Jobs? [General]

2011 Feb 17
How about a thread dedicated to jobs in the restaurant industry?

I know we have some chefs here, i know we have some restaurant owners, etc.

I'm thinking of applying to some restaurant to get some experience in a kitchen.


2011 Feb 18
Its, a tough biz to get into. Chances are your going to have to start as a dishwasher

2011 Feb 18
Lots of places look for prep help on short notice. Get ready to peel veg for hours on end!!!

2011 Feb 18
Want a job growing the food? lol!

2011 Feb 20
I did prep at a restaurant a few years ago (at least 10 years ago) and after 2 weeks they had me making pies and desserts as well.
didn't think that qualified as "prep work"?

Had to make a Bourbon pecan pie w chocolate something or other, bread pudding and some cake or something else...forget now.
I never went to school for baking or anything else either...

I would maybe just walk up to restaurants or call and ask if they need kitchen help..that might work, I guess.

I was actually going to apply to work at a nearby bakery,but I don't really think I want to work there that much.

I didn't realize most people started as dishwasher?
When I started I was deveining shrimp,cleaning mussels and seafood,making sauces,chopping vegetables too.
Still remember those awful 20litre buckets of Hellmann's mayo used for a sauce I made...
a dipping sauce made of mayo,ketchup,garlic powder, black pepper,salt,spices.

2011 Feb 20
Yah sometimes you can get into a diner, or a mid level restaurant as a prep chef. However, to get into any high end place you either need to start at the bottom or have applicable experience or school. The scene has changed alot in the past ten years, as I am sure as most of you are aware.

2011 Feb 20
you might be interested by ron eade's interview with chef kyle christofferson from luxe. kyle is self taught and worked his way up from being a dish washer.
communities.canada.com


2011 Feb 20
The place I was at was not that fancy, it was a Cajun style place that has 2 locations in Ottawa only.
They serve a lot of fresh oysters,breaded crocodile or alligator (i forget),catfish and stuff like that.
Funny thing is I actually got paid to evaluate and review the place I used to work at before (not the same location),but like 10 years after I worked there.
Was kind of interesting anyways!

I think these days, you need a ton of experience for any job-except maybe fast food chains that are willing to train people.

2011 Feb 21
Just get yourself in the door however possible (who's never fudged a resume a little bit?), then bust your ass at those dishes. Show enthusiasm for learning and doing any other prep work they'll let you do, and you'll eventually find yourself moving up.
Some of these culinary school grads could afford to do a stint in the dish pit; they sometimes lack the perspective that the self-taught/ climbed up the ladder people have, which is unfortunate, since they usually have the passion and respect.

2011 Feb 21
What do you like to do? Do you know what you want to do?
Do you want to make a career? Just for money? Do you want to know if this industry is for you?
Work in the kitchen is physically demanding. Don't expect to have weekends off. You have to work early mornings and late nights. That's the reality, you have to LOVE creating in the kitchen...otherwise, you will spend all your time at the back by the dumpster contemplating life while having a smoke...lol
I have seen many of those, ya, too many of those!

2011 Mar 13
Just saw this on twitter - user "offhandremarks"

Yo! Jak's kitchen is looking for a prep cook for min 16 hrs/ week (Tues - Thurs, aft/evening). Anyone interested?

2011 Mar 14
Ahora's is hiring as well, though I didn't see the details.

2011 Mar 16
What does it pay?
I'm looking for a job,but depends on the pay as well!

2011 May 3
Bumping this up because I have a lead.

When I was at Vegfest last Sunday someone was handing out flyers for a new bistro that will be opening soon in Ottawa. They say they are now accepting resumés. They did not specify what type of work is available or salary so you would have to contact them directly. Here is the info on the flyer:

MABEL'S GARDEN

Mabel's Garden is an upcoming small business in Ottawa, Canada. We serve Mediterranean influenced vegan food.

We specialize in gourmet sandwiches but create a variety of appetizers, entrées, soups & salads, and specialty items. Stay tuned in the coming months when we announce our commercial location for our bistro!

Contact us for special orders, events, or general inquiry. We are now taking resumés!

mabelsbistro.com
info@mabelsbistro.com
Follow us on facebook

2011 Jul 20
Hi everyone

My career has lots of ups and downs. I was very fond of cooking from very beginning and hence, thought that the career as a chef would be very exciting for me. I was very good in cooking and was able to cook all kinds of food very well. But when I started my career, no restaurant hired me as a chef because I was not formally trained. Only I got jobs in pastry and bakery shops. I opted one. After working for 2 years or so, I realized that I was stuck there, as I wasn't getting considerable growth. Sometimes I felt that I should leave this career and choose another one. Then one friend suggested me to go for online course in culinary arts. He also gave me the list of universities offering online culinary courses through the following site. This site also has lots of information about culinary arts career.
www.culinaryartscollege.org/
I found the college which best suited my requirements and got enrolled in the bachelor's degree program
And the most amazing thing was as soon as I started the course I got offers from good restaurants, simply through virtue of being a culinary student.
I'll be finishing my bachelor's degree by this year end. After that I can apply as a head chef anywhere, because I'll be having training certification as well as 4 years experience also.

2011 Jul 20
pamela - i'm not sure how an online cooking school works. i would think cooking requires learning techniques directly from chefs. i can't imagine any restaurant or hotel would hire someone as head chef outside of school, if they haven't proven their skills and value on the floor of the kitchen first. there is no quick way to the top in any career.

