Recruiting : Deputy Cellarer (Capable Cook)

Overview of the role

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 The Cellarer team cooks thousands of good quality, healthy and delicious meals each year. 

• Shared meals for guests on all our own programme events.
• Stocked larders for about half the guests who make a private retreat.
• Shared meals for some of the groups running their own day or residential programmes here.

As Deputy Cellarer you will be taking responsibility for planning, preparing, serving and hosting meals.

Working relationships

Line manager is the Cellarer, Hillary Hanson. The cellarer team collaborates closely with housekeeping and other senior team and community members, and is assisted by an ever-changing team of volunteers. All are very willing, some are highly skilled and others come with less experience.

How the role looks day to day

This is a front line role suited to an active, dependable, methodical, accurate person who stays calm under pressure and is good at detail.

Some weeks are primarily running the kitchen and producing meals while others are more office based for planning, stock taking, kitchen hygiene protocols, managing freezers, menu preparation, batch cooking, making preserves or baking. The ratio between the two depends on the bookings calendar, collaboration with colleagues and season of the year. Kitchen days start with getting breakfast organised before 8am prayers and finish after 7pm supper is cleared up.  

Entry level skills

In the kitchen

• Prior experience of cooking or catering in different contexts, including for larger numbers (over 20)
• We anticipate appointing someone with some formal catering training, but this is not essential and practical experience will count strongly
• Awareness and experience of a range of special diets, especially allergies 

In the office

• Practical day to day use of Microsoft Office especially Word and Outlook (especially emails and calendars) plus basic use of Excel
• You will be taught how to access information from our bespoke booking system

About you and your experience

• You enjoy cooking and you enjoy caring for people through the medium of food and have a generous attitude. 
• You are willing to learn from the experience and expertise of the existing team what works well in the Sheldon context. 
• You have sufficient physical strength and stamina to sustain the necessary standing, lifting and carrying entailed in the role.