Cook

Starts May 6th and runs through August 6th.

Seeking a Full Time Cook for the privately owned and prestigious Half Moon Bar Lodge on the Rogue River in Oregon. Come explore one of the original eight Wild and Scenic Rivers, and join our small team of 6. We serve small exclusive groups that are adventuring in the Rogue River Canyon. 

You will work closely with the whole lodge team in coordinating and executing Lodge operations to ensure a unique and immersive experience for our guests. This may include assisting in the Garden, Laundry, Housekeeping and Guest Services roles. This is a Homestead style lodge where we grow a lot of our food and make almost everything from scratch. Food preservation skills are a plus. 

This position entails performing all kitchen operations under the direction of the owner and the operations manager. You are an essential part of the kitchen/dining team and will accomplish a variety of tasks during the day. Planning, prep and organizational skills will help you succeed at service.  Self management of time and resources is imperative. 

Our meals are served family style, presented in platters on walnut slab tables, and announced once the guests are seated. Guests do not order off a menu; we serve a set menu every day. Guests pass plates to serve each other, usually 20 plates for guests and 6 more for staff.  

Our ideal team member has serious skills developed over a substantial career. 

We have a brand new, top of the line commercial kitchen with efficiency built in. It is a large kitchen with big windows and a great view; it is a joy to work in - not your typical lodge kitchen. We also have a full bar and a barista station. 

We are a non smoking, drug free property. If you need to smoke or vape all day you are not a good fit. If you need to smoke weed or eat edibles all day you are not a good fit. If you are trying to get clean and sober, we applaud and support you, but do it somewhere else. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Plan, prepare, serve and clean up family style meals for guests and staff, usually about 25 people
• Maintain inventory control of food and supplies
• Order accurately from Sysco and other vendors
• Maintain and ensure a safe facility environment including standards for food production and employee hygiene 
• Utilize efficient practices, clean as you cook, dishes are your responsibility.
• Harvest garden vegetables as needed
• Preserving garden vegetables, make jams, dehydrate fruit, can, pickle and ferment.
• Keeping the fridges clean, stocked and labeled
• Keeping work station, dining room, and common areas clean and organized at all times
• Maintain awareness of safety issues and report them immediately to your manager
• Clock in and out of your work shift accurately. 

SKILL AND KNOWLEDGE REQUIREMENTS:

• High School Diploma/G.E.D. Equivalent required. Writing daily menus is required.
• Highly experienced in commercial kitchen environments. 
• Demonstration of food safety knowledge and sanitation
• Obtain Oregon Food Handlers Card
• Complete Oregon OLCC server course
• Strong customer service abilities; actively look for ways to assist customers and coworkers
• Create occasional Vegan and Vegetarian special meals for individuals on request
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing
• Ability to problem solve and make miracles happen on request
• Ability to work closely as a team. 

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly frequent movements from place to place within the Lodge. Bend, lift, carry, reach/extend arms and hands above shoulder height frequently, or otherwise move in a constantly changing environment
• Ability to stand for the entire shift
• Withstanding temperature extremes in cold storage and grill areas
• Work in an environment with gluten, nuts, seafood and other common allergens

COMPENSATION:

Starting pay is $800.00 a week, direct deposited on a biweekly basis. Meals and lodging are provided at $15.00 per day cost to you. If you work through the last day of the season, it will be refunded as a bonus. Staff usually eats the same food as the guests, unless we beg the kitchen for more variety. Then you can be creative and surprise us. 

Team members live on the property in staff housing, as there are no roads to the lodge. Staff rooms are mostly private, have new pillowtop mattresses, soft linens and fluffy pillows. Each room has an amazing view and is clean and comfortable. The rooms have 24 hour electricity and excellent wifi. The bathroom is shared with up to 5 other staff. 

We rely on our jet boat for staff transportation in and out of the property. There is ample parking at the attended boat ramp, we leave all our vehicles there.

Our workday is long and days off are few, as is common with seasonal lodging positions, but we schedule at least one day off per week. Depending on guest load, you may get two days off. 

LODGE CULTURE:

Half Moon Bar Lodge is a beautiful place to live and a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the world for a few months. You'll spend lots of time outdoors and learn what it takes to bring the off-grid experience with a luxury twist to our guests. 

We have world class fishing, hiking, trails, disc golf, stand up paddle boards and a million places for a hammock, hot afternoons often finding us at the swimming hole, so there is lots to do with your free time. On days off you can access the famous Rogue River Trail, its just across the river. We also have some of the best dark skies in the US for stargazing from our airstrip. Personal Garden plots are available for you to cultivate non invasive vegetables and flowers. 

Half Moon Bar Lodge staff are one big semi-functional family. Living and working together cultivates an environment that encourages honesty, accountability, a sense of belonging, and loads of fun. We admit mistakes and call each other out when needed; this is one of our core values, and we find it works well. 

There is no cell service, but we have Starlink satellite internet to stay in touch with the outside world. It is darn fast. Fast enough to stream in HD or to Video Chat/FaceTime with loved ones. 

No pets, we have the world's greatest Lodge dog named Roma; she is a little bit famous. However you can not bring your pets nor can guests bring pets. We love all animals, but especially our resident herd of deer. They are used to Roma, but disappear for days when other dogs come on property. 

Half Moon Bar Lodge has multiple positions available for the 2024 season. Couples are encouraged to apply as a team for two of the available positions. If you’re interested in this, lets chat!

LOGISTICS:

From Gold Beach, OR it’s about an hour drive to Foster Bar where you meet the Half Moon Bar Lodge jet boat, which will take you the rest of the way. We rely on our jet boat for staff transportation in and out of the property. There is ample parking at Foster Bar, we leave all of our vehicles there.

You are responsible for reaching Foster Bar on time for your scheduled jet boat and will stay through the season with the exception of previously scheduled weeks off or emergencies. 

We are an equal opportunity employer. All aspects of employment including the decision to hire, promote, discipline, or discharge will be based on merit, competence, performance, and business needs. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state or local law.