2011 Jul 20
I'm interested in how online culinary learning works too. Learning is about transferring information. I'm pretty sure you could teach cooking online, but curious as to how they actually do it - video links? Assignments?

The link Pamela gave has some interesting information about food blogs as well, though the link on the page to the American Culinary Federation does not work.

www.culinaryartscollege.org

2011 Jul 20
I have a feeling that Pamela Woods is not a real person, and if she is I'm sorry to tell her that there is no way she will be head chef until she has experience in actual restaurants.

2011 Jul 20
Doesn't Algonquin college had a decent Culinary Management program? Aren't there lots of other options, Cordon Bleu School other colleges in Ontario, Quebec and elsewhere. How very bizarre ... Isn't there a whole other level of trades that work in restaurants, cooks, line cooks, food prep people, etc. depending on the type of establishment. Could this be what Pamela Woods is mistaking herself with? Likely don't need a diploma to be a cook. At one point in my life, I did food prep as well as being an occasional "salad cook" (put together the salad on one side of the plate while the cook or assistant cook prepared the main part of the entry or fried the other parts of the meal in the deep fryer, etc.). Who are we kidding here ...

2011 Jul 20
Yeah a diploma in cooking means as much as taking Police Foundations at Algonquin to be a police officer (not a lot!)


2011 Jul 21
iheartsamo, don't be discouraged from taking Culinary at Algonquin or traveling to George Brown college, Most of our Top Chefs have had to study to earn the title CHEF and acquire their Red Seal certification. I have been a long time restaurant General Manager and have worked in the industry for 20 years, although I recently left to follow my own dream. I have hired tones of young people looking to learn but you have to be up to the task, be able to learn and enjoy the work... all of it. It can be a Hard and dirty job with fantastic emotional rewards and little pay (although I do know people that make great money at it). If you want to learn to cook, take cooking classes. If you want to be a Chef, pay your dues and go to the Gonk.

One other note. if you just want a job just go into all the restaurants you like with a resume... don't wait for job ads... Most of the casual dinning restaurants in town are desperate for cooks. It's really difficult to find people that have the intelligence, good work ethic and motivation to learn. Present yourself as described (if it's true) and you will get a job.

2011 Jul 21
We're looking for a quailty experienced cook right now, if anyone is interested please contact @ petitbillsbistro@gmail.com

Thanks
TERRY

2011 Aug 31
Anyone fluent in English, French and Spanish and knows about Fair Trade?

Hiring a Coffee Specialist

fairtrade.ca

2011 Aug 31
Wow, the salary offered is unbelievably low compared to the qualification they are looking for…

2011 Aug 31
Yup, but I'd do it in a heartbeat if I met their requirements

2011 Aug 31
Or, one could go work within the civil service, make a salary that is more impressive than that of a Walmart greeter, pay off the debts accumulated during their MA, and actually be able to afford fair trade coffee ;)

2011 Aug 31
Fair Trade coffee is considerably more affordable from certain vendors in town (cough, cough). And even more affordable still with their back to school special.

2011 Aug 31
I recently thought I'd apply to do short term work in a commercial kitchen. Lowest level kitchen prep and gopher stuff. I've always wanted to do something in the food industry, but thought before I give up what is currently a lucrative career path that I've been spent 20+ years developing, I should see if I could survive the kitchen environment for a few weeks. The pay was actually less than minimum wage, and I was looking forward to taking it on, but even at that salary, there were others with more experience who beat me out. I guess even lousy paying jobs in the industry are highly competitive.

2011 Oct 31
Fat Boys Southern Smokehouse will be opening in November. They just sent out a tweet saying they will have an open house of sorts this Saturday and Sunday November 6th and 7th. They will be taking applications for kitchen and front of the house staff.

2014 Jun 3
Bumping this up because the Ottawa Good Food Box program is looking to hire a summer student: www.centretownchc.org(gfb).aspx The deadline is June 6th so there's not much time left...

2014 Jun 3
Thanks some of my daughter's friends are still looking.

2014 Jun 5
Lowertown Brewery is accepting applications on their website: www.lowertownbrewery.ca/. Construction has picked up speed and it looks like they should open by end of July.

2014 Jun 5
Hintonburg Public House just posted this on their FB page:

"Part time experienced server required. Drop off resume or email to be considered."

2014 Jun 6
Detroit Style Soul Food is looking for part time prep and late night cooks: www.facebook.com

2014 Jun 12
Not exactly haute cuisine, but as I was walking past the Elgin Street Diner this morning I noticed a sign saying they're looking for a full-time, experienced cook.

2016 Apr 10
This is food industry related, we're hiring a dairy assistant here on the farm. :-)

Starts as a training position to fill a Maternity Leave spot. Both training and the Mat leave position are salaried, with the Mat Leave spot averaging about $15/hr.

The training runs from now until July, and the Mat Leave position from July 2015 to July 2017, and the possibility of being hired on full-time permanent afterwards.

www.funnyduckfarms.com

2017 Dec 7
Just bumping this up because Oat Couture is looking for staff: www.facebook.com

2018 Feb 27
Via Rail is looking for four chefs based out of Winnipeg: career.viarail.ca

2018 May 4
Art Is In Bakery is looking for full and part-time cooks and dishwashers. More info is on their facebook page.

2018 May 5
Everyone is looking for kitchen help & I mean everyone..

Some places have been forced to close extra days simply because they can't find staff..it's getting ridiculous..

We've been trying to find someone with experience for over a month, we finally hired a young man out of Algonquin College but he has zero practical exposure...

Good luck to Art-is-in...