Wedding Cook & Caterer
Job Type: Event-Based / Wedding Catering
Pay: $22.00 per hour per wedding job, including approved cooking and food-preparation time
Experience: 3+ years catering experience; 2+ years wedding catering experience
Job Overview:
We are seeking an experienced, dependable, and professional Wedding Cook & Caterer to prepare, cook, present, and serve food for weddings and special events. The ideal candidate has strong catering experience, understands the unique demands of wedding events, and can work efficiently while maintaining excellent food quality, presentation, safety, and customer service.
This position requires someone who is organized, punctual, hands-on, and comfortable working in a fast-paced event environment. The ability to independently manage food preparation and catering supplies while also working effectively with a catering team is essential.
Responsibilities:
- Prepare, season, cook, and finish food according to approved menus, recipes, quantities, and event requirements.
- Complete approved food preparation and cooking tasks before and during wedding events.
- Properly portion, arrange, garnish, and present food in an attractive and professional manner.
- Assist with buffet, plated meal, appetizer, dessert, beverage, and other food-service setups as required.
- Set up catering equipment, serving stations, tables, chafing dishes, food displays, utensils, serving ware, and other event supplies.
- Maintain proper hot and cold food temperatures throughout preparation, transportation, setup, service, and cleanup.
- Follow all applicable food safety, sanitation, hygiene, and safe food-handling procedures.
- Prevent cross-contamination and properly handle, store, label, and rotate food products.
- Monitor food quality, freshness, appearance, temperature, and quantity throughout the event.
- Assist with timely food service and ensure wedding guests receive professional and courteous service.
- Work closely with the catering team, event staff, wedding venue personnel, and other vendors when necessary.
- Help coordinate the timing of food preparation, setup, service, replenishment, and breakdown.
- Keep the kitchen, food-preparation areas, serving areas, equipment, and workspaces clean and organized.
- Properly clean, sanitize, pack, organize, and transport catering equipment and supplies after events.
- Ensure catering supplies are loaded, transported, unloaded, organized, and accounted for before and after each event.
- Maintain an organized inventory of catering equipment, serving supplies, ingredients, and other event materials.
- Communicate promptly regarding missing supplies, equipment needs, food shortages, or event-related concerns.
- Follow event schedules and arrive prepared and on time for assigned weddings.
- Maintain a professional appearance and positive attitude while representing the catering company.
- Provide exceptional customer service to wedding clients, guests, venue personnel, and event staff.
- Remain calm, professional, and solution-oriented when unexpected issues arise during an event.
- Perform other catering, cooking, setup, service, and cleanup duties as needed.
Required Qualifications:
- Minimum 3 years of professional catering experience.
- Minimum 2 years of wedding catering experience.
- Demonstrated experience preparing and cooking food for large events.
- Strong understanding of food safety, sanitation, and proper food temperatures.
- Ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced event environment.
- Strong organizational and time-management skills.
- Excellent attention to detail and food presentation.
- Ability to follow recipes, menus, preparation instructions, and event timelines.
- Strong communication and teamwork skills.
- Professional customer-service skills.
- Ability to lift, carry, load, and unload catering equipment, food, and supplies as required.
- Reliable transportation is required for transporting yourself and, when assigned, catering supplies and equipment to and from wedding events.
- Ability to work evenings, weekends, holidays, and varying event schedules when weddings are scheduled.
- Ability to stand and work for extended periods during food preparation and events.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience catering weddings with 50+ guests.
- Experience with buffet and plated wedding service.
- Experience working at wedding venues, banquet facilities, and private events.
- Culinary training or professional cooking experience.
- Food-handler certification or other applicable food-safety certification.
- Experience with catering equipment, chafing dishes, hot boxes, coolers, serving equipment, and food-temperature monitoring.
- Experience working independently and taking responsibility for an assigned catering station or food-service area.
Ideal Candidate:
The ideal candidate is reliable, organized, experienced, clean, professional, and guest-focused. You should take pride in preparing high-quality food, maintaining excellent presentation, following food-safety standards, and helping create a smooth and memorable experience for wedding clients and their guests.
Because weddings are time-sensitive events, punctuality, preparation, communication, and attention to detail are extremely important.
Compensation:
$22.00 per hour per wedding job, including approved cooking and preparation time.
Hours may vary depending on the size, location, menu, preparation requirements, setup, service, and cleanup needs of each wedding. All work hours must be approved and documented according to company procedures.
Work Environment
Wedding catering may involve:
- Commercial kitchens
- Wedding and banquet venues
- Outdoor events
- Private residences
- Event halls
- Long periods of standing and walking
- Loading and unloading catering equipment and supplies
- Evening, weekend, and holiday events
Pay: $22.00 per hour
Experience:
- Catering Wedding/ Events: 3 years (Required)
Language:
- English or bilingual (Required)
Ability to Commute:
- South Saint Paul, MN 55075 (Required)
Willingness to travel:
Work Location: In person
