Lead Line Cook

Job Description

Job Description

Location: Scituate, Rhode Island
Reports to: Owner/Management

Groundwater Café is seeking a dependable, organized, hands-on Head Cook to lead daily kitchen operations. This role combines cooking, team leadership, and kitchen management to deliver fresh, consistently prepared food in a welcoming, community-focused café and tapas bar.

The ideal candidate takes pride in quality, brings creativity, works well with others, and can keep a busy kitchen running efficiently.

Key Responsibilities

• Menu & Recipes: Collaborate with ownership on seasonal menus and specials; maintain consistent recipes, portions, and presentation.
• Food Preparation & Quality: Lead daily cooking and service, ensuring timely, high-quality food and careful handling of allergies and dietary requests.
• Team Leadership: Assign tasks, train staff, coordinate workflow, and communicate staffing needs and concerns.
• Inventory & Costs: Manage stock, ordering, deliveries, and storage while controlling food costs and reducing waste.
• Sanitation & Safety: Maintain a clean, organized kitchen, enforce food-safety procedures, and report equipment or safety issues.
• Administration: Maintain kitchen records, coordinate schedules, monitor expenses, and communicate operational needs to ownership.

Required Qualifications

• At least two years of professional cooking experience in a high-volume restaurant, café, catering operation, or comparable kitchen.
• High school diploma or equivalent, with culinary training or relevant practical experience.
• Working knowledge of food safety, sanitation, inventory management, and portion control.
• Strong organization, time management, communication, and leadership skills.
• Ability to follow standardized recipes and maintain consistent quality.
• Dependable attendance and availability for flexible hours based on business needs.
• Ability to perform essential kitchen duties, including standing for extended periods, bending, reaching, lifting supplies, and working around heat, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience supervising or training kitchen staff.
• Experience with café menus, tapas, catering, or seasonal menu development.
• Current food-safety certification.
• Bilingual communication skills a plus.
• Experience serving older adults or working in community programs.
• Strong interpersonal skills and a collaborative approach to problem-solving.

Work Environment

This is a hands-on role in a diverse kitchen. Scheduling may include early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays. Success requires attention to detail, physical stamina, flexibility, and a calm, respectful approach during busy service periods.

At Groundwater Café, the Head Cook helps create an experience guests want to return for through thoughtful food, consistent execution, and a well-run kitchen.

Groundwater is a cafe serving artisan breakfast and lunch sandwiches, soups and salads. We also serve tapas 3-4 evenings a week. Groundwater market has a small, fresh grab-and-go section of ready-to-eat or prepared sandwiches and meals. We also offer catering and have space for small events.

Company Description

Groundwater is a cafe serving artisan breakfast and lunch sandwiches, soups and salads. We also serve tapas 3-4 evenings a week. Groundwater market has a small, fresh grab-and-go section of ready-to-eat or prepared sandwiches and meals. We also offer catering and have space for small events.