Join our team: Sous Chef
Recognized as one of Canada's 100 Best Restaurants and named Canada's Best Destination Restaurant, Pluvio is an award-winning tasting menu only restaurant and boutique hotel, located in Ucluelet on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Our intimate 26-seat restaurant serves a seasonal dinner-only tasting menu that celebrates exceptional Canadian ingredients, thoughtful hospitality, and genuine creativity. We make everything from scratch, work closely with local farmers, fishers and producers, forage throughout the region, and continually challenge ourselves to refine and evolve our guest experience.
Behind the restaurant, our four boutique hotel rooms and rooftop kitchen garden allow us to provide guests with a complete hospitality experience while creating a unique and inspiring place to work.
Our team is made up of passionate hospitality professionals who genuinely enjoy working together. We believe exceptional restaurants are built by people who feel supported, respected, and challenged. We work hard to maintain a positive workplace, a healthy work-life balance, and opportunities for professional growth. Along with competitive compensation, we offer extended health and dental benefits, annual education funding, a daily family meal, longevity rewards, restaurant and room discounts, and an annual winter closure.
What Joining Our Team Would Look Like
As Sous Chef, you will play a key leadership role within our kitchen. Working closely with Chef Warren Barr and the leadership team, you will help lead the day-to-day operation of our culinary program, mentor and develop the team, uphold our high standards, and ensure every service reflects the level of quality our guests have come to expect.
This is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact on one of Canada's leading independent restaurants while working with some of the country's finest ingredients in an extraordinary setting.
For the right candidate, this position offers a clear pathway for growth into a future Chef de Cuisine role as Pluvio continues to evolve.
Our kitchen team works approximately 45 to 50 hours per week over four days. While the days are full, the schedule provides three days each week to enjoy everything the West Coast has to offer, whether that's surfing, fishing, hiking, foraging, or camping.
We're Looking For Someone Who Has
- A genuine passion for exceptional food and hospitality
- Previous leadership experience in a high-level, from-scratch kitchen
- Strong technical cooking skills and exceptional attention to detail
- Curiosity, creativity, and a commitment to continuous learning
- A desire to mentor, coach, and support the growth of others
- The ability to lead by example while fostering a positive and respectful team culture
- Excellent organization, communication, and time management skills
- The ability to remain calm, focused, and decisive during busy services
- A commitment to maintaining exceptionally high standards of cleanliness, organization, and professionalism while holding both yourself and your teammates accountable
- Confidence in taking direction, providing direction, adapting quickly, and solving problems as they arise
In This Role, You Will
- Work alongside Chef Warren Barr and the leadership team to execute and continually evolve our seasonal tasting menu
- Help lead the daily operation of the kitchen, ensuring consistency, quality, and efficiency
- Manage and mentor the kitchen team while fostering a culture of professionalism, accountability, and continuous improvement
- Assist with onboarding, training, scheduling, and ongoing team development
- Take ownership of kitchen operations in the Chef's absence, ensuring standards are maintained at all times
- Manage ordering, inventory, supplier relationships, product quality, and food cost controls
- Contribute creatively to menu development, recipe testing, seasonal planning, and the continual evolution of the guest experience
- Lead by example through professionalism, organization, and a hands-on approach
- Maintain the highest standards of cleanliness, food safety, and kitchen organization
- Collaborate closely with both the kitchen and front-of-house teams to deliver exceptional guest experiences
- Bring your own ideas, experience, creativity, and leadership to help shape the future of Pluvio
Compensation & Benefits
- Starting salary of $65,000 per year, based on approximately 10.5 months of work with a 1.5-month annual winter closure
- Annual 5% salary increase
- Tip pooling
- Extended medical and dental benefits
- Annual education fund
- Daily family meal
- Restaurant and room discounts
- Family room rates
- Longevity rewards
- Annual team appreciation events
- Annual winter closure (typically six weeks)
- Dinner service only
- A supportive, collaborative, and positive working environment
- Long-term housing available (private room in a shared home)
If you're passionate about thoughtful hospitality, ambitious cooking, and building something exceptional with a close-knit team, we'd love to hear from you.