Chef Wanted: Come Cook Up Something Meaningful

Ever wondered what it's like to have 120 tiny food critics rate your cooking purely on how many seconds it takes them to ask for seconds? Here's your chance to find out.

Elk Early Learning & Kindergarten is on the hunt for an enthusiastic, experienced Chef to create nourishing, delicious meals for children using whole foods, seasonal ingredients, and produce sourced as close to the farm as humanly (and deliciously) possible.

At Elk, food isn't just fuel — it's a full-blown adventure. We believe little humans build a lifelong love of good food through fresh, unprocessed meals that celebrate flavour, sustainability and culture, one wonderfully messy mealtime at a time.

What you'll be doing

- Designing and preparing nutritious morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea for children aged 0–5

- Building seasonal menus around fresh, local, minimally processed ingredients

- Catering thoughtfully and safely for allergies and dietary requirements

- Bringing warmth to our community and inviting little ones to get curious about food

- Running the kitchen show — ordering, stock rotation, food safety and cleaning

What we're looking for

- A qualified Chef/Cook with experience in commercial kitchens or an early childhood centre




- A genuine passion for whole-food cooking and sustainable sourcing

- Strong know-how on nutrition and children's dietary needs
- The creativity to plan menus around seasonal produce, allergies and dietary needs alike
- A Food Safety Supervisor Certificate (or the willingness to get one)

- A calm, organised, can-do energy that thrives in a fast-paced kitchen

Why you'll love working at Elk

- Purpose, plated daily — your food directly shapes children's wellbeing and their relationship with good nutrition, for life

- Full creative reign over menu planning — no corporate food-service script here
- A genuinely supportive, friendly team and a warm workplace culture

- Real opportunities for professional development

- Staff discounts on childcare fees

- No late nights. No weekends. Your evenings are yours.

The details

- Permanent full time

- Competitive hourly rate based on experience, plus benefits

- Monday–Friday

- Ideally to start within the next 4 weeks

If you're passionate about fresh, local, meaningful food — and like the idea of cooking up joyful dining experiences for children — we'd love to hear from you.

📌 Chef- Childcare Centre (Bedford)
🏢 Elk Early Learning and Kindergarten
📍 Bedford