Prep Cook

Job Description

Job Description

Nourish Wellness Cafe — Prep Cook

$14 to $16 per hour · 10 to 20 hours per week · Additional hours available around events · Reports to: Head Chef, with day-to-day direction from the Cafe Lead

Nourish is the 100% vegan cafe inside Pop Life, a community venue on Waterloo Road for art, wellness, movement, music, and ideas. The cafe feeds the building through daily service, grab-and-go, catering, and the events that bring people through the door.

We are rebuilding Nourish under new ownership around a simple belief: food is one of the most powerful tools we have to support healthier lives.

Our mission is to inspire healthier lives by meeting people where they are and proving that every nourishing choice has the power to create meaningful change. Healthy eating should feel approachable, satisfying, and sustainable. Lasting wellness is built through small, intentional choices that fit into everyday life, not perfection.

Our vision is a world where food is recognized not just as fuel, but as a powerful tool for health, connection, and quality of life. We want Nourish to become more than a cafe. It should be a trusted destination where people discover just how good nourishing food can taste and how naturally it can become part of everyday life.

The Prep Cook helps make that possible before a plate ever reaches the counter.

The Role

Prep is where the quality and consistency of every plate begins.

You come in, read the prep list, and work through it cleanly, efficiently, and to spec. When service begins, the Head Chef and Cafe Lead should find everything ready, labeled, portioned, and in its place.

This is a hands-on plant-based kitchen where ingredients matter. You do not need to arrive as an expert in vegan cooking, but you should care about food, be curious about what you are preparing, and want to understand how thoughtful ingredients and good technique come together.

Event days are bigger days. Additional hours are available around catering and events, and the pace picks up. Steady hands, consistency, and a good attitude when the list gets long are what make this role work.

What You're Responsible For

• Prep. Execute the daily prep list to spec, including washing, cutting, portioning, cooking components, sauces, dressings, and grab-and-go items. Follow recipes, portions, and yields accurately
• Quality and consistency. Treat every ingredient with care and maintain the same standards from batch to batch. Pay attention to taste, texture, appearance, and freshness, and speak up when something does not look or taste right
• Labeling and rotation. Date and label everything and follow first-in, first-out practices. Nothing goes into storage unmarked
• Cleanliness and food safety. Keep your station and the kitchen clean as you work. Follow temperature, sanitation, and food-handling procedures and complete required logs accurately
• Stock awareness. Notice when ingredients are running low, quality is off, or something does not match expectations and tell the Cafe Lead before it becomes a problem
• Catering and events. Prep food for catering orders and events as scheduled. Help with plating, packing, and reset when needed
• Team. Pitch in where the cafe needs you. Help with dishes, restocking, or another station when needed. Ask questions when you are unsure and speak up when something is wrong

Who Does Well Here

• Consistent. Same cut, same portion, same standard every time
• Dependable. Shows up on time, works the list, and finishes what was started
• Clean. Works tidy and understands that cleanliness is part of good cooking
• Willing. Takes on unfamiliar tasks and wants to learn how to do them well
• Calm. Keeps moving when the prep list is long and tomorrow's event just got bigger
• Curious. Wants to understand ingredients, techniques, and why things are prepared the way they are
• A foodie. Genuinely cares about food and is interested in what plant-based cooking can be
• Quality-minded. Notices the details because what happens during prep ultimately affects what a guest experiences

What We Need From You

• Prior kitchen experience preferred; strong knife skills and basic cooking ability required
• Able to read and accurately follow recipes, portions, yields, and written prep lists
• Able to work independently once priorities are set
• Plant-based cooking experience is a plus, not a requirement. We will teach you our menu
• An interest in food, ingredients, and the connection between food, health, and wellbeing
• Reliable, communicative, and calm under pressure
• Available for a consistent weekly schedule of 10 to 20 hours, plus additional hours around events, including some evenings and weekends
• Able to stand for extended periods, lift up to 40 pounds, and perform the physical work of a commercial kitchen

Compensation

• $14 to $16 per hour
• Additional hours available around catering and events
• One shift meal per shift
• Complimentary Wellness Programming

As We Grow

Prep cooks who prove themselves have a path to additional hours and opportunities to move onto the line. As Nourish grows, we want our people to grow with it, and we would rather develop and promote strong team members from within.

About Pop Life

Pop Life exists to help people go after the life they would chase if fear, money, or circumstance were not in the way, and to make wellness reachable for everyone.

Nourish brings that philosophy to the table. We believe food can be delicious, approachable, deeply satisfying, and an important part of living well. We meet people where they are and help make the next nourishing choice an easy one. All are welcome. Take your shot.

Pop Waterloo, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Duties may evolve as the cafe and business grow.

We are rebuilding Nourish under new ownership around a simple belief: food is one of the most powerful tools we have to support healthier lives.

Company Description

We are rebuilding Nourish under new ownership around a simple belief: food is one of the most powerful tools we have to support healthier lives.