Jobs
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Company
V Smiley Preserves makes honey sweetened preserves in Vermont. We love fruit, farmers and big, juicy spoonfuls of flavor. V Smiley Preserves specializes in intricate textured flavors, making no-added pectin preserves and investing in our local foodshed, supporting organic growing practices and making the country’s only nationally available honey sweetened preserves. We have created a new category of preserving, discovering all that is possible with just fruit and honey. The company took home Good Food Awards in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
In 2021, V Smiley Preserves purchased the Bristol Cliffs Cafe at 16 Main St. In 2022, the space reopened as Minifactory. Minifactory is a coffee shop, eatery and small retail location for specialty grocery and local produce.
The kitchen of Minifactory homes both V Smiley Preserves production and Minifactory food operations.
The atmosphere is busy, warm, and full of delicious, beautiful food.
V Smiley Preserves and Minifactory are queer owned/run.
We are hiring the following positions:
1. Lead Jammer for V Smiley Preserves
2. Pastry Assistant / Savory Cook
3. Servers for Minifactory
4. Beverage & Hospitality Lead
5. Operations / Finance Manager
Scroll for details on each role and application instructions
Minifactory is always interested in connecting with experienced cooks and front of house professionals. Saturday/Sunday availability is especially vital. We would love to expand what we do at this location (events, extended hours, hospitality). Fill out the form at the bottom of this page and send us an email introducing yourself.
To apply for these positions, scroll to the bottom of page, fill out the application form and submit. After submitting, email a note introducing yourself, plus your resume to honeyjam@vsmileypreserves.com - in the subject line of email, place the title of the position for which you are applying.
PASTRY ASSISTANT & SAVORY COOK FOR MINIFACTORY
Position Overview
Hone baking skills alongside pastry chef and veteran baker, Andrea, who helmed King Arthur’s bakery before moving to Minifactory
Build your savory food skills (from flavor construction to knife skills) by both supporting our All Day a la carte menu and our Grab N Go offerings at Minifactory
Hang out with lots of local produce
Work in a collaborative, non-traditional restaurant environment
Support the hum of a local, rural community hub
Workday: A mix of 5 and 7 am starts. 2 baking shifts, 3 mixed days of grab n go food / savory food making & plating / baking prep. 32-39 hours / week.
Job Requirements
Food experience
Highly organized
Ability to stand for long periods in a warm environment
You enjoy working efficiently
Tackle tasks and communication with an above & beyond mental approach
Think creatively and consistently about best work flows to accomplish your prep list
Be a good, active listener
Goal focused, but also about to zoom out recognize the flow of tasks surrounding you like checking in orders, keeping the dish pit clear, asking co-workers if they need an extra hand
Have excellent interpersonal and customer service skills
Highly attentive to detail
Compensation
Wage is base wage & tips $21-26 / hr DOE
SERVER FOR MINIFACTORY
Hiring 1 part time server for Minifactory.You work in a team of 2-4 people per shift across hosting/welcoming/directing guests, serving food, retail (pricing, merchandising and stocking), coffee/espresso making.
Minifactory presents an all-day style of menu suitable for enjoying any time of the day. We work closely with Footprint Farm, Deep Root Collective, Burnt Rock Farm, local creameries, lots of fruit and use the menu to showcase preserves in cooking.
Requirements:
1. Excellent customer service (confidence, empathy, patience, kindness and a strong ability to anticipate and attentively listen)
2. Multi-tasking - we offer a range of experiences at Minifactory, from local coffee shop, a place to get groceries to welcoming large groups celebrating life events with beautiful food. Our customers are a mix of regulars and people visiting Bristol for the first time. This makes for a buzzy, quick paced environment, especially on weekends. We work as a small team where each person wears multiple hats, from making sure the peach quarts are stocked in retail, staying ahead on making iced coffee and serving food as it comes out of the kitchen.
3. Efficient - always thinking how to stay organized, using time to get ahead and working effectively with co-workers.
Shifts - mornings to late afternoon - I like to schedule folks with range of opening, closing shifts and mid day shifts to keep things fresh and evenly shared amongst staff.
Hours: Role is 10-18 hrs. / week
Weekend availability is essential.
Pay is a base rate plus tips. Pay range is $21-26 DOE
Two weeks paid time off
Staff Discount
LEAD JAM MAKER FOR V SMILEY PRESERVES
We’re looking for our next lead jammer at V Smiley Preserves. Through training and practice you become deeply knowledgeable about:
1. fruit preservation (jam, butters, marmalade and conserves)
2. fruit as food (temperament, varieties)
4. our specific local and regional food shed
You learn to make over 35 flavors at V Smiley Preserves using a variety of approaches, from super simple 3 ingredient recipes to complex, multi-texture preserves speckled with local flower blossoms or studded with honey candied bergamot oranges.
