Private In-Home Chef

Desperately seeking the services of a Private Chef to work in the family home, assisting a physically disabled woman, located in central Surfers Paradise.

Living with a physical disability, the Client employs a team of carers and support staff to assist with all general daily tasks and personal commitments, including providing for her teenage daughter. Due to a recent change in circumstances, we are looking to employ the services of only our third Chef in 10 years.  As the position requires personal interaction with the family and team members, it is essential that only committed, open minded, empathetic and understanding individuals apply because we require continuity for a stable environment. The Client must engage in the entire food process from initial discussion, choice, smell when cooking and general excitement for the upcoming meal, to enhance their reflex to want to eat.

Being a single parent trying to run a household, help is needed to provide healthy meals and snacks for better nutrition and healing. Variety, pre-planning and preparation are the most important priorities, especially with a fussy teenager at home. Fresh is always best, however having back-up frozen options can be helpful in the event of unplanned time off or random changes to daily events. Sometimes a pre-prepared lasagna can be cooked to complete by support staff working on a Saturday but would never have the time to make it. Keeping the household fed, including available snacks, improves morale and saves all staff from the same issues worrying about what they will eat that day, especially if unable to take a formal break that day.

As the team of support staff are generally providing for care needs during their shifts, having a Chef allows each staff member to focus on their role and be more attentive to the Client's care needs, not having to constantly worry about what to eat and where to get it from. The Clients disability is purely physical and relies on the sense of smell to get excited about food and eating it. Ordering it does not have the same result, despite the choice of restaurants servicing the local area. The right applicant will need to work closely with the Client to prepare a weekly menu plan and will enjoy a healthy budget and use of the Client's car during work hours to source the produce required.

Available to the right applicant is a Full-time salary position, working flexible hours in the family home from Monday to Friday, completing a 76-hour fortnight. Being flexible and fitting in with the care routine and roster is important to ensure a regular eating plan can be maintained for the Client to manage body weight, health needs and improve overall nutrition and wellbeing. As cooking for 2 can be challenging, it would usually be expected that extra food be prepared for other staff working on shift at the time. Readily available snacks make for a happy workplace

If you enjoy a quieter workplace, managing your own work schedule, are sick of working late nights and weekends, and you genuinely enjoy cooking, baking and all aspects of food and feeding people, we would love to meet you. Please bring your open mind and previous work experience our way.  Must be trustworthy, easy to get along with and able to work unsupervised to a schedule, without needing constant motivation. The right person will need to be comfortable trying new things, adapting the menu to suit changing circumstances at short notice, should the daily plan change.

The right candidate will have excellent communication skills, be highly organised and willing to plan ahead for the next week, enabling online orders to be placed in advance and avoid unnecessary shopping trips. Integrating with other team members is a must, so our next Chef must also enjoy working with and around others.

If you have the industry experience required, the open mind necessary for adapting your skills to assist in the disability sector, then please attach your resume so that we can give you a call. You will be making a huge difference by being a private in-home Chef in a different way.