Are you a talented chef who is looking for a new challenge?

Are you a talented chef who is looking for a new challenge?

Are you a talented chef who is looking for a new challenge? Want to live in the tranquility of a small village in the Icelandic countryside? Want to make your mark at an established restaurant with a decades-long history?

What we offer:

  • Endless opportunities to challenge yourself, express your creativity, and make your mark.
  • Opportunity for time off in the winter to travel.
  • Accommodation is available if needed.

The work:

  • Mostly in the kitchen. Probably about 95% or more of your time is spent here, doing whatever needs to be done. Some days you will have a dishwasher/assistant, but other days you need to be comfortable doing everything yourself.
  • Related tasks (about 5%): inventory, ordering, menu planning, budgeting, etc. There’s a minimum expected here, but if this part excites you and you want to change the menu up with the seasons or regularly create new specials, go for it.
  • Don’t like, need or want to be told what to do? You’ll work without supervision, so you decide how to prep, plan, organize, and execute orders to a high standard in a timely fashion.
  • Can you work independently? Typically work alone but on busier days with a dishwasher/assistant.
  • Are you good as part of a team? At certain times of the year, we cater large events with a bigger team, including corporate parties, weddings, confirmations, tour groups, and Christmas buffets.

The workplace:

  • The village: Before Reykjavík took over in this role, our village was for hundreds of years the center of trade and commerce in Iceland. Later, it was a fishing village, and it was here that the lobster fishing industry got its start half a century ago. Now, our restaurant is the main attraction. There are also two small museums and an apartment hotel. About 600 residents. By car, it’s 10 minutes from Selfoss and Highway 1. Ideal for those who love the outdoors, peace, and quiet.
  • The restaurant: Coastal restaurant in a historic setting with classic Danish style. The house itself was built in 1919 and the restaurant is on 3 floors. Main floor: cozy 42-seat dining room with white tablecloths + large kitchen. Top floor: 2 banquet halls for private events, capacity 150+. Basement: one or two Saturdays a month, it opens as the only bar in town.
  • The menu: Because of its location, there’s an emphasis on seafood, especially the famous langoustine. Our most popular dishes include lobster soup, lobster pasta, langoustine tails, and surf and turf. Other dishes come and go, including fish, meat, and vegetarian dishes.
  • The working hours and period: Full-time, year-round with possibility for extended time off (weeks or months) during the period December-February if desired. For most of the year, it’s mostly weekends and evenings. Not great for your social life, but you do receive a shift differential (higher pay) for most of your working hours. Normal hours for most of the year are Wednesday-Friday 15:30-21:30, Saturday-Sunday 10:30-21:30. Different hours in the summer months, usually May-August/September. Possibility to arrange occasional weekends off if needed, with advance notice.
  • The team: We’re a small place and small workplace. Our core team consists of one chef and one server who work full-time year-round, along with an additional part-time crew of servers, dishwashers, and bussers. Our busiest season is in the summer, with longer opening hours, more groups, and more drop-in diners, and with it the summer crew expands to 6-8. There’s occasional overlap and cooperation with our sister restaurant, which is located just 5 minutes away. It’s a family-run business that has been managed by an American-Icelandic couple since January 2014.

Application deadline: 31 July 2020

Interviews conducted: 1-5 August 2020

Start date: 12 August 2020

If this sounds like something that appeals to you, fill out our application below:
[contact-form-7 id=”4561″ title=”Chef job application”]