Prep Cook

Mercantile

Position starting rate: $21/hr. + service charge

Job Close Date: October 23, 2026 or until filled

*This position is a Monday-Friday morning shift*

Interested in bridging the gap between farmer and consumer? Look no further than Mercantile, Chef Alex Seidel's dining room and marketplace that encompasses approachability and transparency. Become a part of the team that connects farmer to shepherd to chef to server, to showcase the farm to table dishes that Mercantile celebrates.

Do you crave a career where you can deliver delectable experiences paired with thoughtful and caring service? Apply today!

A Rewarding Experience:

• Complementary RTD EcoPass
• Medical, dental, & vision insurance
• Health savings and flexible spending accounts
• Basic Life and AD&D insurance
• Paid time off for vacation, sick time, and holidays
• Eligible to participate in the Company's 401(k) program with employer matching
• Employee Assistance Program
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Great discounts on Hotels, Restaurants, and much more
• Eligible to participate in the Employee Referral Bonus Program. Up to $1,000 per referral

Job Overview

Prepare food items in accordance with production requirements and quality standards while maintaining a safe sanitary work environment.

Responsibilities

• Complete opening and closing checklists.
• Refer to Daily Prep List at the start of each shift for assigned duties.
• Prepares a variety of meats, seafood, poultry, vegetables and other food items for cooking in broilers, ovens, grills, fryers and a variety of other kitchen equipment.
• Understands and complies consistently with our standard portion sizes, cooking methods, quality standards and kitchen rules, policies and procedures.
• Portions food products prior to cooking according to standard portion sizes and recipe specifications.
• Maintains a clean and sanitary work station area including tables, shelves, walls grills, broilers, fryers, pasta cookers, sauté burners, convection oven, flat top range and refrigeration equipment.
• Closes the kitchen properly and follows the closing checklist for kitchen stations. Assists others in closing the kitchen.
• Attends all scheduled employee meetings and brings suggestions for improvement.
• Promptly reports equipment and food quality problems to chef on duty
• Inform chef on duty immediately of product shortages.
• Uses our Standard Recipe Card for preparing all products. Do not rely on the memory of yourself or other employees.
• Performs other related duties as assigned by the chef or manager-on-duty.
• Return all food items not used on next shift to designed storage areas, being sure to cover/date all perishables.
• Date all food containers and rotate as per the BOH General Operating Procedures and Inventory SOPs, making sure that all perishables are kept at proper temperatures.
• Answer, report and follow executive or sous chef's instructions
• Clean up station and take care of leftover food
• Comply with nutrition and sanitation regulations and safety standards
• Report any safety issues to the chef on duty
• Maintain a positive and professional approach with coworkers and customers

Qualifications

Education/Formal Training

High school education or equivalent experience.

Experience

Minimum one-year food service or related work.

Knowledge/Skills

• Requires an ability to work as a team member and an ability to communicate with kitchen staff.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an associate to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Lifting, pushing, pulling and carrying: All of these functions are essential primarily because of the heavy production associated with Banquets. Items include food, small equipment -75% of the time.
• Bending of the knees does become necessary when using the lower oven for cooking, 5-10 times a day.
• Mobility -full range of mobility and the ability to travel 30-50 feet on a regular basis throughout the day.
• Continuous standing -during preparation, during service hours or during expediting, usually all day.
• Must have moderate hearing to hear equipment timers and communicate with other staff.
• Must have excellent vision to see that product is prepared appropriately.
• Must have moderate comprehension and literacy to read use records and all special requests.
• Lifting, pushing, pulling and carrying. Position regularly involves lifting food cases and metros weighing up to 70 lbs. Pushing and pulling carts is required.
• Bending/kneeling: Regular bending to lift items and supplies. Periodic kneeling.
• Mobility: Regularly moves all around kitchen.
• Continuous standing: To complete a task, may be stationary for short periods of time.
• Periodic climbing required.

Environment

Inside 100% of 8 hour shift. Going in the freezer temperatures can be -10 degrees. On the front line, temperatures can be over 100 degrees.