Commis I

Roles and responsibilities

1. Food Preparation and Cooking

   • Ingredient Preparation: Preparing and chopping ingredients for dishes, including washing, peeling, and cutting vegetables, meats, and other items according to the recipe.
   • Cooking Assistance: Assisting with the cooking process by preparing sauces, soups, stocks, or side dishes. Depending on the kitchen, Commis I may work on specific stations (such as the grill, pastry, or cold station) and assist with cooking items in their assigned area.
   • Following Recipes: Adhering to recipes and cooking methods to ensure consistency and quality in the dishes served. Following instructions from senior chefs to prepare meals to the required standard.

2. Maintaining Cleanliness and Hygiene

   • Kitchen Organization: Keeping the kitchen clean and organized by maintaining workstations, washing utensils, pots, pans, and cleaning equipment regularly.
   • Food Safety: Ensuring that food is stored, handled, and cooked according to food safety regulations to avoid contamination. This includes keeping a clean environment and ensuring hygiene standards are met.
   • Disposal of Waste: Properly disposing of waste and keeping work areas free from food ss and debris to maintain cleanliness.

3. Assisting with Stock Control

   • Inventory Management: Helping with stock rotation and ensuring that ingredients are properly stored to maintain freshness. Reporting any shortages or issues with stock to the chef or kitchen manager.
   • Restocking Supplies: Assisting with restocking ingredients and supplies in preparation for service, ensuring everything needed is available for cooking and plating.

4. Plating and Presentation

   • Plating Dishes: Assisting in the plating of dishes, ensuring that they are aesthetically pleasing and meet the restaurant's standards for presentation.
   • Garnishing: Adding garnishes or finishing touches to dishes according to the chef’s specifications.

5. Learning and Skill Development

   • Learning from Senior Chefs: Observing and learning from more experienced kitchen staff to develop cooking techniques and knowledge of different dishes.
   • Training and Improvement: Continually improving culinary skills, experimenting with new methods, and staying up to date with current culinary trends.

6. Working with the Kitchen Team

   • Collaboration: Working as part of the kitchen team, communicating effectively with colleagues to ensure that meals are prepared and delivered on time.
   • Assisting with Service: During service hours, Commis I chefs may assist with preparing food for orders and coordinating with the front-of-house staff to ensure a smooth operation.

Essential Skills for a Commis I

1. Culinary Knowledge

   • Basic Cooking Techniques: A solid understanding of cooking techniques such as boiling, sautéing, grilling, and braising, as well as an understanding of different food preparation methods.
   • Knowledge of Ingredients: Familiarity with common ingredients, herbs, spices, and seasonings used in various dishes.

2. Attention to Detail

   • Consistency: Ability to maintain consistency in food preparation and presentation to meet the required standards.
   • Precision: Paying attention to measurements, cooking times, and garnishing to ensure quality results.

3. Physical Stamina

   • Endurance: Working long hours in a fast-paced, often high-pressure environment, requiring physical stamina for standing, moving, and working in a hot kitchen.
   • Handling Heavy Equipment: Ability to lift and carry heavy kitchen items such as large pots, trays, or bags of ingredients.

4. Time Management and Multitasking

   • Working Under Pressure: The kitchen can be a very busy environment, especially during peak service times. Commis I chefs need to work efficiently and stay focused while managing multiple tasks simultaneously.
   • Task Prioritization: Prioritizing tasks, ensuring that food preparation is completed in time for service.

5. Teamwork and Communication

   • Working with the Team: Ability to collaborate effectively with other kitchen staff, including chefs, sous chefs, and kitchen assistants.
   • Clear Communication: Communicating clearly with colleagues about the status of food preparation, any issues, or requests for assistance.

6. Adaptability and Willingness to Learn

   • Open to Learning: Willingness to learn from senior kitchen staff and adapt to new techniques and recipes.
   • Flexibility: Ability to work in different sections of the kitchen, rotating between stations as required by the needs of the team.

Desired candidate profile

• You'll prepare consistent, high quality food product and ensure courteous, professional, efficient and flexible service that supports the outlet's operating concept and Company’s standards.
• You'll develop and maintain positive working relationships with others; support team to reach common goals; listen and respond appropriately to the concerns of other employees.
• You'll monitor food quality while preparing food.
• You'll maintain and organize your station and equipment in a neat and orderly fashion to meet the Chef’s expectation.
• You'll carry out all food preparation tasks given by the Demi chef and reports back when they have been carried out anticipating the next task to complete.
• You'll follow daily ingredient collection, storage of all items used within the respective kitchen and you will ensure all areas of section are maintained and clean following established standards.
• You'll work to the specifications received by the respective culinary team regarding portion size, quantity and quality as laid down in the recipe index.
• You'll attend daily meetings with the Chef de cuisine and other meetings as requested by the Executive chef/Executive sous chef.
  

Qualifications

Your personality counts more than your CV …

• You’ve gained management experience in a similar role, and can speak English fluently
• You can inspire your fellow staff just as you can inspire your guests. On top of this you find it easy to communicate with charm, even if it’s sometimes tricky
• You’re passionate about good food, and enjoy discovering new concepts
• You’re a doer – and even if you do it wrong sometimes, you openly admit it
• You’re not just bringing your abilities, but also your character