Service

Restaurant and culinary staffing in Napa Valley

Line cooks, prep, dishwashers, servers, bartenders and sommeliers for Michelin rooms, winery kitchens and roadside favorites. Vetted on a paid trial shift, not a résumé.

Season Year-round. Demand peaks from May through October and again through the holidays.

Book a 15-minute call See how it works
Two cooks work side by side in a restaurant kitchen

Roles we place

The people behind a good culinary and restaurant operation.

  • Line cook

    Sauté, grill, garde manger. Station-tested on a paid trial shift.

  • Prep cook

    Knife skills, mise en place, recipe discipline.

  • Dishwasher and steward

    The role every kitchen calls about first. Reliable, fast, safe.

  • Server

    Steps of service, wine service, menu knowledge, a calm floor presence.

  • Bartender

    RBS-certified, classic cocktails, wine by the glass, speed on a Saturday.

  • Sommelier and beverage lead

    List management, service, staff training, for restaurants and winery dining programs.

  • Host and maître d’

    Reservations, seating flow, the first and last impression.

  • Banquet and event cooks

    Production cooking for winery dinners and catered events.

What we screen for

Vetted before you meet them.

Every candidate is interviewed in person and reference-checked. For this category we also verify the following before day one.

  • California food handler card, or manager certification for leads.
  • RBS certification for servers and bartenders.
  • A paid trial shift for cooks: knife skills, station speed, cleanliness, how they take direction.
  • References from two previous kitchens or dining rooms.
  • Service standards for front of house: steps of service, wine service, table maintenance.
  • Availability for nights, weekends and holidays, confirmed in writing.

How engagements work

One event, a season, or a hire.

Ongoing coverage
Standing shifts for a chronically short station or section.
Event kitchens
Cooks, dish crews and servers for winery dinners and private events.
Leave coverage
A cook or server for the weeks someone is out.
Direct hire
Sous chefs, sommeliers and managers, with a 90-day replacement guarantee.

Typical requests

What this looks like in practice.

  • “Two line cooks for a Yountville dinner service, ongoing.”

  • “A dish crew for a 200-cover winery dinner in St. Helena.”

  • “A direct-hire sommelier for a St. Helena restaurant.”

A chef plates a dish with tweezers
A warmly lit restaurant dining room

Questions

Questions about culinary and restaurant staffing.

All questions and answers
Do cooks do a trial shift?

Yes, and it is paid. A trial shift on your line tells both of us more than an interview. You decide at the end of it.

Do cooks bring their own knives?

Yes. We confirm uniform, footwear and any tool requirements with you before the first shift and brief the cook.

Can you cover late nights and Sundays?

Yes. Every placement confirms nights, weekends and holidays in writing before we shortlist them.

Related services

Need culinary and restaurant staff? Let’s talk dates.

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