Chef

JOB DESCRIPTION

Chef — Hostel Kitchen & Recipe Production (Kitchen & F&B)

Cooks veg and non-veg for hostel residents every day, and prepares the recipes that appear in IWLD’s videos.

1. JOB SNAPSHOT

Job TitleChef — Hostel Kitchen & Recipe ProductionDepartmentKIT — Kitchen & F&B (Function: Cooking & Recipe Production)Reports ToHostel CoordinatorGradeG4 (per Appointment Letter Annexure A)SiteBenaulim Campus (Villas 1–3), with occasional work at shoot locationsWork ModeOn-Site — this is a kitchen role, present at the campus dailyShift9:00 AM – 6:00 PM, with a weekly offEmployment TypePermanent, full-timeExperiencePrior professional cooking experience is required for this role, covering both vegetarian and non-vegetarian cooking. Hotel, restaurant, hostel or institutional kitchen experience all count. Formal culinary training is an advantage, not a requirement.Salary₹20,000 – ₹30,000 per month (based on experience and trial performance)Open toMale and female candidatesFood & AccommodationNot provided — local candidates preferred

2. ABOUT THE ROLE

IWLD runs a residential weight-loss programme at its Benaulim campus, where residents eat every meal from our kitchen. This role cooks for them — vegetarian and non-vegetarian — every working day.

There is a second part to the job that makes it different from an ordinary kitchen post. IWLD publishes recipe videos, and the food in those videos is prepared by this Chef. The spokesperson presents on camera and does the talking; you cook. Recipes are given to you as IWLD’s own YouTube videos, not written down. You watch the video and reproduce the dish exactly as it is made there. Your food has to look right, be ready when the shoot needs it, and match the video — because the new video teaches viewers to make it that way.

The most important thing to understand about cooking here: this is food for people losing weight under a programme. Oil, sugar and portion are not the cook’s discretion. A dish made "tastier" by adding what the recipe does not call for is a dish that has failed.

3. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

A. Daily Cooking for Residents

• Prepare all meals for hostel residents on time, every day of your shift — vegetarian and non-vegetarian as per the menu.
• Cook strictly to the programme’s diet requirements: the prescribed ingredients, the prescribed quantity of oil, and the prescribed portions.
• Maintain taste and consistency day after day — residents eat here every meal, so repetition and quality both matter.
• Accommodate genuine dietary restrictions where you are told to, and raise anything you are unsure about instead of deciding alone.

B. Recipe Preparation for Shoots

• Prepare recipes for video shoots on the date and time agreed with the content team. The recipe is shared as an IWLD YouTube video.
• Watch the reference video in advance — more than once if needed — and note the ingredients, quantities and method before the shoot day, so nothing is worked out on set.
• Reproduce the recipe exactly as shown in the video — quantities, ingredients and method. Nothing is added or substituted without asking, because the video is teaching it.
• The same applies to residents’ meals: dishes taught in IWLD’s videos are cooked the way the video shows them.
• Prepare the ingredients, mise en place and any part-cooked stages needed so the shoot is not held up.
• Cook repeat portions where the shoot needs more than one take, and keep the dish looking presentable on camera.
• The spokesperson presents the recipe on camera; the Chef’s job is the cooking, not the speaking.
• Occasional shoots may run outside normal kitchen hours or at another location; reasonable notice will be given.

C. Menu, Stock & Indenting

• Plan ahead for the week’s menu and shoot requirements, and raise the indent in time — not on the morning it is needed.
• Check quality of incoming provisions and reject what is not fit to use.
• Store provisions correctly, control wastage, and keep an eye on what is nearing expiry.
• Keep the kitchen running within the budget and quantities agreed.

D. Hygiene & Food Safety

• Maintain personal hygiene and clean kitchen practice at all times — this is non-negotiable in a residential kitchen.
• Keep raw and cooked food, and veg and non-veg preparation, properly separated.
• Keep the kitchen, platforms, storage and equipment clean, and ensure the kitchen is left ready for the next day.
• Report any illness before entering the kitchen, and any pest, drainage or equipment problem immediately.

E. Working with the Kitchen Team

• Direct the helpers and cooks supporting the kitchen so that preparation, serving and cleaning run on schedule.
• Hand over clearly at the end of the shift — what is prepared, what is pending, what is needed tomorrow.
• Train helpers on the standards you want, rather than redoing their work.

4. WHO YOU’LL WORK WITH

WhoWhat forHostel CoordinatorYour reporting manager; menus, resident requirements and daily coordinationHostel Helpers & CooksPreparation, serving and cleaning support in the kitchenMedia & Content teamRecipe briefs, shoot dates and what each video needs on the platePurchase / AdministrationProvisions, indents and vendor supplyFacilitiesKitchen equipment, repairs and gasDirectorsMenu standards and anything affecting residents’ food

5. WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

Must-Haves

• Can cook both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food competently and consistently.
• Can watch a recipe video and reproduce the dish exactly as shown — quantities, ingredients and method — without improvising. This is essential for the shoot work.
• Comfortable using a smartphone to watch, pause and replay YouTube videos while working.
• Clean and disciplined in the kitchen, with genuine hygiene habits rather than stated ones.
• Punctual and reliable. Residents eat at fixed times.
• Comfortable communicating in Hindi. Konkani, Marathi or English in addition is useful.
• Physically able to manage a full kitchen shift.
• Able to travel to Benaulim campus daily — no accommodation is provided with this role.

Good to Have

• Experience in a hostel, hotel or institutional kitchen cooking for numbers.
• Experience cooking for camera, or for a food photography or video shoot.
• Familiarity with low-oil, low-carb or diet cooking.
• Food-safety or hygiene training.

6. WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

• Residents are fed on time, every meal, with food they are willing to eat every day.
• Shoots are never held up waiting for the kitchen, and the food on camera looks the way it should.
• No dish goes out — to a resident or to a camera — with more oil, sugar or portion than the recipe allows.
• The kitchen stays clean, stocked and within budget, with wastage under control.

7. WHY JOIN US

• Work directly with management on the systems the company actually runs on.
• Be part of a 160+ member team across teaching, sales, media, technology, hostel and operations.
• Build and improve real systems at scale — this is a role where what you fix stays fixed.
• A defined growth path, with full training on every SOP, template and system you will use.

8. NOTE

Selection for this role includes a paid trial in the kitchen. Full briefing on the programme’s diet requirements, the menu standards and the shoot process is provided on joining.