Kitchen Lead / Prep Chef

Part-Time | Weekday daytime only | Cold prep + small-team lead

Pokenoya is a busy lunch-only poke shop. We need a kitchen lead who can own the shift — not a helper, and not an entry-level first kitchen job.

This is COLD PREP ONLY. No fryers. No hot line. No wok.

Work is cubing fish, sauces/ingredients, inventory flow, cleanliness, and leading a small lunch team.

SCHEDULE

Part-time only — maximum 25 hours per week (hard max). We do not offer full-time.

Store hours are Monday–Friday, about 9:30 AM–3:30 PM (closed weekends). Your shifts fall inside that window — you will not work the full day every day, and this is not a 5-days-a-week guarantee.

We staff Kitchen Lead as open lead and close lead. You may be scheduled for open, close, or a mix, based on availability and business need. Typical shifts are shorter blocks inside 9:30 AM–3:30 PM (not 8 AM–5 PM).

If you need full-time hours or every weekday covered, please do not apply.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Cube fish; prep sauces and ingredients
• Keep inventory moving (freezer → cooler → line)
• Open or close the kitchen
• Lead and direct 1–2 Team Members during lunch (prep, dishes, restock, pace)
• Keep the kitchen clean, organized, and food-safe
• Run the shift without waiting to be told every step
• Coach Team Members who can grow into lead roles over time

WHO SHOULD APPLY (required)

• Solid paid kitchen experience — preferably Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Hawaiian, poke, sushi, or other fast Asian / fast-casual kitchens
• Comfortable with raw fish and fast cold prep
• Has led, trained, or directed at least one other person in a food job (or owned open/close alone in a small shop)
• Can work independently and keep a lunch rush moving
• Food Handler or Food Manager certificate preferred (FH required or obtainable quickly)

WHO SHOULD NOT APPLY

• No kitchen experience
• Only front-of-house / cashier experience with no prep
• Unrelated careers (office, accounting, etc.) with no food production background
• Need evenings/weekends or cannot cover weekday daytime hours

HOW TO APPLY

Apply on Indeed and include:

• Kitchen work history (restaurants + what you prepped/led)
• Weekdays you can work
• Hourly rate you are looking for
• How soon you can start

If you already run cold prep / small lunch kitchens and want steady weekday hours, apply.

Pay: $18.50 - $23.00 per hour

Expected hours: 10.0 – 25.0 per week

Education:

• High school or equivalent (Required)

Experience:

• Quick service & fast food restaurant: 1 year (Required)

Language:

• English (Required)

Shift availability:

• Day Shift (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• Irvine, CA 92618 (Required)

Work Location: In person