Job Description

Chef De Partie - Melbourne

Foodfolk Australia is a leading provider of airline catering services, delivering fresh, high-quality meals to customers across Australia. We're all about generous servings of fresh, natural produce, prepared by people who love to cook—not by machines. We believe food is more than fuel; it's packed with emotion, culture, discovery, and desire.

We are excited to be launching our brand-new, state-of-the-art facility in Melbourne and are seeking experienced Chef de Partie professionals with expertise in authentic Vietnamese, Thai, and Filipino cuisine. This is a unique opportunity to join Foodfolk Australia during an exciting period of growth. Successful candidates will play a key role in building and developing a high-performing culinary team while helping shape the success of our newest facility from day one.

Our ideal team member is more than a skilled chef you'll be passionate about authentic Vietnamese, Thai and Filipino cuisine and thrive in a fast-paced, high-volume environment. You'll be committed to delivering exceptional food, maintaining the highest quality standards and working collaboratively as part of a high-performing kitchen team.

In this role you will be responsible for:

• Preparing, cooking, and portioning high-quality food in accordance with recipes, customer specifications, and production schedules.
• Leading designated kitchen section to ensure all production is completed accurately and on time.
• Maintaining exceptional standards of food quality, presentation, consistency, and portion control.
• Assisting with production planning, batch cooking, and bulk food preparation.
• Providing day-to-day guidance and support to Kitchenhands and assisting with the onboarding of new team members.
• Monitoring stock levels, assisting with inventory management, and helping to minimise food waste.
• Completing production documentation, temperature records, and quality assurance checks.
• Maintaining compliance with Food Safety, HACCP, GMP, and Workplace Health & Safety requirements.

Working collaboratively with the kitchen department to achieve daily production schedules and operational priorities.

• Identifying opportunities to improve kitchen processes, efficiency, and product quality.

Key Selection Criteria:

Essential:

• At least 2 – 3 years’ experience as a Chef de Partie or in a similar role within a fast-paced, high-volume commercial kitchen.
• Certificate III in Commercial Cookery (or equivalent trade qualification).
• Extensive experience preparing authentic Vietnamese, Thai and Filipino cuisine in a high-volume commercial kitchen, with a strong understanding of traditional ingredients, flavours and cooking techniques.
• Demonstrated experience preparing these cuisines in bulk while maintaining consistency, quality, presentation, and portion control.
• Strong knowledge of food safety, HACCP, allergen management, and quality assurance requirements.
• Experience with bulk food preparation, batch cooking and working to strict production schedules.
• Demonstrated ability to lead a kitchen section and support, coach and mentor junior kitchen team members.
• Experience with stock control, inventory management, and waste minimisation practices.

Desirable:

• Experience in airline catering, large-scale catering, food manufacturing, or industrial food production is highly regarded.
• Excellent organisational skills with strong attention to detail, quality, and consistency.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively within a diverse team.
• A positive attitude, strong work ethic, and commitment to delivering exceptional food in a fast-paced environment.

This is a full-time position and requires flexibility to work across a variety of shifts, including weekends and public holidays, in line with operational requirements.

Please note, as part of our recruitment process candidates will be required to undergo and successfully pass a Pre-Employment Medical (PEM). You will be on your feet for most of the day and required to lift/move heavy items (5 - 20kg).

Why Choose Foodfolk?

Our people are the core of our operation. We value our staff and work as a close-knit team. We offer benefits such as:

• Free onsite parking.
• A supportive and collaborative team environment.
• Ongoing training, development and career progression opportunities.
• The opportunity to join a brand-new Melbourne facility from day one.
• Work alongside passionate chefs in one of Australia's growing airline catering businesses.

Values We Live By

🤝 Camaraderie

We're all in this together. We support one another and celebrate success as a team.

😄 Optimism

We bring a positive mindset to every challenge and are always looking for a better way.

🔄 Responsive

We operate in a fast-moving industry and pride ourselves on being adaptable, solutions-focused and reliable.

🌱 Ethical

We are committed to safety, quality and doing the right thing for our people, customers, community and environment.

If you're ready to take the next step in your culinary career and be part of an exciting new operation in Melbourne, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply now and help us deliver exceptional food experiences from Melbourne to the skies.

To apply, please submit a current CV and a covering letter (maximum one page) outlining how you meet the essential and desirable selection criteria for the position.

Foodfolk Australia is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applications from First Nations peoples, Torres Strait Islander peoples, and individuals of all cultures, backgrounds and identities.