Founding Kitchen Line Cook

Founding Team Line Cooks Wanted

Join the opening team at Haven, a new chef-driven restaurant in Blowing Rock, NC. Help build something special in the high country.

Haven is a chef-driven restaurant coming to Blowing Rock, North Carolina, and we're assembling our founding kitchen team. Built with its own distinct culinary identity and backed by the support and resources of Chetola Resort, Haven combines the excitement of a restaurant opening with the stability and opportunities of an established hospitality destination.

At Haven, we believe exceptional hospitality begins with exceptional people. We're building a kitchen where craftsmanship, professionalism, curiosity, and continuous learning come together to create remarkable experiences for our guests—and an outstanding place to build a career.

This is more than a typical line cook position. It's an opportunity to join before opening day and help shape the standards, systems, culture, and identity of Haven from the ground up. As a founding team member, you'll play an important role in bringing our vision to life and setting the tone for every team member who follows.

At Haven, our menu is rooted in Appalachian cuisine and the incredible farms, foragers, and producers of the region. Through a small plates and tasting menu experience, we showcase hyper-seasonal ingredients while drawing inspiration from global culinary traditions and modern techniques. The result is thoughtful, ingredient-driven food that feels both familiar and unexpected.

We're looking for cooks who take pride in their craft, care about the details, support the people around them, and want to keep growing. You don't need to know everything on day one—but you do need curiosity, discipline, humility, and a genuine desire to get better.

What You'll Do

• Prepare and execute dishes with consistency, precision, and care
• Work collaboratively with chefs and teammates to deliver exceptional guest experiences
• Maintain a clean, organized, and professional workstation
• Participate in menu development, tastings, and ongoing culinary education opportunities
• Uphold the highest standards of food quality, safety, and presentation

What We're Looking For

• Previous line cook experience in a scratch kitchen environment
• Strong knife skills and fundamental cooking techniques
• Ability to stay organized and perform under pressure
• Positive attitude, strong work ethic, and willingness to learn
• Passion for great food and respect for quality ingredients
• Fine dining, tasting menu, or chef-driven restaurant experience is a plus, but not required

Most importantly, we're looking for people who care about the work, support their teammates, and want to be part of building a great restaurant culture.

Why Join The Founding Team

Joining during the opening phase means you'll have the opportunity to do more than simply step into an existing kitchen. You'll help create what comes next.

Founding team members may have opportunities to:

• Help shape kitchen systems, station setups, and opening standards
• Provide input as dishes, workflows, and service procedures are refined
• Participate in tastings, training, and culinary development
• Build close working relationships with the opening culinary team
• Grow into expanded responsibilities and leadership opportunities as the restaurant develops
• Help establish the culture future team members will join

What We Offer

• Founding team bonus opportunities for eligible employees who join during the opening phase
• Performance and retention bonus opportunities
• Opportunities for advancement as the restaurant grows
• Access to exceptional local and regional products and ingredients
• A professional kitchen focused on quality, learning, discipline, and teamwork
• Meaningful input into the systems and culture we build together
• Ongoing opportunities to sharpen your craft and expand your culinary knowledge
• Scheduling practices designed to support work-life balance whenever operationally possible
• The opportunity to be part of a new restaurant from the very beginning

The kind of kitchen we're building isn't a high-volume factory kitchen. We're building a place for cooks who want to sharpen their skills, work with outstanding ingredients, learn from one another, and take pride in the details. A kitchen where standards are high, feedback is direct and constructive, and every team member is expected to contribute to both the food and the culture. If you're ready to grow, contribute, and help build one of the High Country's most exciting new culinary projects, we'd love to meet you.

Blowing Rock, NC | Appalachian-Inspired | Farm-to-Table | Small Plates & Tasting Menu Experience

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.