The Opportunity

Summary
This role is responsible for providing daily dining operations and preparing healthy and flavorful meal options for a busy young family in a private household. In partnership with a secondary Chef, this position will be primarily responsible for meal service, travel, and special events/entertaining. 

Hours/Schedule
Full-time position with an expectation to provide meal service (primarily dinner and occasionally brunch) at least five days a week. Specific schedule will be proactively coordinated to ensure the needs of the family are met. Flexibility in schedule is essential with ability to work weekends and travel with family to assigned locations required.

Culture of Care
RDV Staffing provides domestic, household and property related positions predominately in West Michigan. We recruit only the most skilled and dedicated people who are service-oriented, collaborative, adaptable, and who possess the highest level of integrity. Our employees experience a meaningful workplace where they can make a valuable and appreciated impact in the household(s) that they serve. Full-time employees of RDV Staffing are eligible for a robust healthcare program, 401(k) plan with a generous 7.5% match, time off, and other meaningful benefits.


Duties and Responsibilities

Food Preparation and Meal Service

• Partner with the secondary Chef to prepare and serve daily meals for family (brunch, lunch, and dinner); prepare meals for family’s consumption on non-working days as needed.
• Provide dinner service on the majority of evenings and cover for the secondary Chef as needed.
• Develop menus and recipes supporting the family’s preferences, tastes, and style.
• Prepare items for some breakfasts and lunches for heads of household to cook themselves, i.e., chop salads, wash and cut fruit, wash and chop vegetables, etc.
• Communicate on a regular basis with family members and secondary Chef on needs for upcoming week(s); gathers feedback and ideas.
• Prepare meals and hors d’oeuvres for family entertaining on evenings and/or weekends.
• Demonstrate excellent knowledge of and experience with household table etiquette and service; demonstrate creativity and artistic presentation in food preparation and table service, whether dining is casual or formal.
• Family lives a very busy, active, and healthy lifestyle.  Young children make for a lively and energetic environment within the household; therefore, the right candidate must genuinely enjoy working with and around children. 
• Travel with family to assigned locations to provide meal service and food provisioning.
• Maintain availability for high degree of flexibility in work schedule and hours.  Evenings, weekends, and holiday hours will be required. 

Kitchen Maintenance and Operations

• Forecast food items, keeping household stocked with fresh food items and beverages for planned meals, snacks, and impromptu consumption.
• Control food costs by establishing purchasing, storage, and waste procedures.
• Ensure kitchen areas, kitchen equipment, and dining areas are safe and sanitary at all times.
• Maintain readiness of all items necessary for serving meals.
• At the end the of workday, tidies up kitchen and dining areas. 
• Run dishwasher(s), wash certain dishes and equipment by hand, and put away items, ensuring all are 100% clean and dry.
• Run load of laundry for any dirty dish towels and kitchen linens.
• Follow safe operating procedures of all equipment, utensils, machinery and supplies, never forgetting that young children will be in and around the kitchen. 
• Complete daily maintenance and notifies property manager of equipment and machinery issues for repair.
• May perform special projects as requested by principals in order to contribute to the efficiency of daily household operations.

Elements of Success

• Degree from a post-secondary culinary arts training program.
• Variety of culinary and catering experience with healthy and fresh meal preparation techniques.  Ensures a variety of meals offered and demonstrates flexibility in accommodating individual tastes and any dietary requirements. 
• Personal chef experience in a private household setting is highly desirable.
• Excellent knowledge of household table etiquette, service, and entertaining protocol. 
• Ability to recommend and offer a variety of different types of meals and pairings to the family, being curious and adventuresome, while also being open to feedback and continuously learning about the family’s tastes & preferences.
• Warm and engaging personality, with the ability to interact effectively with all members of the family and young children, as well as other staff members. 
• Genuine enjoyment of working with and around children is critical to the success of this position.  This may include letting little ones safely “help” from time to time, teaching about different foods and cooking techniques when they show an interest, and interacting with them during snack/mealtime.
• Must demonstrate professionalism, enthusiasm, and graciousness in service; display good listening skills.
• Must be a responsible, dedicated, and dependable person of highest integrity; self-motivated.
• Must demonstrate outstanding organizational skills and attention to detail.

Additional Requirements

• Responsibilities are conducted in the home(s) of the client of RDV Staffing.  While an employer/employee relationship exists, employee must be genuinely committed to being part of the team of household staff whose shared goal is to offer exemplary personal service and to positively contribute to a collaborative home environment.
• Chef will interact with family members in a friendly, yet professional manner.  This includes maintaining professional boundaries, along with being adept at gauging appropriate levels, duration, and timing of non-work-related conversations.
• Willingness to be flexible in days and hours worked, as well as occasional last-minute scheduling is essential.
• Employee will be required to travel at various times within Michigan and out of state in order to provide services at various residences of client; other travel locations may also be required.
• The family’s privacy is of critical importance; therefore, the highest level of confidentiality in the family’s business and personal matters must be exercised at all times.