Cooking, Catering, Hospitality Lead

Food and eating together is a vital part of being a community. Food brings people together. Good food makes people happy and relaxed and helps them enjoy meeting other people and sharing a meal together to get to know one another. The Othona Community provides good quality, home style cooked food, from wherever possible local suppliers to enable people to enjoy being together.

We are now seeking to appoint a Cook and Catering lead as part of our Residential Community Team.

The Othona Community at Bradwell-on-Sea provides programmes for retreat, activities, events and themed based family breaks. We also welcome groups from schools, churches, other faiths and charities to run their own   programmes. Our accommodation consists of bedrooms and yurts for up to 60 guests, as well as capacity for people to camp. Our dining facilities can cater for up to 150 people. The average size of most groups is between 20 – 50 people.

Othona Bradwell is an open and inclusive Christian Community. We welcome people of all ages, abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs to our centre on the quiet coast of Essex. Through sharing in a daily rhythm of work, worship, study and play, we seek to learn how to live together and learn from each other.

We are a place where people come together to share what they have in common and seek to find a sense of unity together. Therefore, we create a genuine sense of community by sharing and celebrating our common unity.  In community we explore the relationship between faith and life and encourage one another in caring for the world and its people. It is a place of welcome and acceptance for whoever you are.

Role Details and Duties

As part of the residential community team, we all undertake a variety of tasks on a regular basis to ensure the safe running of the centre, programmes, catering, community, mission and ministry. These will include:

- Providing a hospitable, warm and welcoming environment for everyone attending our programmes, activities and community.

- Cooking, catering, ordering, menu planning, including preparation, cleaning and washing up.

- Share time together with visitors and guests to listen, support and encourage them to participate in community to the best of their ability.

- General cleaning including bedrooms and turning them around for new guests’ arrival.

- Occasional reception & telephone call answering and responding.

- Responding in an efficient and polite way to the needs and issues which arise on a regular basis for guests and visitors.

- Following the Othona values and implementing them through our behaviours to demonstrate that we follow Jesus and his lifestyle of love and servanthood.

- On occasion you may be asked to deputise for the warden and other colleagues in their absence.

- Living together as the residential community team. Sharing the principles of Christian community even when there are no guests or visitors.

- Leading and supporting chapel services and reflections to be inclusive and accessible for all.

- Othona is a 'home from home' community for many of its visitors, with a welcoming and relaxing atmosphere that combines relative simplicity with safety and comfort.

- Any other duties as requested by the Wardens.

We may also consider applications from couples.

If you would be interested in a short-term role here then we would consider those able to come for 6-9 months.

Role Person Specification

Serving – Willing to serve others to ensure an enjoyable, safe and comfortable experience for all our guests throughout their stay and enable everyone to contribute to the community at Othona to the best of their ability. Servant hearted leadership is a key characteristic in Christian community life.

Hospitality – Committed to delivering a hospitable approach in all we do at Othona. This requires being welcoming, approachable, flexible, patient, adaptable, problem solving, reacting to various situations delicately and compassionately whilst always seeking to ensure we become community together.

Committing – Able to demonstrate a practical commitment to Work, worship, study and play which are the four 'strands' from which the daily life of Othona is woven. When we approach work, worship, study and play with practical energy and loving awareness, we all contribute to becoming community together.

Relating – Provide a clear understanding of the importance of relationships to enable community to develop. To be aware of equality, equity and diversity. To develop an understanding of the many factors that make us all different. Some may be relatively obvious: gender, age, race, religion, physical and mental ability, nationality, social background, sexual orientation. Others are less evident but equally influential and should be respected.

Affirming – Committed to providing a positive and encouraging approach to working together and serving our guests. Able to affirm our Othona ethos, way of life and community development. We embrace positive behaviours of affirmation, interdependence, simplicity, the contemplative way, stamina and sustainability, hope and commitment.

What we offer in return

• A deeply satisfying lifestyle in a beautiful remote coastal location
• Modest accommodation with all meals included
• Council tax, wifi and all utilities are included
• An allowance of £9536 per year, plus full board and lodging.
• Eligibility to join the non-contributory pension scheme.
• Flexible hours with 2 days off per week; 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• A successful appointment will be conditional on the receipt of two satisfactory references and a DBS background check at the appropriate level.