Lead Line Cook / Junior Sous Chef

Full-Time | Maize Cocina & Cocktails | Westfield, NJ

Join a Chef-Driven Restaurant with Room to Grow

Maize Cocina & Cocktails is seeking an ambitious, talented culinary professional to join our leadership team.

We're not looking for someone to simply work a station—we're looking for someone who wants to become a leader.

This role is ideal for a highly skilled line cook who is ready to take the next step into management. You'll work directly alongside our Executive Chef and Sous Chef to help lead service, develop our team, and build systems that support the continued growth of our restaurant.

If you're passionate about scratch cooking, hospitality, organization, and continuous improvement, we'd love to meet you.

About Maize

Located in the historic Westfield Train Station, Maize is an independently owned, chef-driven restaurant inspired by the diverse culinary traditions of Mexico. We combine authentic techniques with seasonal ingredients and modern presentation in a fast-paced, collaborative kitchen.

We believe great restaurants are built by great people. We promote from within, invest in our team, and encourage creativity, accountability, and professional growth.

What You'll Do

As our Lead Line Cook / Junior Sous Chef, you'll help oversee the daily execution of kitchen operations while developing into a future leadership role.

Responsibilities include:

• Lead stations during service while maintaining speed, consistency, and quality
• Support the Sous Chef with daily kitchen operations
• Help supervise and coach line cooks and prep cooks
• Ensure all recipes, portions, and plating standards are executed consistently
• Assist with expediting during service
• Verify daily prep completion and station readiness
• Monitor food quality and presentation throughout service
• Maintain cleanliness, organization, and food safety standards
• Assist with inventory counts, product rotation, and organization
• Help train and onboard new BOH team members
• Step into leadership during assigned shifts
• Contribute ideas that improve systems, efficiency, and guest experience

What We're Looking For

• Minimum 5 years of experience in a high-volume scratch, upscale or fine dining kitchen
• Previous leadership or lead line experience preferred
• Strong cooking fundamentals and attention to detail
• Sense of urgency without sacrificing quality
• Positive attitude and strong communication skills
• Ability to lead by example and earn the respect of your team
• Desire to continue learning and growing professionally
• ServSafe Certification preferred

Growth Opportunity

This position is designed as a leadership development role.

You'll receive mentorship from our Executive Chef and Sous Chef while gaining experience in:

• Kitchen leadership
• Team development
• Inventory management
• Ordering and vendor relations
• Labor management
• Menu implementation
• Systems development
• Recipe documentation
• Operational planning

We're committed to promoting from within whenever possible and are looking for someone interested in building a long-term career with Maize.

Why Join Maize?

• Competitive compensation based on experience
• Paid time off
• Opportunities for advancement
• Chef-driven, scratch kitchen
• Collaborative and respectful culture
• Direct mentorship from experienced culinary leadership
• Opportunity to help shape the future of a growing independent restaurant

If you're looking for more than just another kitchen job—and want to become part of a team that's building something special—we'd love to hear from you.

Please submit your resume along with a brief introduction telling us about your culinary background and what excites you about this opportunity.

Maize Cocina & Cocktails is an award-winning, independently owned, chef-driven restaurant in the heart of Westfield, NJ. Inspired by the diverse regions of Mexico, we combine scratch cooking, seasonal ingredients, and genuine hospitality to create memorable guest experiences. We believe in promoting from within, investing in our people, and building long-term culinary careers in a collaborative, respectful, and growth-focused kitchen.