Who You’ll Work With
- VSP Production Assistant – assists with jam making plus e-commerce and wholesale fulfillment
- V Smiley (Head Cook of Minifactory, Owner of VSP)
You report to: V Smiley
You’ll be trained by V Smiley & current production lead
ROLE
o 20-30 hours per week
o Cook preserves for wholesale, e-commerce and Minifactory
o Ensure food safety
o On time production of product for wholesale + ecommerce orders
o Learn and produce the 30-40 flavors in seasonal rotation
o Collaborate with Operations Manager on fruit ordering, fruit processing and workflow
o Maintain and champion our approach to food, work, and service
o Coordinating with Minifactory baker
o Coordinating with Minifactory cooks regarding sharing space or collaborating on food prep.
RESULTS
o Nurture consistency in the kitchen
o Follow recipes
o Minimizes food waste – achieved by thinking ahead, thinking creatively, production planning and coordinating with Minifactory kitchen
o Identify fruit in its various stages (your role involves fruit care; ripening, properly storing and adjusting production and processing around fruit quality).
o Modulate recipes around fruit (understanding how to work with extra sweet plums or under-ripe honeyberries) to produce the best product
o Reliable output of V Smiley Preserves products
o Foster communicative work environment, speaking up early and often
o Support labeling, packing, invoicing and communicating with customers
REQUIREMENTS
o A love of learning
o Multitasker
o A drive to go above & beyond
o Ability to lift 50 lbs with some regularity
o Ability to stand for long periods of time (shifts are 8-10 hours, there is flexibility here though our production days are 10 hours)
o Familiarity and comfort with repetition
o A love for working with one’s hands
o Dedication to building your knife skills
o Interest in local food and produce
o A keen sense for flavors, distinguishing between tart, sweet, astringent, bitter, herbaceous etc.
o Have excellent interpersonal skills
o A love for being part of a team and using a strengths based approach
o Quick, efficient, and attentive to detail
Compensation
Starting wage of $20+/hr DOE – this position requires continuous, concentrated training for a minimum of 6 months. Reviews and salary increase opportunities occur at 3 and 9 month intervals within your first year at VSP.
Two weeks paid time off
Seasonal bonuses
Staff meals
Employee discount
BEVERAGE & HOSPITALITY LEAD FOR MINIFACTORY
Position Overview
We’re hiring an experienced coffee and service professional—a general beverage aficionado—to bring creativity, structure, and flavor to our beverage offerings at Minifactory; from morning shakes to tea, natural wine, cocktails that harness and celebrate V Smiley Preserves and seasons.
You…
Bring a love for all things beverage & hosting
Hold deep coffee knowledge with both espresso, milk foaming and brewed coffee
Possess a strong sense of flavor and balance
Constantly strive to create that ineffable feeling of thoughtful service for our customer, meeting them where they are
Hold a strong background in (ideally both) either specialty coffee and alcohol
If you are missing knowledge in either coffee or alcohol, you are ready to deep dive and quickly get yourself up to speed
Independent, but collaboratively minded
· Enjoy training staff and maintaining quality of product through teaching/mentorship
Sweat the details but also know how to keep it moving
Warm & thoughtful
Get excited / energized by busy services
Driven to find efficiency of motion, communication, service, and staffing
Hustle, team player, leading by example
Possess floor vision (you toggle effortlessly from bussing tables, greeting customers, clipping sagging flowers from a bouquet, checking in with the kitchen, putting away dishes as you swing through the dish pit while delegating and encourage economy of motion in others)
Work a combo of morning & evenings
Who You’ll Work With
- Minifactory Operations Lead
- Minifactory Retail Lead
- V Smiley
- Christine Mitchell Adams, VSP/Minifactory Marketing
You report to: V Smiley
Who We Are
V Smiley Preserves started in Seattle, WA in 2013 knowing its forever home lay in Vermont where I (V Smiley) grew up on a New Haven beef and vegetable farm. V Smiley Preserves makes honey sweetened jam and marmalade with an emphasis on local and regional produce. We nurture close relationships with local growers and grow a small portion of our own ingredients on the family farm in New Haven.
At Minifactory, we cook and serve V Smiley Preserves. Minifactory uses a food and drink menu to expand how our customers think about preserves in cooking. We want to create an awesome dining experience and grow the appetite for our product.
