Founding Kitchen Line Cook

Job Description

Description:FOUNDING TEAM LINE COOKS WANTEDJoin the Opening Team at Haven, a New Chef-Driven Restaurant in Blowing Rock, NC

HELP BUILD SOMETHING SPECIAL IN THE HIGH COUNTRY

Haven is a chef-driven restaurant coming to Blowing Rock, North Carolina, and we're assembling our founding kitchen team.

Built with its own distinct culinary identity and backed by the support and resources of Chetola Resort, Haven combines the excitement of a restaurant opening with the stability and opportunities of an established hospitality destination.

At Haven, we believe exceptional hospitality begins with exceptional people. We're building a kitchen where craftsmanship, professionalism, curiosity, and continuous learning come together to create remarkable experiences for our guests—and an outstanding place to build a career.

This is more than a typical line cook position. It's an opportunity to join before opening day and help shape the standards, systems, culture, and identity of Haven from the ground up. As a founding team member, you'll play an important role in bringing our vision to life and setting the tone for every team member who follows.

At Haven, our menu is rooted in Appalachian cuisine and the incredible farms, foragers, and producers of the region. Through a small plates and tasting menu experience, we showcase hyper-seasonal ingredients while drawing inspiration from global culinary traditions and modern techniques. The result is thoughtful, ingredient-driven food that feels both familiar and unexpected.

We're looking for cooks who take pride in their craft, care about the details, support the people around them, and want to keep growing. You don't need to know everything on day one—but you do need curiosity, discipline, humility, and a genuine desire to get better.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Prepare and execute dishes with consistency, precision, and care

Work collaboratively with chefs and teammates to deliver exceptional guest experiences

Maintain a clean, organized, and professional workstation

Participate in menu development, tastings, and ongoing culinary education opportunities

Uphold the highest standards of food quality, safety, and presentationRequirements:

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

Previous line cook experience in a scratch kitchen environment

Strong knife skills and fundamental cooking techniques

Ability to stay organized and perform under pressure

Positive attitude, strong work ethic, and willingness to learn

Passion for great food and respect for quality ingredients

Fine dining, tasting menu, or chef-driven restaurant experience is a plus, but not required

Most importantly, we're looking for people who care about the work, support their teammates, and want to be part of building a great restaurant culture.

WHY JOIN THE FOUNDING TEAM

Joining during the opening phase means you’ll have the opportunity to do more than simply step into an existing kitchen. You’ll help create what comes next.

Founding team members may have opportunities to:

Help shape kitchen systems, station setups, and opening standards

Provide input as dishes, workflows, and service procedures are refined

Participate in tastings, training, and culinary development

Build close working relationships with the opening culinary team

Grow into expanded responsibilities and leadership opportunities as the restaurant develops

Help establish the culture future team members will join

WHAT WE OFFER

Founding Team bonus opportunities for eligible employees who join during the opening phase

Performance and retention bonus opportunities

Opportunities for advancement as the restaurant grows

Access to exceptional local and regional products and ingredients

A professional kitchen focused on quality, learning, discipline, and teamwork

Meaningful input into the systems and culture we build together

Ongoing opportunities to sharpen your craft and expand your culinary knowledge

Scheduling practices designed to support work-life balance whenever operationally possible

The opportunity to be part of a new restaurant from the very beginning

THE KIND OF KITCHEN WE'RE BUILDING

This isn't a high-volume factory kitchen. We’re building a place for cooks who want to sharpen their skills, work with outstanding ingredients, learn from one another, and take pride in the details. A kitchen where standards are high, feedback is direct and constructive, and every team member is expected to contribute to both the food and the culture. If you’re ready to grow, contribute, and help build one of the High Country’s most exciting new culinary projects, we’d love to meet you.

Blowing Rock, NC Appalachian-Inspired Farm-to-Table Small Plates & Tasting Menu Experience

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Full-time