Kitchen Assistant- Santa Cruz Tasting Room
Santa Cruz & Boulder Creek, CA
Email Resume & Cover Letter to:
alex@bigbasinvineyards.com
Big Basin Vineyards is opening a new Tasting Room & Wine Bar in downtown Santa Cruz. With our origins up in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where our Estate Vineyard & Winery are located, we are now looking to grow our Tasting Room team with a collective motive to bridge our nature-centric culture to the upbeat urban scene and create a focus around wine education.
Open Positions: Kitchen Assistant & Tasting Room Associate.
This position includes working Front of House and Back of House gaining knowledge of and executing the primary functions of the Tasting Room.
General Responsibilities Kitchen Assistant:
Open kitchen following established procedures
Maintain a clean & safe work space
Assemble and plate food orders
As needed deliver orders to customers and clear used plates glassware and utensils from tables
As needed assist front of house staff taking food orders, pouring wine, bussing tables
Wash all dishware & food prep tools and store in designated space; sanitize work space throughout the day.
Assist with polishing wine glasses throughout shift when time permits
Inform staff of any out of stock items on the menu
Keep track of daily food inventory and notify Culinary Program Lead when items are running low
Standing for long periods of time
Able to lift 25 lbs
General Responsibilites Tasting Room Associate:
Have an interest in learning about wines and be comfortable interacting with customers
Attention to detail, presentation, cleanliness and accuracy and eagerness to train and learn about the craft of winemaking and how to educate customers in a tasting room setting.
Feel a strong connection between environmental vineyard care and quality of wine
Enjoy educating about the craft of winemaking and viticultural practices
Prioritize customer service, soft socialized selling, and education as a foundation to their business practice
Eager to continue learning about the industry by participating in the on-going education opportunities we host for our staff
Create a positive first impression for every guest that enters our tasting room
Perform opening and closing procedures including, but not limited to, setting up patio furniture, ensuring cleanliness of the tasting room and surrounding facilities at all times, restocking wines and accessories, cleaning and polishing glasses, tracking sales and bottles opened, tasting wines to identify potential flaws
Accurately enter orders in POS software
Must be 21 year of age
Standing for long periods of time
Able to lift 50 lbs
The ideal candidate has the following qualities:
Friendly, approachable demeanor and can comfortably engage a wide variety of people
Team player with a positive attitude and a willingness to work with others
A strong interest in food, food preparation and pride in your work
CA Food Handlers License – may be obtained post hiring
Complete Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) training (available on line)
Highly organized; detail oriented; desire to learn; comfortably adapt to changing situations
Work well in a team environment; take on a variety of tasks outside of kitchen responsibilities as needed
Be punctual. Show up on time for shift ready to work.
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About BBV:
Big Basin Vineyards is a small production, artisanal winery, where making wines of exceptional quality goes hand in hand with the dedication and symbiotic relationship we have with the vineyard. We farm organically, pick by hand, only rely on native yeast found in the vineyards – no commercialized products, ferment whole cluster, avoid fining and filtration, and use minimal sulfur solely at bottling. By handcrafting our wines in a natural fashion, we feel we can best capture the beautifully intricate character of the ocean-influenced, mountain vineyards of the Santa Cruz and Gabilan Mountains. Founder and owner, Bradley Brown, along with Winemaker, Blake Yarger, have evolved Big Basin’s wines to evoke the energy, intensity and dimension that speak clearly of their mountain origins.
Our ethos, passion and quality are well recognized across the wine community – selected by Wine & Spirits Magazine as one of the Top 100 Wineries in World in 2018 and 2021, awarded the Slow Wine’s title in the 2021 guide, and by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the 52 Must Visit wineries in N. California in 2018. Each year our wines continue to receive accolades from top critics commonly scoring 92+ points and above, as well as the candid praise we receive from guests about our family-oriented team, alignment to the Santa Cruz Mountain culture, and the exquisite personalities each of our wines embody.
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Job Type: Part Time up to 20 hours
Schedule: Flexible – some Saturdays & Sundays and weekday evening shifts
Wage: $17/hr starting
Benefits: Employee Discount; Tips