Blue Mountain Center Breakfast Cook/Dinner Assistant

General Information

Blue Mountain Center (BMC), a retreat center located in Blue Mountain Lake at Eagle Nest, is hiring a kitchen staff person for our mid-April-November 2025 season. This individual will serve as both the primary breakfast cook and dinner assistant.

BMC’s kitchen is a bright, open space. We strive to keep our meals simple and varied, but welcome creativity. Cooking experience, comfort in the kitchen, and a passion for hospitality are required, but professional cooking experience is not required. Ideally, potential candidates are excited about food and want to be part of a community of socially engaged, hard working people. At times, the kitchen is shared among residential staff and guests, contributing to a sense of community around food.

Hiring:

The Breakfast Cook is responsible for preparing breakfast for Blue Mountain Center guests and staff (up to 20 people). To do so, they will coordinate menus with the Head Chef and must comply with NY DOH kitchen regulations (training will be provided). In addition, they are responsible for preparing food for the lunch buffet and helping maintain the cleanliness and order of the BMC kitchen and dining area. A typical breakfast shift is from 6AM-11AM. Breakfast itself is offered from 8am-9am. This shift includes a meal break.

The three primary areas of responsibility for the breakfast cook are divided as follows:

Cooking Breakfast

• Provide breakfast and morning beverages during residencies and conferences.
• Providing a hot cereal, and a traditional breakfast (eg. eggs, pancakes, frittata with bacon or sausage).
• Menu planning for a varied, wholesome cuisine.
• Flexibility to accommodate guest dietary needs as much as possible.

Preparing Lunch

• Prepare lunch salad and sandwiches for lunches
• Monitor food usage and anticipate needs for the kitchen.
• Preparing lunch options.

Area Cleanliness

• Maintain BMC kitchen as a welcoming, clean and efficient work space.
• Washing breakfast cookware, utensils and guest dishes.
• Wiping down tables and sweeping the dining room floor if necessary.

The Dinner Assistant is responsible for helping the Head Chef prepare dinner for guests by setting the table, making salads, helping with food prep, and washing kitchen dishes (guests bus their own dishes). The typical dinner shift will run from 4pm – 8pm. Dinner is served family style at 6:30pm. This shift includes a meal break. On days the Head Chef is off, you may be asked to prepare dinner with support from other staff.

Specific Dinner Assistant responsibilities are:

• Setting the table, preparing dining room, wiping down tables and sweeping dining room if necessary
• Assisting with food preparation, preparing coffee & tea station, making salads
• Helping get the food to the table.
• Condensing and putting away food after dinner, and washing serving & kitchen dishes.
• Helping with cleaning and mopping the kitchen.
• Maintaining BMC kitchen as a welcoming, clean and efficient work space.

For this dual position of Breakfast Cook and Dinner Assistant, applicants should be friendly, responsible, and self-motivated. This person should also be comfortable interacting with a variety of guests and working in an open kitchen with other residential staff. After the first couple months, there will be room for creativity in planning breakfast menus.