Line Cook

About Us:

Lena Brewing Company is located right along Highway 20, just outside the Village of Lena in NW Illinois, two hours West of Chicago. Our taproom is located in a 6,000 square foot barn with a big kitchen, two walk-ins, meat smoker, open air atrium seating plus a 118 seat outdoor patio, covered outdoor stage, banquet space with seating for 200, 14 TVs, outdoor fire pits, outdoor satellite bar...it's a vibe.

We're a community-focused brewery dedicated to crafting quality beverages and serving an outstanding, BBQ inspired food menu. We pride ourselves on creating a welcoming atmosphere where guests can enjoy live music and delicious craft beer with their friends, family and even their dogs. We're a high volume, fast paced venue with a super simple menu by design. There's room for creativity and elevation, we just have to keep it quick. The current focus is in-house smoked brisket/pork.

The sales are there, the demand is there, the Lena community is awesome! While entertaining local regulars, a huge piece of our clientele is travelers from Chicago to Galena, or visiting their second homes in Lake Carroll or Apple Canyon. We might be in the middle of nowhere, but 'city folk' drive by this big red barn and can't help but stop. We host a ton of in-house events•trivia night, puzzle competitions, spelling bees, SINGO, live music, annual Sausagefest, Picklefest, Corn Boil, Watermelon Crawl....let's party!

LBC's service model is 'guest paced dining'. So it's open seating, there's menus on all the clipboards on all the tables as well as digital menu boards. Guests visit an ordering station at the bar when they're ready to order•so there's no 'pacing' tickets•hence the importance to keep the menu quick. We use a table side, scan-in puck system so that the food runners can deliver the food directly to the table.

The LBC Taproom is in search of line cooks and BOH support staff that are ready to learn and grow within the LBC Family. The current chef is planning to move in September of 2026. This person/persons/couple/group of culinary wizards would work under the current chef and menu, learn the ins and outs of the kitchen, menu, smoker and management, and bring some creative beer driven flair/features to our menu. The summer flies by, the pace is fast, the hours are long•but oh-so rewarding. This is your opportunity to learn about the ship, then take the wheel in September. We're looking for a future leader of a culinary team in a vibrant brewery environment where craft beer and great food go hand in hand. Fair wages. Creative pay. Simple IRA match. Performance based quarterly bonus. THE best, supportive FOH team you can imagine. We love what we do and we have so much fun doing it. Seriously.

Vibe check at lenabrewing.com. Please email me directly at if at all interested. Or message me here with contact info.

What You'll Do:

Oversee all kitchen operations, from food preparation to plating and serviceManage kitchen staffMaintain the highest standards of kitchen cleanliness, food safety, and sanitationManage food inventory, place orders, and control costs without compromising qualityCreate menus and specials that complement our brewery offeringsEnsure consistent food quality and presentation Collaborate with management on kitchen efficiency and guest satisfactionTo apply, please click the apply button on Poached. We look forward to hearing from you!