review occupancy to get a feel for internal capacity, check for reservations and review any outstanding Banquet Event Orders. If the head chef started before you they may brief you on the specials of the day or how things have been unfolding today. You may be checking to ensure the produce delivery has come in, run an inventory inspection and ensure you have enough supplies needed for the day. You also check the freshness of ingredients and especially the quality of any raw ingredients such as meat and fish. You create a timeline of tasks and delegate them to supporting line or prep cooks that may be working with you. You efficiently plan your day and prep all ingredients for reservations and a la carte service. Time is so crucial to every aspect of your work. You ensure that the entire kitchen flow is set to run smoothly and won’t get delayed. If you find one of the stations behind in their schedule, you jump in and assist their work. You can cover all sections of the line with confidence and professionalism. No one wants to find out about lack of garnishes or missing sauces for the main course menu during the dinner rush! You know that a detailed attention to preparation is the key to saving time during service. Once the restaurant opens, orders keep pouring in. You focus on your orders and keep your workstation organized as this minimizes chances of miscommunication. You work together with your team to coordinate dishes so that they are served to guests in a timely fashion. It's important to have your timing right to ensure your items are ready at the same time as others on the same plate or in the same order. Orders pile up quickly and you may see a bit of a hiccup, but you can manage the chaos of a kitchen running full speed in a successful manner. Your shift in the kitchen goes by in a flash. Your standards are high, and you take pride in your job in the kitchen and the restaurant. You are a team player and always look for opportunities to assist your teammates.

By the time you leave, you are more than satisfied that your guests are all taken care of and have experienced a high quality of well plated food!

Who you are and why is this important…

• Enthusiastic, Attentive and Approachable
1. Ensuring our guests and team mates feel comfortable.
• Organized & Communicative
1. Clear, concise communication between team members and guests alike creates a smooth operation.
• Effective Multi-Tasker
1. Personal interactions, phones, emails and on-going projects are always in play.

What happens behind the scenes of all those interactions…

• You follow company policies such as cooking food to Chef’s standards, operating equipment properly and any other requirements for the processes as outlined by your department leaders;
• Possess thorough knowledge of superior quality food production, preparation and presentation techniques and methods;
• Train and mentor new and existing employees in all aspects of culinary development in all of the kitchen food service;
• Possess thorough knowledge of Sanitation and Food Safe procedures as established by the Health Board and hotel policies and procedures;
• Maintain a calm and welcoming demeanor while multitasking to handle team interactions at the same time as your daily tasks;
• Follow all company and brand standards;

What are we looking for…

• Three to five years of culinary experience working in a high volume kitchen.
• Flexibility to work a variety of shifts.
• Ability to work well under pressure in a fast paced environment.
• Strong organizational and decision-making skills.
• The understanding that SERVICE is the key to any successful business.
• Red Seal Certification or comparable experience.
• Serving it Right (BC) or ProServe (AB) certification.