Catering Line Cook / Mostly Days / Tip Share

Job Description

Job Description

Experienced banquet / catering cook in West Michigan? Want steady hours, no late night bar rush, and a quiet, low‑drama kitchen?

Catered Creations is hiring a Catering Line Cook to own hot‑food production for multiple catered events, with a clear path to $23/hr and then Sous Chef based on performance.

This is a quiet, focused back‑of‑house role. You’ll work most days in a small kitchen with our Executive Chef. Other departments are in separate storefronts. If you need a big, chatty line to feel alive, this is not the place.

• Pay: Starts at $21/hr
• Weekend events: + $2/hr on Friday, Saturday, Sunday event shifts
• Tip share: Pooled tips for prep, kitchen, events, dish (historically adds ~+$2/hr, not guaranteed)
• Hours: Over a full year this role averages around 45 hours per week .
  • Peak season (May–Oct + early Dec): many weeks in the 50–60 hr range with overtime
  • Slower season (Jan–March): more weeks in the 30–40 hr range
  • Very little late‑night work; no 2 am bar rush
• Environment: Small, quiet, PG catering kitchen in Grand Rapids – no swearing, no drama, headphones allowed
• Growth: Clear, written path to $22/hr, $23/hr, and then Sous Chef as you demonstrate higher levels of responsibility
• Free shift meals, uniforms provided, PTO and paid holidays after 1 year (per company policy)

Pay & growth path

• Catering Line Cook 1 – $21/hr – training phase, learning our menu and standards
• Catering Line Cook 2 – $22/hr – after you independently run ovens for single‑event days to our standard for 90 days (no missed items, temps, or timing issues that reach the client)
• Catering Line Cook 3 – $23/hr – after you can handle multi‑event oven days and help lead hot‑food production
• Future Sous Chef – higher band above $23/hr once you’re helping run overall production, not just ovens

What you’ll do

Chef designs the game plan. Your job is to execute it at a high standard:

• Work from detailed job sheets and a whiteboard plan
• Prep hot items and store them on correctly labeled racks/shelves for each event
• On event days, pull the right racks, wrap and label pans and Cambros (event, item, counts)
• Fire hot food in commercial ovens so it cooks evenly and is ready on time, not blasted last‑minute
• Transfer hot pans into the correct Cambros, manage holding temps, and stage for loading without needing to be babysat
• Help pull and load vans, work BOH at events when scheduled, and jump in on prep, dishes, cleaning, and trash as needed

Schedule

Client‑driven, not 9–5:

• Mon–Thu: Kitchen prep + corporate catering, typically ~8:00 am to around 5:00 pm (longer in busy season)
• Fri–Sat (May–Dec): Frequent event days, late morning into evening depending on events
• Jan–March: Fewer weekend shifts; mostly weekday prep with smaller events

Expect 1–2 days off per week , not always Saturday/Sunday. If you need fixed hours or guaranteed weekends off, this is not a fit.

• You have experience with hot food in high‑volume banquet, catering, or production kitchens
• You’re comfortable on hot stations and commercial ovens , not just cold prep
• You like quiet, focused work more than kitchen banter
• You’re self‑motivated, take pride in clean, on‑time execution , and want to be trusted to run your lane
• You’re interested in growing into a Sous Chef role in a small, stable kitchen

Basic requirements

• Experience cooking hot food in commercial ovens in a professional kitchen
• Able to stand for long shifts and lift/carry 40–60+ lbs
• Comfortable working most Fridays and Saturdays May–December
• Comfortable working overtime
• Valid driver’s license and insurable driving record
• Authorized to work in the U.S.

If this sounds like your kind of kitchen, apply here with your resume and a short note about your banquet / catering experience.