The Opportunity
Responsible for supporting the Chefs with food provisioning, kitchen maintenance, and preparation of healthy and flavorful meal options for a busy family in a private household.  This position will primarily be located in Ada, MI but will be required to travel to other family properties to ensure kitchen and food readiness and Chef preparation services.  This position will be 7 days a week, with evenings and weekends 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

• Prepares and serves daily meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) for the family in the absence of the Chefs, or as requested.   This includes meal service for multiple residences, including the Principals and other family members as requested by the Principals.
• Assists the Chefs with developing menus and recipes supporting the family’s preferences, tastes, and style. 
• Helps to coordinate food for multiple residences and family members in preparation for family’s visits.
• Assists the Chefs with planning, coordinating, and executing meal preparation and service for small or large dinner parties, special events, and holiday gatherings ranging from casual to formal service.
• Demonstrates excellent knowledge of and experience with household table etiquette and service; demonstrates creativity and artistic presentation in food preparation and table service, whether dining is casual or formal.  Occasionally serves the family and personal guests.
• Forecasts food items required; keeps household stocked with fresh food items and beverages for planned meals, snacks, and impromptu consumption.
  • Helps to purchase food items from local markets and/or other preferred vendors.
  • Helps to prepare and stock easy to prepare meals for family’s use as needed.
• Provides nutritious, fresh, visually-appealing, and properly flavored food; exercises a wide variety of culinary techniques and ensures preparation of an extensive variety of meals; demonstrates flexibility in accommodating individual tastes and requirements.
• Assists with maintaining wine cellar inventory, updating and adding items as needed or at the request of the Principals or family members; researches new wineries and wines; remains abreast of current beverage/cocktail trends.

Kitchen Maintenance and Operations

• Ensures freshness of food stock through proper storage, labeling, and inspection.
• Assists with identifying and selecting high quality, fresh cuts of meat, poultry, shellfish, fish, game, vegetables, fruits, etc.; shops for, and daily inventories, food supplies.
• Ensures kitchen, dining areas, and equipment are safe and sanitary and maintained to five-star quality standards.
  • At end of workday, tidies up kitchen and dining areas. 
  • Runs dishwasher(s), washes certain dishes and equipment by hand, and puts away items, ensuring all are 100% clean and dry.
  • Runs load of laundry for any dirty dish towels and kitchen linens.
  • Follows safe operating procedures of all equipment, utensils, and machinery.  Completes daily maintenance and notifies Property Manager of equipment and machinery issues for repair.
  • Ensures food and supplies are stored/maintained under proper conditions.
  • Performs kitchen deep cleaning as needed.  Cleans and organizes kitchen drawers and cabinets; cleans light fixtures and kitchen appliances.
• Maintains readiness of all items necessary for serving meals.
• Rotates glassware and dinnerware on a regular basis to ensure all items are used equally and are cleaned regularly.
• Orders, receives, and stores all food and kitchen related equipment, cleaning, and paper supplies to ensure appropriate stock levels and minimum loss from waste.

General Responsibilities

• Maintains availability for high degree of flexibility in work schedule and hours.  Evenings, weekends, and holiday hours will be required.   
• Provides coverage for the full-time Chefs during scheduled vacations and other absences. 
• Travels at various times to assigned family properties to provide meal service and food provisioning.
  • Helps with ordering, receiving, and stocking all family properties with beverages, snacks, breakfast items, etc. as needed.
  • Helps to ensure readiness of kitchen at all family properties prior to family’s arrival; at end of trip, thoroughly cleans all kitchen areas, including cupboards and appliances.
• Exercises open communications with Chefs, family members, and other household staff.

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 desirable.
• Excellent knowledge of household table etiquette, service, and entertaining protocol.
• Warm and engaging personality.  Able to converse with all members of the family.  Informal and steady approach.
• 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.
• Will be cooking for a wide age range of family members.  Must be able to adjust to different personalities and requests, while always maintaining a level of professionalism and quality standard.

Additional Requirements 

• Responsibilities are conducted in the home(s) of the family.  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 healthy, active, and loving home environment.
• 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.
• 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 throughout Michigan and other locations in order to provide services at various residences of client.