Full-time Cook/Housekeeper

Full Time

Position: Fulltime Cook/Housekeeper

Location: Fairfield County, CT

Schedule: Thursday–Monday, 11:00 AM–8:00 PM, with flexibility through dinner cleanup

Guaranteed Hours: 45 hours per week

Compensation: $40–$50 per hour, depending on experience

Arrangement: Live-out or on-duty live-in; live-in arrangement preferred

Position Overview

A private household in Fairfield County, Connecticut, is seeking an experienced, service-oriented Private Cook/Housekeeper to join its established household team. The successful candidate will have prior private-home experience and will take pride in preparing fresh, health-conscious meals, providing attentive lunch and dinner service, and maintaining an exceptionally clean, organized kitchen and dining environment. This is a long-term opportunity for a discreet, flexible professional who follows direction well, works collaboratively, and consistently anticipates household needs.

Core Responsibilities

Cooking, Meal Service & Menu Support

• Prepare fresh, homemade breakfast items, lunches, and dinners according to the principal’s preferences and household schedule.
• Serve the principal’s lunch and dinner with care, professionalism, and attention to timing and presentation.
• Follow established recipes, instructions, and dietary guidelines accurately, with particular emphasis on low-sodium, wholesome, organic meals.
• Assist with menu planning, grocery lists, shopping, food preparation, and thoughtful use of seasonal ingredients.
• Maintain breakfast essentials and ensure the household is consistently stocked with milk, yogurt, fruit, juice, coffee, water, and other requested items.
• Monitor pantry, refrigerator, and freezer inventory; rotate food properly and discard expired or spoiled items.

Kitchen & Dining-Area Care

• Maintain the kitchen, pantry, breakfast room, dining room, dining porches, and adjacent living areas in immaculate condition.
• Clean continuously while cooking and complete a thorough reset after every meal and dinner service.
• Before leaving each evening, ensure that all dishes are washed, the dishwasher is run and/or emptied as needed, garbage is removed, floors are swept and mopped, and all kitchen surfaces are spotless.
• Clean and maintain the ovens, microwave, stovetops, backsplash, hood, vents, controls, sinks, dishwasher and filter, refrigerator, freezer, cabinets, drawers, and surrounding surfaces.
• Dust and straighten the dining and living areas and ensure that serving pieces, salt and pepper shakers, kitchen dispensers, water service, and coffee supplies are ready for use.
• Clean, polish, organize, and safely store silverware and serving pieces.

Entertaining

• Prepare and support small dinners of approximately six guests, working cooperatively with the other housekeeper when needed.
• Assist with table preparation, service, clearing, dishwashing, and complete post-event cleanup.
• For larger events supported by professional caterers, remain available to assist the household team and ensure that the kitchen, dining, and entertaining areas are fully restored afterward.

Household Support & Teamwork

• Work respectfully and collaboratively with the Estate Manager, housekeepers, vendors, and outside service providers.
• When the primary housekeeper is off or additional assistance is needed, help make beds, tidy bedrooms and dressing areas, lightly clean designated bathrooms, service the pool-house bathroom during the summer, remove trash, and complete a general household walk-through.
• Keep designated exterior dining and entertaining areas clean, orderly, and guest-ready.
• Submit receipts promptly and follow the household’s procedures for grocery purchases, petty cash, inventory, and seasonal farm orders.
• Follow household standards, instructions, recipes, and preferred cleaning methods consistently and respectfully.

Detailed Household Standards

• Maintain requested daily foods and pantry staples, including milk, yogurt, fruit, orange juice, peanut butter, butter, flour, sugar, coffee, bottled water, and other household preferences.
• Keep the water pitcher filled and ensure that the coffee machine contains coffee beans and clean water. Do not run the coffee machine’s cleaning cycle; this is handled separately by the Estate Manager.
• Wipe spills from refrigerator and freezer drawers immediately; check regularly for expired or spoiled food and clean all shelves thoroughly.
• Check kitchen soap dispensers, paper towels, and salt and pepper shakers and replenish them as needed.
• Run the dishwasher nightly. If there are not enough dishes for a full load, wash the remaining items by hand.
• Empty all kitchen garbage cans before leaving each evening.
• Complete quarterly deep cleaning of kitchen and pantry cabinets, including interior and exterior surfaces, as well as the stoves, hoods, vents, and controls.
• Clean and polish the sliding door leading to the dining porch using the household’s preferred product.
• Collaborate with the other housekeeper on flowers and plant care.

Seasonal Responsibilities & Flexibility

• Summer is the household’s busiest season. Vacation generally cannot be scheduled during the summer and must be coordinated in advance with the Estate Manager.
• The principal typically travels during January. The employee will continue working and receiving guaranteed pay while completing kitchen resets, detailed organization, inventory projects, and scheduled deep cleaning.
• One vacation week is generally coordinated during January, with an additional vacation week scheduled at a mutually agreed time.
• The principal also maintains a New York City apartment with its own staff. On rare occasions, the employee may be invited to travel to the apartment to prepare a meal; reasonable flexibility is appreciated.
• Remain flexible for seasonal activity, small dinner parties, occasional holidays, and service extending through dinner cleanup.

Candidate Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience as a Cook/Housekeeper, Household Cook, Culinary Housekeeper, or similar professional in a private household.
• Strong home-style cooking skills and confidence preparing fresh, health-conscious, low-sodium meals from recipes and verbal or written directions.
• Excellent knowledge of kitchen sanitation, appliance care, food storage, inventory control, and detailed household cleaning.
• Professional, discreet, dependable, and service-minded, with excellent judgment and respect for confidentiality.
• Collaborative team player who communicates well, accepts feedback, and is comfortable working under the direction of an Estate Manager.
• Organized and proactive, with the ability to maintain exacting standards without constant supervision.
• Valid driver’s license, reliable personal vehicle, and willingness to use that vehicle for grocery shopping and household errands.
• Legally authorized to work in the United States and willing to complete professional reference and background screening.
• No pet-care responsibilities; there are no pets in the home.

Compensation & Benefits

• $40–$50 per hour, depending on experience and culinary ability.
• 45 guaranteed hours per week, paid through legal household payroll.
• Paid major holidays. If work is required on a recognized paid holiday, the employee will receive time-and-one-half pay.
• Two weeks of paid vacation, coordinated with the Estate Manager: generally, one week in January and one week at a mutually agreed time outside the busy summer season.
• Three paid sick days during the first year of employment; five paid sick days annually after completing one year.
• Family contribution equal to 70% of the agreed employee health-insurance premium or stipend, subject to the household’s payroll and benefit arrangement.
• Reimbursement for approved business mileage when using a personal vehicle for grocery shopping or household errands.

Live-In Accommodation

The family is open to either a live-out or on-duty live-in arrangement and prefers a candidate who can use the household accommodation while working. A private apartment above the garage includes a bedroom, bathroom, television, and refrigerator. The apartment is provided for use during scheduled working days; the employee is expected to leave the property during regular days off. Full details and house rules will be discussed during the interview process.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is warm, polished, and genuinely committed to private service. They enjoy preparing nourishing meals, take personal pride in leaving a kitchen exceptionally clean after every service, and understand that success in a staffed home depends on communication, flexibility, discretion, and teamwork. The family hopes to welcome a dependable professional seeking a stable, respectful, long-term position.