ROLE
· Train new baristas on espresso drink fundamentals including latte art
· Quality control on drip & espresso program
· Spearhead seasonal drink changes on coffee menu
· Create small, easily executed (morning) frozen drink menu
· Coffee ordering
· Routine upkeep of coffee equipment with support from Brio Coffeeworks
· Curate & rotate tea menu
· Maintain inventory of syrups and flavorings for hot drinks and alcohol program
· Order alcohol & purchase spirits
· Execute slowly rotating cocktail menu (3-4 yearly shifts)
· Build new cocktail creations using V Smiley Preserves
· Write recipes
· Train staff on cocktail making & recipes
· Lead weekly inventory of all dry and fresh goods involved in our beverage program
· Research new products
· Rotate and quality check beverage stock
· Facilitate information flow on menu/changes to FOH staff
· Train staff on how to describe and sell our food & drink
· Grow & maintain warm, convivial guest experience
· Troubleshoot customer flow / customer experiences
· Raise our level of service
· Grow our staff knowledge about ingredients, dishes and general menu
· Bring new, achievable ideas to increasing the feel of hospitality at Minifactory
· Expand alcohol and food sales post 2pm
· Continue building out non-alcoholic drink menu
RESULTS
Consistent & excellent coffee program
Exceptional & memorable service
Minifactory and V Smiley Preserves are bridged together via our menu and sales strategy
Foster communicative and enjoyable work environment
Contributes to stimulating excellence in both the individual and group culture of Minifactory
Converting Minifactory sales into VSP growth – a big part of our job at Minifactory is using the customer experience to expand V Smiley Preserves reach and relevance – we’ll work with Christine Mitchell Adams to make sure this conversion is humming
REQUIREMENTS
Proven record of leadership in coffee, beverage and service
Minimum 3 years experience in restaurants / coffee shops or similar service environment
Bartending knowledge
Have excellent interpersonal and customer service skills
A love for being part of a team and using a strengths based approach
Highly organized
Community minded
Compensation
$25-29/hr DOE
29-37 hrs/week, seasonally dependent
Two weeks paid time off
Staff meals / free food for home
Employee discount
Application Instructions
1. Fill out application here (scroll down) and send materials requested on application to honeyjam@vsmileypreserves.com
2. We’ll be in touch via your provided contact info to set up a remote, 10 min. interview.
3. Final steps will be a hybrid working and in person interview.
LEAD OPERATIONS & FINANCE MANAGER FOR V SMILEY PRESERVES + MINIFACTORY
Bristol Vermont
Position Overview
We’re hiring an upbeat, financially focused food professional to cohere the production/fulfillment of V Smiley Preserves (jam company) with Minifactory (restaurant, coffee shop and market showcasing V Smiley Preserves products). V Smiley Preserves and Minifactory operate out of a shared kitchen. Warehousing and fulfillment take place offsite (1 mile down the road). You’ll work in both locations.
Our ideal candidate has a strong cooking/production background, loves building spreadsheets, identifies as a numbers person and likes working with people.
Minifactory is our new business. You’ll be instrumental in building an organization from the ground upwards, determining how to arrange resources for maximum productivity.
Your role splits three ways:
1) administrative, financial checks and balances
2) connecting across departments
3) hands on support in the kitchen during our startup phase as we transition from jam company to jam company and restaurant.
Who You’ll Work With
VSP Production Lead: Production lead preps and cooks preserves. You’ll manage their workflow and their ingredients ordering and making sure production and fulfillment operations are smooth.
VSP Fulfillment Lead: Fulfillment lead packs/ships ecommerce and wholesale orders, facilitates local wholesale deliveries and oversees inventory management. You’ll manage their workflow and coordinate the relationship between production and fulfillment.
Minifactory Front of House Manager: oversees the fresh/pantry market, schedules FOH staff, HR lead point of contact, orders FOH supplies/goods, manages coffee program.
Minifactory Lead Cook & Baker
V Smiley (Head Cook of Minifactory, Owner of VSP)
Christine Mitchell Adams, VSP/Minifactory Marketing
VSP/Minifactory Bookkeeper
You manage: VSP Production Team
You collaborate with: Minifactory Leads, Pastry Chef, and Head Cook
You report to: V Smiley
YOUR ROLE
RESPONSIBILITIES
o Costing out V Smiley Preserves/Minifactory products
o Creating V Smiley Preserves/Minifactory budget
o In charge of seasonal production calendar
o Tethering our local supply chain to production and marketing
o Facilitates movement of ingredients/preserves from VSP production into Minifactory menu
o Facilitates movement of ingredients from market back into Minifactory (as produce/product ages out of salability)
o Maintaining relationships with farm partners
RESULTS
o Increase efficiency across teams
o Foster communicative and fun work environment
o Stimulates excellence in both the individual and group
o Create a work schedule cohering VSP & Minifactory
o Mapping financial goals ensuring management team is on the same page and knows what’s coming down the pipeline
o SOPs and/or documented organization of our suppliers and growers
o Financial evaluation
o Minimizes food waste
o Tracks ingredient sales between Minifactory and V Smiley Preserves
REQUIREMENTS
o Successful record of financial management in food business (skills in Excel/Google Sheets, book/recording keeping)
o Drive to research and implement systems to increase team efficiency
o Food production management experience
o Restaurant experience (minimum 2 years as a line cook)
o Fundamental belief in using business to grow our local food systems
o Be a good, active listener
o Have excellent interpersonal and customer service skills.
