Kitchen Prep Cook - Haven

Kitchen Prep Cooks WantedJoin the opening team at Haven, a new chef-driven restaurant in Blowing Rock, NC HELP BUILD SOMETHING SPECIAL IN THE HIGH COUNTRYHaven 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.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 prep cook position. It's an opportunity to join before opening day and help shape the standards, systems, culture, and identity of a new restaurant from the ground up. Founding team members will play an important role in bringing the concept to life and setting the tone for the team members who follow.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.In a kitchen like this, great food begins long before service. It begins with careful knife work. Properly built stocks and sauces. Thoughtful handling of produce. Accurate recipes. Respect for ingredients. Attention to yield, seasonality, and waste. The discipline to do the small things correctly, every time.We're looking for prep cooks who take pride in that work—people who understand that exceptional mise en place is the foundation of an exceptional restaurant.You don't need to know everything on day one—but you do need curiosity, discipline, humility, attention to detail, and a genuine desire to get better.WHAT YOU'LL DOPrepare ingredients and components with consistency, precision, and careExecute daily prep lists efficiently while maintaining high standards of qualityWash, trim, peel, cut, portion, and process produce, proteins, and other ingredients according to established specificationsPrepare sauces, stocks, dressings, marinades, purees, garnishes, and other foundational componentsFollow recipes accurately while developing a deeper understanding of technique, flavor, and ingredient functionSupport whole-product utilization and thoughtful approaches to minimizing food wasteProperly label, date, store, rotate, and organize ingredients and prepared itemsMaintain accurate portioning and consistency across batchesWork collaboratively with chefs, line cooks, and fellow prep team members to ensure the kitchen is ready for serviceCommunicate proactively about prep levels, product quality, shortages, and production needsMaintain a clean, organized, efficient, and professional workstationCare for ingredients, tools, and equipment with attention and respectParticipate in pre-opening training, menu tastings, and ongoing culinary education opportunitiesHelp test and refine recipes, prep systems, storage standards, and kitchen workflowsUphold the highest standards of food quality, sanitation, safety, and organizationREQUIREMENTSWHAT WE'RE LOOKING FORPrevious prep cook, line cook, culinary, or scratch-kitchen experience preferredBasic to strong knife skills and a desire to continue improvingAbility to follow recipes, specifications, and instructions accuratelyStrong attention to detail and consistencyAbility to stay organized and manage multiple prep prioritiesA sense of urgency without sacrificing quality or carePride in maintaining a clean and disciplined workspaceRespect for exceptional ingredients and the people who grow, raise, forage, and produce themA positive attitude, strong work ethic, and willingness to learnReliability, accountability, and respect for teammatesCuriosity about food, technique, seasonality, and regional ingredientsExperience in fine dining, tasting menu, farm-to-table, or other chef-driven restaurants is a plus—but it is not required. We also welcome candidates who are earlier in their culinary careers and eager to build strong fundamentals in a serious, learning-focused kitchen. Most importantly, we're looking for people who care about the work, support their teammates, and want to help build a great restaurant culture from day one.WHY JOIN THE FOUNDING TEAMJoining 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 prep systems, kitchen organization, storage standards, and opening proceduresProvide input as recipes, workflows, production systems, and service procedures are refinedParticipate in tastings, training, and culinary developmentLearn new techniques and deepen foundational culinary skillsWork closely with chefs and the opening culinary teamGain exposure to exceptional local and regional ingredientsGrow into line cook, expanded production, training, or leadership responsibilities as skills develop and the restaurant growsHelp establish the culture future team members will joinWHAT WE OFFEROpportunities for advancement as the restaurant growsAccess to exceptional local and regional products and ingredientsA professional kitchen focused on quality, learning, discipline, and teamworkMeaningful input into the systems and culture we build togetherOngoing opportunities to sharpen your craft and expand your culinary knowledgeThe opportunity to learn alongside an opening culinary teamScheduling practices designed to support work-life balance whenever operationally possibleThe opportunity to be part of a new restaurant from the very beginningTHE KIND OF KITCHEN WE'RE BUILDINGThis isn't a high-volume factory kitchen. We're building a place where prep is respected as a craft and understood as the foundation of everything that happens during service. 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. We believe the quality of a dish is determined long before it reaches the pass. It starts with how ingredients are received, handled, cut, cooked, seasoned, stored, and cared for. 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 ExperienceWe 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.