Junior Sous Chef

About the Opportunity

An award-winning, 5-star private game reserve located along the scenic Garden Route is seeking a driven, organized, and highly skilled Junior Sous Chef to join our elite culinary team. Stepping into a key supervisory role, you will bridge the gap between the kitchen management and the Chef de Parties, helping oversee daily operations, maintaining high culinary standards, and curating world-class dining experiences in a spectacular bush setting.

Key Responsibilities

• Operational Leadership: Assist the Head Chef and Sous Chef in managing daily kitchen operations, supervising service delivery, and stepping up to run the shift in their absence.
• Quality Control: Maintain consistency, exceptional plating aesthetics, and peak flavor profiles across all breakfast, lunch, high tea, and dinner services.
• Bush & Boma Events: Oversee the smooth execution of specialized catering setups, including multi-course fine dining, interactive open-fire bomas, and luxury wilderness picnics.
• Stock & Cost Management: Assist with stock takes, ordering, receiving, and tight portion control to optimize kitchen food costs while eliminating waste.
• Staff Development: Mentor, train, and manage the kitchen brigade, fostering a collaborative, disciplined, and highly motivated team culture.
• HACCP Compliance: Strictly enforce health and safety regulations, hygiene standards, and systematic deep cleaning routines across all kitchen sections.

Requirements

Requirements & Qualifications

• Education: A recognized professional culinary certificate, diploma, or degree.
• Experience: Minimum of 4–6 years of professional kitchen experience, with at least 1–2 years serving as a Senior Chef de Partie or Junior Sous Chef in a 4 or 5-star luxury lodge, remote resort, or premium fine-dining restaurant.
• Technical Skills: Advanced culinary skills across all sections, menu contribution capabilities, and strong leadership/people management skills.
• Lodge Mindset: Passionate about remote luxury hospitality and fully comfortable living and working in a pristine wilderness environment on a flexible hospitality shift roster.
• Characteristics: Excellent communication skills, calm under high-pressure service windows, solution-oriented, and highly reliable.

Benefits

Package Includes

• Comfortable on-site staff village accommodation.
• Complimentary meals while on duty.
• Uniforms and uniform laundry service.
• Share of guest gratuities.