Waste2Taste is a Community Interest Company.

We offer a Bespoke catering service and community cafe with a vision towards a vibrant, healthy, and sustainable food culture, committed to packaging and food waste cuts.

We practice “Food with A Conscience” – fighting climate change by reducing food waste, using high quality food surplus, forged with kindness and community spirit.

We support a variety of groups struggling with food poverty by providing emergency food provision, alongside accessible training and mentoring which builds individual and communal resilience. We use our targeted Health & Wellbeing workshops to empower groups by increasing skills and confidence in cooking, creating peer to peer support, enjoying eating together and mentoring. Our café is a supportive, welcoming, and accessible place, for people from all walks of life to come in and have a hot meal or drink.

We have a kindness menu, which allows people to have a hot drink or meal for free if they are struggling and a Freezer of Love packed with home cooked food on a Pay as you Feel basis.

Our catering service is well established in Oxford.

We are based in East Oxford, working mostly from our café in Craufurd road OX4 2SQ

Since 2016, Waste2Taste has worked only with high quality surplus ingredients, donated to us by the Oxford Food Hub, local farmers and growers and any private supporters

We aim to promote and ensure good health and community spirit, bringing people together through monthly community days, celebrating diversity, food, and their own cultures, sharing recipes, life experiences and knowledge.

We provide supported volunteering placements to people experiencing isolation and loneliness and /or mental health challenges in our area.

We are proud to be a founding partner Of the OX4 Food Crew, an alliance of 9 grassroots organisations working in the local community to tackle food insecurity. Please see www.waste2taste.co.uk

We are Hiring a Kitchen / Catering assistant

Hours: 27.5 hours per week – Monday 9.30am to 2.30pm, Tuesday to Thursday 8.30am to 4pm (possible additional hrs)

Salary: £11.50 per hour

We are looking for:

• An enthusiastic, hardworking, reliable, and experienced person, to join our team as kitchen/catering assistant to support with our café and catering service.
• The perfect candidate will be someone who can confidently support the directors, café supervisor and team of Volunteers.

The job holder's main responsibilities will be to:

- assist with the food preparation and all aspects of running our community café such as serving the customers, making and delivering the food and drinks orders to the highest standards, housekeeping and cleaning duties, fulfilling of opening and closing jobs. working closely with the company director and other team members and volunteers across all customer facing areas.

- supporting us in organising and delivering the activities, events and workshops we offer to the community

get involved with our community by creating meaningful relationships with its members, fostering a friendly, understanding and supporting environment which is essential for the social side of our work

Our food is fresh, healthy, varied, and good quality. We have a very busy catering service and community cafe, so you’ll need plenty of energy and drive. If you want to be part of a supportive and enthusiastic team, then we would love to hear from you.

What we need from you:

The successful applicant should have at least two years’ kitchen experience, Level 2 Food Hygiene, Barista trained and some experience of catering for large numbers. A passion for healthy eating, a willingness to learn and ability to work calmly under pressure.

• Highly motivated and responsible
• Interested in food waste and sustainability
• Ability to think on your feet.
• Strong interest in the community, its realities and challenges, and desire to get involved and help
• Ability to communicate and bond with people from any background
• Ability and desire to work quickly, thoroughly and efficiently
• Ability to cook with surplus
• Adaptability to changing circumstances
• Ensuring food standards are high and consistent maintaining its quality following all kitchen procedures in place.
• Maintaining strict hygiene standards, complying with regulatory requirements, making sure basic cleaning duties are done.
• Supporting washing up and collection of pots and pans.
• Keeping food prep areas clean as well as equipment. Keeping floor, walls and surfaces sanitised
• Unloading food and equipment deliveries from our suppliers
• Basic food preparation e.g. peeling, chopping salad and veg and occasional support with menu cooking if café supervisor or chefs are not available.
• Sandwich making
• Ability to follow instructions, take directions and work quickly and efficiently.
• Ability to work in a standing position for long periods of time
• Helping to serve meals
• Proactive and friendly nature
• Leadership skills with the ability to motivate colleagues around you

How to apply

Please send CV and Cover letter to info@waste2taste.co.uk

Deadline for applications: Ongoing, we will appoint as soon as we found the perfect candidate

Possible start date: As soon as possible. Successful applicants will be invited for a trial shift, which will involve a cook off.

At Waste2Taste, we want to build an energetic, hard-working, and socially responsible team.

Let us know how you can demonstrate these qualities and why you would like to be part of a supportive community and one of Oxford’s most exciting grass roots companies in your covering letter.

Please do not hesitate in contacting us if you want to know more about the role. We would love to hear from you

Best wishes

Sandra

• Are you passionate about Food & Community?
• Do you want to learn how to cook with high quality food surplus ingredients?
• Can you share your cooking skills with us?
• Are you able to spare a couple of hrs Monday to Thursday morning?

• We are always very happy to hear from people interested in volunteering with us at the cafe, on free meal preparation, social Media, Website design, gardening, etc.

If you have any particular interests and skills you think could benefit Waste2Taste and OX4 Food Crew, please send us an email on info@waste2taste.co.uk