o A love for building/managing teams using a strengths based approach
o Highly organized
o Quick, efficient, multi-tasking and highly attentive to detail
o Community minded
Compensation
Base starting wage of $23/hr + share in service charge payout / Equity Options
Two weeks paid time off
Seasonal bonuses
Staff meals
Employee discount
As we move out of the startup phase for Minifactory, the Operations Manager is pivotal in researching and implementing additions to our benefit package.
Application Instructions
1. Scroll and fill out application and send materials requested on application to honeyjam@vsmileypreserves.com
2. We’ll be in touch via your provided contact info to set up a remote, 10 min. interview.
3. Final steps will be a hybrid working and in person interview.
Lead Line Cook FOR MINIFACTORY
Position Overview
We’re hiring attentive and skilled cooks to anchor the savory kitchen at Minifactory. Our menu is an all day style, mixing morning and afternoon foods. Our goal is soulful, flavorful, elegant food that we love cooking and brings comfort to our diners. Plan on lots of herbs, aromatics and bright flavors. My passion is for produce and the menu centers preserves as a useful ingredient like the muscatel vinegar, chili flake, or fiery mustard oil that we pull from our pantries to lift dishes. Ideally, you balance my produce cooking goggles by being experienced in either butchery or meat cookery.
My influences include: Simon Bajada, Ruth Rogers, Sam and Samantha Clark, Amy Chaplin, Renee Erickson, Mark Diacono, Margarita Carrillo Arronte, Niloufer Ichaporia King, Ana Sortun, Lori Regis and Amaryll Schwertner.
My cooking reflects my time in the kitchens of The Whale Wins, Sitka & Spruce, LA’s Elf Café, and The Corson Building.
In addition to our all day menu, we offer Friday and Saturday dinners. With your help, we would next roll out Sunday Afternoon Community Suppers and the Monday Night Veg Sesh (monthly evening meals). These two concepts do a couple things. The dinners help us establish a cooking language together and get us working through ideas rapidly.
We occupy a unique space in Bristol. 16 Main St. has operated as a bakery/café for over 4 decades and serves a diverse clientele.
Community defines how we approach food and service. You will be a pivotal part of our leadership team at Minifactory.
Who You’ll Work With
VSP/Minifactory Operations Manager – connects VSP and Minifactory and keeps product moving smoothly between operations.
VSP Production Lead – head jammer at VSP, this person will make product for you.
Minifactory Front of House Manager: oversees the fresh/pantry market, schedules FOH staff, HR lead point of contact, orders FOH supplies/goods, manages coffee program.
V Smiley (Head Cook of Minifactory, Owner of VSP)
You report to: V Smiley
Workday: Initially a mix of morning and early to mid evening work, 5 days a week. Latest service ends at 7 pm. Opening a restaurant requires trial and error, all towards establishing a system that works for staff and customers. This requires flexibility and a baseline comfort or excitement for consistent change.
ROLE
o Working alongside V to deliver consistent, delicious food
o Build respectful work culture
o Maintain and champion our approach to food, work, and service
o Test and write recipes
o Monitor quality of ingredients and shift menu accordingly
o Coordinate with baker
o Assist in any area of the kitchen as needed
o Training line/prep cooks
o Tying output to seasonality
RESULTS
o Nurture consistency in the kitchen
o Foster communicative and fun work environment
o Stimulates excellence in both the individual and group
o Minimizes food waste
REQUIREMENTS
o A love of learning
o Wide range of food skills and food interests
o Likes working with aromatics and herbs/spices
o Have excellent interpersonal and customer service skills
o A love for being part of a team and using a strengths based approach
o Highly organized
o Clean worker
o Quick, efficient, multi-tasking and attentive to detail
o Community minded
Compensation
Base starting wage of $17+/hr DOE + 4-6/hour in tips = $21-23/hour
Two weeks paid time off
Seasonal bonuses
Staff meals
Employee discount
Application Instructions
1. Fill out application below and send materials (resume and note of introduction) requested on application to honeyjam@vsmileypreserves.com
2. We’ll be in touch via your provided contact info to set up a remote, 10 min. interview.
3. Final steps will be a hybrid working and in person interview.
⬇︎ start here ⬇︎
JOB APPLICATION
detailed, thoughtful answers are super helpful in this process. thank you for taking the time!
NEXT, send your note introducing yourself + resume to honeyjam@vsmileypreserves.com with position title(s) in the subject line.
We’ll follow up if we have questions. Thank you very much.