Pond Hill Farm is an eclectic family farm located in Northern Michigan on 197 acres in the lakeside community of Harbor Springs. A family destination for 25 years, the farm is known for its free-spirited and welcoming vibe that is enjoyed by all generations. Visitors are warmly embraced while connecting with the farm’s bounty within a relaxed and beautiful setting. Farm-produced vegetables, berries, grapes, meat, beer, wine, flowers and canned goods are shared via the café, tasting room, market and farm-to-table events. As a seasonally driven business, operations fluctuate depending on the time of year, which fosters an innovative, flexible and cross-functional work environment. The farm is a well-established food and beverage destination undergoing a period of transition toward re-defining its product lines and expanding café, event and market sales. We seek candidates interested in growing within an agricultural environment and collaborating in this unique opportunity of building a sustainable long-term future based on a platform of combined experience, shared vision and joint success.

The Head Chef and Sous Chef positions are intended for individuals who are passionate about quality, integrating farm ingredients into menus and value-added products, engaging with visitors, and developing collaborative teams. These positions have access to dual small commercial kitchens in preparing and executing daily café lunch service, lunch, dinner and festival events, canned goods and pre-packaged food production. The ideal candidates will have the ability to develop sustainable relationships with co-workers and local farm partners to ensure consistent availability of cost effective, high quality ingredients toward delivering innovative, desirable menus and products. Both positions are growth opportunities to apply current skills and knowledge toward further developing and expanding culinary and management skills. These are full-time positions (35-40 hours per week and upwards of 40-55 hours during peak season), including days, evenings, weekends, weekdays and holidays.

HEAD CHEF

Responsibilities

This is a great opportunity for an individual with a strong work ethic and eagerness to learn, who wants to lead a team and advance their culinary knowledge and skills in a supportive, dynamic environment.

• Kitchen organization, cleanliness and safety
• Purchasing and inventory management
• Guide the canning and café kitchen operations in accordance with the overall business plan
• Provide kitchen leadership and management through efficient systems and processes that assures achievement of customer service, safety, and quality requirements
• Monitor and respond to operational and financial indicators to ensure cost effective operations within budget parameters
• Report on achievement of performance goals
• Develop staff to perform cohesively as a team and in collaboration with the front-of-house, event coordination and market team(s) toward accomplishing the owners vision
• Develop and execute canning and café kitchen production plans in alignment with ingredient availability, and café and market sales plans
• Line cooking for daily lunch a la carte service and events using conventional kitchen equipment and outside equipment – i.e. smokers, grills, pizza oven
• Canned good and other value-added product development
• Recipe development and menu design, including creative specials
• Staff scheduling
• Staff recruitment and training
• SOP development and maintenance

Required Qualifications

• Proven success managing culinary staff and operations in a small restaurant, catering, and/or commercial preparation kitchen setting
• Minimum one year culinary management experience
• Experience in lunch, dinner and special event food service production; canned good production preferred
• Demonstrated interest in food pairing with wine, hard cider and/or beer
• Passion for creative ingredient sourcing
• Demonstrated success in labor and operating expense cost control
• Proven ability in the application of purchasing and inventory management processes
• Strong computer skills – Microsoft, POS system, purchasing systems, Google Drive
• Experience and appreciation for menu design, writing and layout
• Fluent in seasonal market trends consistent with an agri-tourism customer profile
• Professional, ethical, innovative and high degree of integrity
• Serve Safe certification
• Better Process Control School certification preferred or accomplished after hire

Required Abilities

• Solid verbal and written communication skills
• Strong team development
• Customer service and quality focused
• Social interaction with customers and co-workers
• Mature management and leaderships skills
• Attention to detail and organization

Compensation

Salaried: $40,000 - $50,000 dependent on experience

Start Date

March 2019

SOUS CHEF

Responsibilities

This is a great opportunity for an individual with a strong work ethic and eagerness to learn, who wants to cultivate their culinary knowledge and skills, and develop management skills in a supportive, dynamic environment.

• Kitchen organization, cleanliness and safety
• Washing, cleaning and preparing fresh and frozen produce, dairy, meat, fish and poultry
• Pickling and canning
• Line cooking for daily lunch a la carte service and events using conventional kitchen equipment and outside equipment – i.e. smokers, grills, pizza oven
• Writing and executing prep lists
• Dishwashing as necessary
• Assist Head Chef in:
  • Planning menus and creating specials
  • Staff scheduling
  • Purchasing, food preservation and inventory management
  • Canned good and other value-added product R&D, production and recipe development
  • Staff training
  • Staff supervision in the absence of the Head Chef
  • Reporting on achievement of performance goals

Required Qualifications

• Minimum one year line cooking in a restaurant or catering setting, and/or commercial preparation kitchen experience
• Experience in lunch and dinner food service production; canned good production preferred
• Passion for creative ingredient sourcing
• Strong computer skills – Microsoft, POS system, purchasing systems, Google Drive
• Demonstrated interest in seasonal market trends consistent with an agri-tourism customer profile
• Professional, ethical, innovative and high degree of integrity
• Serve Safe certification
• Better Process Control School certification preferred or accomplished or after hire

Required Abilities

• Solid verbal and written communication skills
• Strong team player
• Customer service and quality focused
• Social interaction with customers and co-workers
• Mature management skills
• Attention to detail and organization

Compensation

Hourly: $15.00 – $19.00 dependent on experience

Start Date