Chefs – all levels

Job Description

Are you a talented and motivated chef ready to share your skills in a contemporary dining environment located in one of New Zealand’s most beautiful locations?

We are re-launching our restaurant later this year after some major refurbishments, which include a brand new commercial kitchen and dining space. Join our Culinary team for our Summer 2026/27 season as we host guests from around the world and share our creative seasonal menu’s, as well as highlighting the best of our region’s produce.

With an on-site vegetable garden and focus on local suppliers, our kitchen team work together to curate some of the finest dishes for our international visitors, with flavours and influences from around the world. Located on a deer farm just 11km north of Kaikoura, we are surrounded by spectacular mountain and ocean scenery, offering a relaxed contemporary dining experience to showcase New Zealand cuisine in a truly authentic way.

As one of our Chefs, you’ll work closely with the Kitchen leadership team to prepare and present exceptional dishes to impress our guests. As one of our Lodge team, you will work alongside a dedicated and diverse team that takes pride in creating a genuine, memorable guest experience that really stands out.

Ideally, you will have some exceptional kitchen experiences already under your belt, but more importantly you’ll enjoy:

– Being part of a creative and close knit kitchen team
– Sharing your creativity and ideas to personalise dishes for our guests
– Working with premium seasonal and locally sourced ingredients – including from our own property
– Working in a team that values work-life balance; enjoying all the adventures Kaikōura and the region has to offer

Start dates are flexible, starting September/October until April 2027.