A historic, classic Italian restaurant in Little Italy is entering its next chapter under new ownership. The restaurant has been part of the neighborhood for generations, known for its seafood, its pasta, and its sauce in three heats: sweet, medium, and hot. With planned renovations ahead, we’re reinvigorating the restaurant and building a renewed team. Many of our guests have been coming for decades and many are visiting Little Italy for the first time. Both should leave feeling they were looked after.
THE ROLE
The Line Cook prepares and plates the Vincent’s menu during service: pasta, seafood, fried and sautéed dishes, and the classics guests have ordered here for decades. You work a station on the line, keep it stocked and clean, and send every plate to the house recipe, portion, temperature, and presentation standard.
The role reports to the Kitchen Supervisor and the General Manager. Our Operating Partner stays involved in the kitchen and maintains the restaurant’s recipes, including the sauce, and you will learn to finish and serve them exactly as he teaches them.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
Cook the menu to standard.
Work your station through service: sauté, fry, pasta, grill, and cold plates as assigned.
Follow house recipes, portion specs, and plating guides exactly. Taste as you go.
Read tickets accurately, call back modifications, and time courses with the rest of the line.
Finish and serve Vincent’s sauces to the house standard.
Tell the Kitchen Supervisor and the floor right away when an item is running low or is out.
Keep the line ready
Set up your station from the prep list before service and break it down fully after.
Hold par levels, rotate product first in, first out, and label and date everything you store.
Keep walk-ins, reach-ins, and dry storage organized and at temperature.
Complete line checks and temperature logs on your station each shift.
Protect food safety and the Grade A
Follow NYC Health Code standards every shift: hand washing, hair restraint, glove use, cross-contamination controls, and hot and cold holding temperatures.
Know the allergen poster and communicate allergy orders with the floor and the line.
Clean as you go and complete the daily and weekly cleaning schedule for your station.
Keep the kitchen ready for an inspection on any day, not only inspection day.
Work as one team
Help prep cooks and the dishwasher when your station is caught up.
Communicate clearly and respectfully with servers, bartenders, and the kitchen.
Jump in wherever the restaurant needs you, including the Feast of San Gennaro in September.
WHAT YOU BRING
Two or more years as a line cook. Italian or seafood kitchens preferred.
Confident knife skills and the ability to work two or more stations.
Experience reading tickets from a point-of-sale kitchen printer and keeping pace during a rush.
A clean, organized way of working and respect for recipes and standards.
Reliability: on time, in uniform, and ready for every scheduled shift.
Working English for tickets and kitchen communication. Spanish or Italian is a plus.
An NYC Food Protection Certificate is a plus. The restaurant will support you in earning one.
Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States. Employment eligibility will be verified through Form I-9.
WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE
In the first 30 days
You know the menu and the house recipes and can work your station without supervision.
Your station passes line checks, and your logs are complete every shift.
Ongoing
Guests get the same plate every time, whoever is cooking.
Your station is clean, stocked, and inspection-ready every day.
Waste is low, product is rotated, and nothing runs out without warning.
You are someone the rest of the kitchen wants on their shift.
WORKING CONDITIONS
This is a physical role in a working kitchen. You will stand for the length of a shift, work near hot equipment, open flame, and fryers, use knives and slicers, climb stairs to the basement storage and walk-ins, and lift up to 50 pounds. Reasonable accommodations are available for qualified individuals with disabilities.
SCHEDULE, PAY, AND HOW TO APPLY
Schedule: Full-time or part-time, typically five shifts a week for full-time. Shifts fall between about 11:00 am and 10:30 pm. The restaurant is busiest Thursday through Sunday, and the job includes evenings, weekends, and holidays. Everyone works the Feast of San Gennaro each September.
Compensation: $20-24 per hour.
Benefits: Paid safe and sick leave as provided by New York City law, a staff meal each shift. Required training, including annual sexual harassment prevention training, is paid time.
Paid training
Work Location: In person
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