Senior Function Chef / Kitchen Team Leader

Modern Australian, Western & Middle Eastern Cuisine

Immediate Start

We are looking for an experienced, creative and highly capable Senior Function Chef / Kitchen Team Leader to join our growing hospitality and events group in Melbourne.

The position will be primarily based at Fleur Weddings & Events in Fawkner, while also providing opportunities to work across our other venues and catering operations.

Our hospitality group includes

- Fleur Weddings & Events Ultima Function Centre Tandoori Flames Catering Further premium hospitality developments currently underway

We host a large and diverse range of weddings, corporate events, private celebrations and multicultural functions, including significant numbers of Western and Middle Eastern events. This is a senior, fully hands-on kitchen leadership role.

You will be joining an established kitchen team of approximately 4–5 chefs and will work alongside them while also helping lead, organise and continuously improve the kitchen operation.

We are not looking for someone who simply manages from the office.

We want a chef who is happy to lead from the front — preparing, cooking, plating and coordinating service alongside the team during busy events.

The role

You will play an important part in delivering consistently high-quality food across weddings and large-scale functions.

Your responsibilities will include

- Leading and working alongside an existing team of approximately 4–5 chefs
- Managing high-volume preparation and bulk cooking
- Producing consistent, high-quality meals for large weddings and functions
- Coordinating efficient service where hundreds of meals may need to be plated and dispatched within a short period
- Maintaining premium presentation from the first plate to the last
- Developing and improving Modern Australian, Western and Middle Eastern menus
- Planning preparation schedules and kitchen workflows
- Allocating duties across the kitchen team
- Training, mentoring and developing chefs
- Managing portion control and food consistency
- Food costing and margin control
- Ordering, stock management and supplier coordination
- Waste reduction and stock rotation
- Maintaining excellent food safety, hygiene and kitchen standards
- Working closely with venue managers,



event coordinators and front-of-house teams

Cuisine experience Solid experience with Modern Australian, Western and European-style cuisine is important.

Experience with Middle Eastern cuisine and Middle Eastern functions will also be highly regarded.

Our Middle Eastern events may include banquet and shared-style dining involving dishes such as:

- Mezze and dips Salads Grilled meats Chicken and lamb dishes Rice dishes Potatoes and vegetables Shared banquet menus Contemporary plated mains

You do not need to specialise exclusively in Middle Eastern cuisine, but you should be comfortable working with a diverse menu and learning or developing dishes suitable for our clientele. Function catering experience is essential

This role is very different from a small à la carte restaurant environment.

Our venues cater for large weddings and events where 300–500+ guests may need to be served within a tightly managed service period.

We are therefore particularly interested in candidates from:

Function Centres Wedding Venues Five-Star Hotels Banqueting Convention Centres Large Catering Operations High-Volume Restaurants

You must understand how to maintain food quality, presentation and consistency while cooking at scale.

Menu development

One of the successful candidate’s first projects will be working with our management and kitchen team to review and strengthen our Western and Middle Eastern menus ahead of Melbourne’s busy event season.

We are looking for somebody who brings ideas.

Someone who can look at a dish, kitchen process or menu and confidently identify opportunities to improve:

Taste Presentation Consistency Efficiency Food Cost Guest Experience

Creativity is important — but it must also be practical.

A great-looking dish needs to remain a great-looking dish when we are serving 400 guests, not just four.

About you The ideal candidate will have:

- Several years of senior chef experience
- Proven wedding, function,



banquet or high-volume catering experience
- Strong Modern Australian / Western cooking skills
- Middle Eastern cuisine experience highly regarded
- Experience supervising and leading kitchen teams
- Strong plating and presentation skills
- Menu-development experience
- Food-costing and portion-control knowledge
- Ordering and inventory-management experience
- Excellent food-safety knowledge
- Robust organisation and communication skills
- Ability to remain calm and decisive during high-pressure service

Most importantly, you should be a hands-on chef and leader who enjoys working alongside the team.

Remuneration

$85,000 – $105,000 + superannuation per annum The final package will depend on the successful candidate’s experience, function-catering background, leadership capability and ability to contribute to menu development and kitchen operations.

We are prepared to offer a strong package for an exceptional candidate with proven experience in high-volume weddings, functions, banqueting or premium hospitality.

Why join us?

- Senior full-time position within a growing Melbourne hospitality group
- Existing kitchen team to work with and lead
- Significant influence over menus and kitchen systems
- Diverse range of weddings and events
- Opportunity to work across multiple premium venues
- Genuine long-term career progression
- Opportunity to help shape the next stage of our hospitality group’s growth

Our businesses Fleur Weddings & Events

Ultima Function Centre

Tandoori Flames Catering

How to apply

Please submit your resume together with a brief introduction covering:
- Your current or most recent position Your wedding, function or banquet experience The largest event you have personally catered for Your experience leading kitchen teams Your Modern Australian / Western cuisine experience Any Middle Eastern cuisine experience Your experience with menu development Your experience with food costing, ordering and stock management

If possible, please also include photos of dishes or menus you have personally created or developed. Suitable candidates will be contacted promptly for interview.

Pay: $39.00 – $45.00 per hour

Benefits

- Employee discount
- Free drinks

Work Location: In person

📌 Chef de Partie (Keilor East)
🏢 tandooriflames melbourne
📍 Keilor East