Kitchen Assistant - ZWILLING Cooking Studio - Pleasantville NY

ZWILLING J.A. Henckels, the leading manufacturer of premium cutlery and cookware products. ZWILLING Cooking Studio is Westchester, New York's premiere cooking facility. Hone your cooking skills in our hands on cooking classes taught by pro chefs! The goal of the ZWILLING Cooking Studio is to elevate awareness of our brands by creating as many touch-points with end consumers as possible. The ZWILLING Cooking Studio occupies a 2090 square foot space with state-of-the-art appliances and equipment, and accommodates 40 - 60 guests for knife skills classes, cooking classes, chef demonstrations and special events.

As a Cooking Studio Kitchen Assistant, you will be working with the culinary team, ensuring a great experience for our guests. You will work with the resident chef and culinary program manager, chef instructors, kitchen porters and cooking studio guests.

You will support the Chef Instructor and guests during cooking classes and culinary events, prep the event/cooking class and work alongside the Chef Instructor for the entire duration of the event. You will be expected to monitor hygiene and maintain a clean work environment. You will work in coordination with the Studio Porter to ensure cleanliness of the entire Cooking Studio throughout and upon the conclusion of the event. You will be expected to provide oversight and guidance to guests providing hospitality including drinks as necessary. Upon event conclusion, you will clean and prepare for the next event.

By acting as an extension of the Chef Instructor, reinforcing, and supporting the techniques being presented in class, the cooking studio assistant places a key role in providing an exceptional experience to guests including hospitality and customer engagement to address issues while focusing on Zwilling products to boost retail sales while creating additional business opportunities for the Zwilling Cooking Studio

In this role, you can be expected to do the following:

• Planning/Preparation
  • Daily class preparation and execution as directed by Chef Instructor and/or Resident Chef.
  • Setting up patron workstations before classes and events.
  • Cleaning workstations during and after classes and events.
  • Assisting and instructing porters/dishwashers.
  • Preparing for the next day’s classes and events.
  • Assisting with shopping for class ingredients.
• Culinary Expertise
  • Supporting guests in building and correcting cooking skills.
  • Being able to cook recipes and menus developed by ZWILLING.
  • Recognizing and distinguishing ingredients.
  • Ability to distinguish, with a degree of accuracy, differences or similarities in intensity or quality of flavors or recognizing particular flavors or odors using tongue or nose.
  • Basic wine/beer/spirits knowledge or willingness to learn.
  • Knowledge of basic cooking techniques (chopping, whisking, slicing, stirring, juicing, etc.).
• Sales
  • Utilizing strong salesmanship to promote retail sales before, during and after classes.
  • Together with the Resident Chef and Culinary Program Manager, serve as an ambassador of the studio to build class participation and return business.

Qualifications and Skills:

• A minimum of 1 year food preparation and/or kitchen operations experience preferred.
• A minimum of 1 year of retail experience. Teaching, sales, or similar experience will be considered.
• Excellent communication and customer focused skills with an affinity for cooking, a desire to learn, and a willingness to support The ZWILLING Cooking Studio concept for long-term growth.
• Valid Food Handlers and/or Food Managers Certification.
• Committed and responsible attitude with excellent problem-solving skills.
• Superior organizational skills; must be able to manage and execute multiple tasks with accuracy.
• Close attention to detail in completion of tasks and communication.
• Effective time management skills.
• Familiarity with MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook).
• Participate in training provided by ZWILLING J.A. Henckels.
• Ability to remain in a stationary position for 2-3 hours.
• Ability to reach, push, grab, pull, bend, stoop, kneel, etc. to retrieve and/or replenish merchandise or handle cooking equipment.
• Ability to move and/or lift merchandise and/or kitchen equipment weighing up to 50 lbs.

Hourly Rate: $18.00