Start Date: By Labor Day
Location: Fairfield County, CT
Schedule: Thursday–Monday, 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Guaranteed Hours: 45
Compensation: $35–40 per hour, paid bi-weekly
Live-In / Live-Out: Open to both
Position Overview
A private household in Fairfield County is seeking an experienced Executive Cook focused on the kitchen and daily meal service. This is a homestyle cooking role — shopping for, preparing, and serving fresh lunches and dinners daily. The principal prefers light, low-sodium meals, planned together day to day. The role owns the full kitchen domain and provides light general tidying on weekends. Long-term role; live-in option available.
Benefits: time-and-a-half on holidays, two weeks paid vacation plus additional vacation time in January, 5 paid sick days, healthcare stipend, paid holidays (New Year's Eve, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day), mileage reimbursement for work-related driving
Responsibilities
General
- Shop, cook, and clean up for lunch and dinner
- Menu planning for lunch and dinner, coordinated day-to-day with the principal
- Stock control and inventory of daily foods (yogurt, milk, fruit, OJ) and pantry staples (peanut butter, butter, flour, sugar)
- Regularly clean out the refrigerator and freezer, discarding out-of-date and spoiled products
- Upkeep of the kitchen, breakfast room, dining room, and dining porches
- Support dinner parties and larger gatherings (catering is used as needed for large groups)
- Help polish silverware
Daily
- Ensure coffee beans are stocked and the coffee machine has clean water (do not run the machine's clean cycle — this is handled separately by the household)
- Ensure water bottles are stocked and the water pitcher is full
- Ensure daily breakfast essentials are on hand (OJ, yogurt, milk, fruit)
- Wipe any spills from the drawer refrigerator and freezer
- After dinner, sweep and mop the floor
- After dinner, wipe all kitchen surfaces
- After dinner, wipe down the stove and venting
- Run the dishwasher each night; hand-wash if there isn't a full load
- Empty all kitchen garbage cans before leaving
Weekly
- On weekends or when additional coverage is needed: make the principal's bed, tidy the dressing room, light cleaning of the bathroom, and empty garbage from these rooms
- On weekends or when additional coverage is needed: light cleaning of the downstairs bathroom (and, in summer, the pool house bathroom)
- On weekends or when additional coverage is needed: walk through the house to ensure everything is straightened and tidied
- Polish the sliding door leading to the dining porch
- Clean the dishwasher filter
- Check the refrigerator and freezer for expired and moldy food
- Wipe all refrigerator and freezer shelves
- Clean the stove backsplash and the surface of the stove hood and controls
- Check that kitchen soap dispensers and paper towels are stocked
- Check that all salt and pepper shakers are full
- Submit receipts to the family assistant to keep petty cash available for groceries and household needs
- Coordinate the weekly farm order (in season) with the principal
- Coordinate on flowers and plant care with household staff
Quarterly
- Wipe the outside of kitchen/pantry cabinets
- Clean the inside and outside of cabinets
- Deep clean the stoves, hoods, vents, and controls
Requirements
- Proven experience as a private cook or executive cook in a private home
- Skilled in homestyle cooking, with the ability to shop for, prepare, and serve fresh lunches and dinners daily
- Comfortable owning the full kitchen domain, including menu planning, inventory, and cleaning
- Valid driver's license and own reliable vehicle
- Flexible and adaptable to seasonal changes in household size and to schedule adjustments when the principal travels
- Seeking a long-term commitment
- Reliable, discreet, and detail-oriented
- Must be able to provide 3–5 professional references