Cook

Job Title: Cook

Job Description

This role involves accurately and efficiently preparing, cooking, portioning, and presenting a variety of hot and cold food items for multiple meal periods, including breakfast, lunch, snacks, and special or catered events. You follow recipes consistently, deliver great flavor, manage your time well, and willingly assist in other areas of the café as needed. You may work in any station within the café where food is prepared, ensuring a high standard of quality and service for guests.

Responsibilities

• Prepare, cook, and portion a variety of hot and cold food items for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and special or catered events.
• Follow recipes accurately to ensure consistent quality, flavor, and presentation of all menu items.
• Set up, operate, and work on the line in the café, including any station where food is prepared.
• Maintain high standards of food preparation, including proper cooking techniques, seasoning, and plating.
• Manage time effectively to ensure all dishes are prepared and served within required time frames.
• Assist in other areas of the café as needed to support smooth operations and excellent service.
• Perform general food preparation tasks such as chopping, slicing, and assembling ingredients.
• Support cleaning and dishwashing tasks to maintain a clean, organized, and sanitary work area.
• Provide friendly and professional customer service, responding to guest needs and requests.
• Follow all food safety, sanitation, and workplace safety procedures, including the use of appropriate footwear.

Essential Skills

• Previous professional cooking experience in a foodservice or restaurant environment.
• Ability to follow recipes accurately and consistently.
• Strong time management skills to handle multiple tasks and meal periods efficiently.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver high-quality flavors and well-seasoned dishes.
• Experience with food preparation, line cooking, and general foodservice operations.
• Strong customer service and hospitality skills when interacting with guests.
• Ability to maintain cleanliness and support dishwashing and general cleaning tasks.
• Capability to work in various areas of a café where food is prepared.
• Ability to present professionally in both appearance and demeanor.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience as a cook, line cook, or chef in a café, restaurant, or similar setting.
• Experience with both hot and cold food preparation.
• Comfort working in a fast-paced foodservice environment with multiple meal periods.
• Willingness to collaborate with team members and help in different roles as needed.

Why Work Here?

You join a stable weekday schedule with daytime hours that support work-life balance, allowing evenings and weekends free for personal time. You work in a professional café environment where teamwork, hospitality, and quality food are valued every day. You gain experience supporting a corporate café operation, with the opportunity to refine your culinary skills across multiple meal periods and special events.

Work Environment

This position is based in a corporate café setting, supporting daily foodservice operations for an office environment. The role follows a consistent schedule of 6:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. You work in a kitchen and line setting where hot and cold foods are prepared, cooked, and served, and you may rotate through different stations as needed. The environment requires adherence to food safety and cleanliness standards, with regular involvement in food preparation, cooking, and cleaning tasks. The dress code includes black pants, a black chef coat, and non-skid safety shoes to support both professionalism and safety in the kitchen.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Chesapeake, VA.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $16.50 - $18.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:
• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Chesapeake,VA.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Apr 22, 2026.

About Aerotek:

We know that finding work is hard, and finding meaningful work is harder. Aerotek connects 180,000+ light industrial and skilled trades workers with 14,000+ employers each year, helping our workers navigate an evolving labor market and find jobs that meets their goals, skills and interests. Since 1983, we have provided a variety of career opportunities across North American industry – from short-term assignments at Fortune 500 companies where you can build your skills, to long-term opportunities where you can play a vital role solving for companies’ construction, manufacturing and maintenance challenges. Our 1,500+ experienced recruiters across 250+ offices work relentlessly to put our workforce in a position to thrive. Let us rise to meet your challenges and put our people-are everything spirit to the test as your career continues to grow.

Aerotek offers weekly pay, employee benefits including medical, dental & vision, life insurance, health advocacy and employee assistance programs, a 401(k) plan, and employee discounts.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regards to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

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