Kitchen Assistant

Job Purpose

Provides hands - on support within Airchefs production kitchens by preparing ingredients, maintaining hygiene, and readying equipment and meal components to support safe, accurate, and on - time meal production. The Kitchen Assistant ensures work areas, stock, and packaging are kept to standard, to ensure meals are produced safety, accurate, and on time.

Principal Accountabilities

Food Preparation Support

• Washing, peeling, chopping, and portioning ingredients.
• Preparing ingredients according to production requirements and recipes.
• Assembling and labelling prepared food items.
• Ensuring ingredients are accurately measured and prepared.

Kitchen Operations Support

• Receiving and checking stock deliveries.
• Organising ingredients, trays, and packaging for production.
• Rotating stock according to FIFO principles.
• Reporting shortages, damaged stock, or equipment faults

Service and Dispatch Support

• Packaging and labelling meals for dispatch.
• Assisting with tray assembly and loading activities.
• Verifying meal counts and labels before dispatch.
• Supporting urgent production requirements when needed.

Hygiene, Food Safety and Compliance

• Maintaining cleanliness of workstations, utensils, and equipment.
• Following food safety and HACCP requirements.
• Adhering to allergen control procedures.
• Reporting hygiene and safety risks immediately.

Equipment Care

• Cleaning and storing equipment correctly.
• Operating kitchen equipment safely.
• Identifying and reporting defective equipment.

Qualifications & Experience

Qualifications

• Grade 12 (Matric).
• Food Handling or Food Safety Certification will be advantageous.

Experience

• Previous experience in a kitchen, catering, hospitality, food manufacturing, or food production environment will be advantageous.

Knowledge and Skills

• Basic understanding of food safety and hygiene principles.
• Knowledge of HACCP and allergen control requirements.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Attention to detail and commitment to quality.
• Good teamwork and communication skills.
• Ability to work shifts, weekends, public holidays, and night shifts when required.

Attributes

The ideal candidate will:

• Be reliable and punctual.
• Have a strong work ethic.
• Maintain high personal hygiene standards.
• Be physically fit and capable of working in a demanding production environment.
• Demonstrate a commitment to quality, safety, and teamwork.
• Be able to follow instructions accurately and work efficiently in a fast-paced environment

Additional Information

Air Chefs is one of South Africa's leading airline catering and hospitality service providers, delivering high-quality meals and onboard products to domestic and international airlines. We are looking for motivated, energetic, and detail-oriented Kitchen Assistants to join our Production team at our Johannesburg facility.

If you are passionate about food preparation, maintaining high hygiene standards, and working in a fast-paced production environment, this opportunity could be for you.

At Air Chefs, you will become part of a team that plays a critical role in delivering exceptional service to airline customers and passengers across South Africa and beyond. We value safety, teamwork, excellence, accountability, and customer service.