Employment opportunities

Chef  |  Kitchen Helper  |  Summer Restoration Intern

Chef

Use your culinary skills for an organization that is making a difference spiritually, socially and environmentally. We are looking for a full-time chef to create delicious and nutritious meals for our retreat center guests, event attendees, volunteers, community members and religious sisters. In addition to using our food service distributors, the chef gets to use organic produce grown in the sisters’ garden onsite.

Holy Wisdom Monastery, located in Middleton, Wisconsin and overlooking scenic Lake Mendota and the Madison isthmus, is home to the Benedictine Women of Madison. There is also a non-denominational spirituality center with an overnight retreat and meeting facility. The campus, situated on 130 acres of rolling restored prairie and woods, includes a lake, nature trails and buildings used by individuals and groups for event space, overnight accommodations and meals.

Our work environment includes:

  • Wellness programs
  • Safe work environment
  • Relaxed atmosphere

Responsibilities include:

  • Meal planning, purchasing and preparing meals at the monastery in accordance with applicable local, state and national food service regulations.
  • Planning menus based on dietary restrictions of the guests.
  • Using produce from monastery gardens and orchards both in season as well as preserving for year-round use.
  • Maintaining appropriate standards of quality, hygiene and food cost.
  • Managing kitchen volunteers.
  • Fostering a supportive work environment in the kitchen that is in line with the Holy Wisdom Monastery mission.

Qualifications and requirements:

  • At least three years of experience in menu planning, kitchen management, and food preparation for groups up to 200 individuals.
  • Working knowledge of all phases of food preparation, service and management.
  • Possess Servsafe certification or be willing to acquire within 6 months of starting.
  • Ability to adjust hours to meet the needs of guests and staff.
  • Computer proficiency.
  • A focus on hospitality.

Compensation and benefits:

  • Full-time
  • $24.00 – $25.00 per hour
  • 401(k)
  • 401(k) matching
  • Dental insurance
  • Flexible schedule
  • Food provided
  • Health insurance
  • Paid time off
  • Vision insurance

Interested candidates can contact Toby Grabs at tgrabs@holywisdommonastery.org or 608-836-1631, x108.

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Kitchen Food Prep Helper

Do you want to work for a retreat center that has been featured in The Washington Post and Chicago Tribune? Holy Wisdom Monastery is looking for people to help Chef Lisa Hoon with food preparation for our groups and retreat guests. Duties include assisting chef with food preparation, table set-up and clean up.  

Candidates must be dependable, have reliable transportation, and have at least basic knowledge of food preparation/clean up safety and techniques. 

Pay for the position is $15/hour and kitchen help is generally needed two to three times per week for four to eight hours. 

Questions or interest can be directed to Toby Grabs at 608-836-1631 x 108 or tgrabs@holywisdommonastery.org. 

Holy Wisdom Monastery, located in Middleton and overlooking Lake Mendota, is a non-denominational Christian spirituality center with an overnight retreat and meeting facility. The campus, situated on 130 acres of rolling prairie and woods, includes a lake, nature trails and two buildings used by groups for meeting space, overnight accommodations and meals. More information is available at http://benedictinewomen.org/visit/facilities-overview/.  

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Summer 2023 Restoration Intern 

Holy Wisdom Monastery is an ecumenical Benedictine monastery, located in Middleton, whose mission is to weave prayer, hospitality, justice and care for the earth into a shared way of life. A core component of our work caring for the earth is the ecological restoration and stewardship of 191 acres of prairie and oak savanna.

We are seeking an intern to assist with diverse duties including: invasive species control, native seed collection, trail maintenance, environmental education, ecological inventories & monitoring and more. Specific duties can be tailored to the interests and strength of the applicant.

Qualifications:

  • Must be at least 18 years old
  • Capable of working outdoors, including in hot and humid weather, for up to 8 hours per day
  • Must be interested in ecology, restoration, natural resource management
  • Willing to remove invasive species by various means including herbicide, power equipment and hand pulling
  • Comfortable working alone and in a team setting
  • Ability to identify native and invasive plant species a plus.

Benefits: $16/hour wage, plus networking, professional development and environmental enrichment opportunities

Application Deadline: March 10th, 2023

How to Apply: Send cover letter, resume and contact info for two references as one PDF file to Amy Alstad (aalstad@holywisdommonastery.org) with the subject line “Internship Application”

Program Dates: May 30-Aug. 4, 2023

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Volunteer at the Monastery

Volunteers are always needed at Holy Wisdom Monastery. Click here to learn more.